The Descent of Man

as well as some of the following returns on cattle.
Mr. R. Elliot, of Laighwood, first called my
attention to the premature deaths of the males,
—a statement subsequently confirmed by Mr.
Aitchison and others. To this latter gentleman,
and to Mr. Payan, I owe my thanks for large
returns as to sheep.)
Of CATTLE I have received returns from nine
gentlemen of 982 births, too few to be trusted;
these consisted of 477 bull-calves and 505 cowcalves;
i.e., in the proportion of 94.4 males to
100 females. The Rev. W.D. Fox informs me
that in 1867 out of 34 calves born on a farm in
Derbyshire only one was a bull. Mr. Harrison
Weir has enquired from several breeders of
PIGS, and most of them estimate the male to
the female births as about 7 to 6. This same gentleman
has bred RABBITS for many years, and
has noticed that a far greater number of bucks
are produced than does. But estimations are of
little value.