D. C. Gini.Sociology and Eugenics.3°3
influence. In general, it seems reasonable to admit that the diversity of occupa
tion, journeys, feasts, periods of fasting and mourning, and the other civil and
religious customs may have a notable influence on the greater or lesser fre
quency of conceptions. The influence of religious customs appears clearly if
we compare the birth-rates in the Protestant districts of Germany with those of
the Catholic and mixed. (See Table VI.)
TABLE VI.
Births according to months (i).
Daily mean of births in each month, after making the daily mean for the
whole year= 1,000.
Month
of Birth.Rout 188
Bora in
Townsnania 3-94 Born in
Country
DistrictsGerrr Legi
Protestant Districtsany, 187
timate B
Catholic
Districts2-80 irths MixedGerr Illegi
Protestant Districtsnany, 18
timate E
Catholic
Districts72-80 irths MixedProbable month of
Conception
12345678910
January ...........1074847101710041025IOQI1077IOQ7April
February...........1193IOÇ2103610431057II3Ô11781138May
March ...........J0731012101610431046IO77112b1115June
April ...........990IO8398210241002102310521064July
May ...........9291112958990970988IOIQ1020August
June ...........932IO32947978937950975963September
July ........1 960ioçS965982951903942927October
August ...........9689741003980988878860870November
September93&9611077101710481018953963December October...........1058124.01012993IOOI918946887January
November1006955998988997965928937February December8936059939559831061958IOIOMarch
(x) The data for Roumania were worked out by the author from the original official statistics ;
those for Germany are taken from Mayr, Statistik und Gesellschaftslehre. Page 172.
We may, perhaps, ascribe the differences between town and country which
in Roumania for example are considerable (see Table VI.) to the influence of
the different professions. But it is probable that here, as certainly in other
cases, the influence of the frequency of marriages according to months comes
into play.
I do not know upon what data the assertion is founded which is at present
taken for granted by statisticians, that the monthly oscillations in the frequency
of marriages have no sensible influence on the monthly oscillation in the
frequency of births. The explanation of this fact should be found in the
variation in the interval between marriage and first birth.
However, it is clear that this variation may shew well marked differences
from country to country according to the greater or less diffusion of Neo-
Malthusian practices, the relative ages of those marrying, and especially, the
greater or less frequency of conception before marriage. Owing to this, it may
