all
female offspring, one fourteen in fifteen years, and the other fifteen
in sixteen years, though I annually changed the bull. Both however
produced one male each, and that in the same year; and I confidently
expected, when the one produced a male that the other would, as she
did."

M. Giron, after long continued observation and experiment, stated with
much confidence, that the general law upon this point was, that the
sex of progeny would depend on the greater or less relative vigor of
the individuals coupled. In many experiments purposely made, he
obtained from ewes more males than females by coupling very strong
rams with ewes either too young, or too aged, or badly fed, and more
females than males by a reverse choice in the ewes and rams he put
together.

Mon. Martegoute, formerly Professor of Rural Economy, in a late
communication to the "Journal D'Agriculture Pratique," says that as
the result of daily observations at a sheepfold of great importance,
that of the Dishley Mauchamp Merinos of M. Viallet at Blanc, he has,
if not deceived, obtained some new hints. He states that Giron's law
developed itself regularly at the sheepfold in all cases where
difference of vigor was observed in the ewes or rams which were
coupled; but he adds another fact, which he had observed every year
since 1853, when his observations began. This fact consists--

_First_, In that at the commencement of the rutting season when the
ram is in his full vigor he procreated more males than females.

_Second_, When, some days after, and the ewes coming in heat in great
numbers at once, the ram being weakened by a more frequent renewal of
the exertion, the procreation of females took the lead.

_Third_, The period of excessive exertion having passed, and the
number of ewes in heat being diminished, the ram also found less
weakened, the procreation of males in majority again commenced."

In order to show that the cause of such a result is isolated from all
other influences of a nature to be confounded with it, he gives the
details of his observations in a year when the number of births of
males and females were about equal. He also goes on to say, that, "at
the end of each month all the animals at the sheepfold are weighed
separately, and thanks to these monthly weighings, we have drawn up
several tables from which are seen the diminution or increase in
weight of the different animals classed in various points of view,
whether according