From John Graham to George Cupples 6 July 1869
Shaw. by Lockerbie
6th July 1869
Sir
With your letter of the 29 ultimo, I am duly favoured, and in answer am indeed sorry I can give you little information upon which you can rely regarding the subject of enquiry. viz.
1st The comparative numbers of the sexes born in any year or years from any flock or herd?—
2nd Whether there is any excess of mortality in either sex over the other at birth or afterwards?—
1st From observation could not say, on an average of years, that equality of numbers of either sex vary much in sheep or Cattle.—
2nd Mortality at birth, and more afterwards, will I think be in excess in males, to a certain degree,—lambs when young, during cold weather are subject to affections in the urinary organs often proving fatal, to which the female are not liable—1 altogether males both sheep and Cattle are more tender and require better keep and attention until they reach eighteen months.—
Born here | |||||
1869 | Bull calves | 9 | Heifer do— | 12 | |
1868 | — — | 9 | — — | 7 |
No record of lambs kept.—
Pray excuse my delay in answering your letter.—
I am yours truly | John Graham
George Cupples Esq | Guard Bridge
CD annotations
Footnotes
Summary
Responds to questions about sex ratios at birth and mortality in either sheep or cattle before eighteen months.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6817F
- From
- John Graham
- To
- George Cupples
- Sent from
- Shaw by Lockerbie
- Source of text
- DAR A86: 68–9
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6817F,” accessed on 22 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6817F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17