Mammal Study 



35 



grant that it has brains, although we stuff it so with fattening food, that 

 it does not have a chance to use its brain, except now and then when it 

 breaks out of the sty and we try to drive it back. Under these circum- 

 stances, we grant the pig all the sagacity usually imputed to the one who 

 once possessed swine and drove them into the sea. Hunters of wild hogs 

 proclaim that they are full of strategy and cunning, and are exceedingly 

 fierce. We pay tribute to the pig's cleverness when free to outwit us, 

 when we say of other uncertain undertakings, that they are like "buying 

 a pig in a poke." 



The head of the wild hog is wedge-shaped with pointed snout, and this 

 form enables the animal to push into the thick underbrush along the river 

 banks, whenever it is attacked. 

 But civilization has changed this 

 bold profile of the head, so that 

 now in many breeds, there is a 

 hollow between the snout and 

 eyes, giving the form which we 

 call "dished." Some breeds have 

 sharp, forward-opening ears, while 

 others have ears that lop. The 

 wild pig of Europe and Asia has 

 large, open ears extending out 

 wide and alert on each side of the 

 head. 



The covering of the pig is a 

 thick skin beset with bristling 

 hairs; when the hog is excited, 

 the bristles rise and add to the 

 fury of its appearance. The bris- 

 tles aid in protecting the animal 

 when it is pushing through thorny 

 thickets. The pig's querly tail is merely an ornament, although the 

 tail of the wart hog of Africa, if pictures may be relied upon, might be 

 used in a limited fashion as a fly-brush. 



When the pig is allowed to roam in the woods, it lives on roots, nuts, 

 and especially acorns and beech nuts ; in the autumn it becomes very fat 

 through feeding upon the latter. The mast-fed bacon of the semi-wild 

 hogs of the Southern States is considered the best of all. But almost any- 

 thing animal or vegetable, that comes in its way, is eaten by the hog, and 

 it has been long noted that the hog has done good service on our frontier 

 as a killer of rattlesnakes. The pig is Veil fitted for locomotion on either 

 wet or dry soil, for the two large hoofed toes enable it to walk well on dry 

 ground and the two hind toes, smaller and higher up, help to sustain it on 

 marshy soil. Although the pig's legs are short, it is a swift runner unless 

 it is too fat. The razor-backs of the South are noted for their fleetness. 



We understand somewhat the pig's language; there is the constant 

 grunting, which is a sound that keeps the pig herd together. We under- 

 stand perfectly the complaining squeal of hunger, the satisfied grunt 

 signifying enjoyment of food, the squeal of terror when seized, and the 

 nasal growl when fighting. But there is much more to the pig's conversa- 

 tion than this; I know a certain lady, who is a lover of animals, and who 

 once undertook to talk pig language as best she could imitate it, to two of 



Good for the pigs and good 

 for the orchard. 



