72 DOMESTIC PIGS. Chap. III. 



the characters of a highly - cultivated race, and hence, no 

 doubt, their high value in the improvement of our European 

 breeds. Nathusius makes a remarkable statement (Schweine- 

 schadel, s. 138), that the infusion of the ^Vnd, or even of the 

 ^th, part of the blood of S. indicus into a breed of S. scrofa, 

 is sufficient plainly to modify the skull of the latter species. 

 This singular fact may perhaps be accounted for by several 

 of the chief distinctive characters of S. indicus, such as the 

 shortness of the lachrymal bones, &c, being common to 

 several species of the genus ; for in crosses characters which 

 are common to many species apparently tend to be prepotent 

 over those appertaining to only a few species. 



The Japan pig (S. pliciceps of Gray), which was formerly 

 exhibited in the Zoological Gardens, has an extraordinary 

 appearance from its short head, broad forehead and nose, 

 great fleshy ears, and deeply furrowed skin. The following 

 woodcut is copied from that given by Mr. Bartlett. 10 Not 

 only is the face furrowed, but thick folds of skin, which are 

 harder than the other parts, almost like the plates on the 

 Indian rhinoceros, hang about the shoulders and rump. It 

 is coloured black, with white feet, and breeds true. That it 

 has long been domesticated there can be little doubt ; and 

 this might have been inferred even from the fact that its 

 young are not longitudinally striped ; for this is a character 

 common to all the species included within the genus Sus and 

 the allied genera whilst in their natural state. 11 Dr. Gray 12 

 has described the skull of this animal, which he ranks not 

 only as a distinct species, but places it in a distinct section 

 of the genus. Nathusius, however, after his careful study of 

 the whole group, states positively (Schweineschadel, s. 153- 

 158) that the skull in all essential characters closely resembles 

 that of the short-eared Chinese breed of the S. indicus type. 

 Hence Nathusius considers the Japan pig as only a domesti- 

 cated variety of S. indicus : if this really be the case, it is a 



10 'Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' 1861, p. 263. in a very interesting essay, ' Der 



11 Sclater, in 'Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' Schadel des Maskenschweines,' 1870. 

 Feb. 26th, 1861. He confirms the conclusion of von 



12 'Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' 1862, p. 13. Nathusius on the relationship of this 

 The skull has since been described kind of pig. 



much more fully by Professor Lucae 



