HEPORT ON THE TRANSIT OF STOCK. 475 



the cattleman is directed, during the voyage, to the one ohject of 

 keeping the beasts on their feet, and the difficulties of achieving 

 it can only be fully realised by those who have witnessed the 

 effects of a storm on the occupants of the hold. As a remedy for 

 this great evil, we suggest that, instead of a division plank to 

 every tenth beast as is now usually allowed, a similar plank 

 shall be fixed between each animal. The advantages of this 

 would be very considerable ; if a beast did get down it would 

 prevent its being either trampled or strangled to death by its 

 neighbours before it had a chance to get up again, while 

 the support these planks would give to all would relieve the 

 individuals from the swaying and crushing effect now ex- 

 perienced in the rolling of the vessel, and which is produc- 

 tive of much mischief to all except the strongest animals. It 

 may be thought a disadvantage to the introduction of these 

 planks, that such a system would fix the limits of the space 

 allowed to each beast, and that a large animal and a small one 

 would have precisely the same accommodation ; further, that 

 these planks would occupy space which might be better employed. 

 To the first of these objections it may be replied, that as nearly 

 all steamers are built with a view to the requirements of the 

 particular station on which they are to be employed, the descrip- 

 tions and average sizes of the stock usually conveyed could be 

 known, and suitable grades of spaces provided accordingly, and 

 that as the fixing of the spaces would prevent overcrowding and 

 all its attendant evils, a great advantage would thereby be gained ; 

 while the greater comfort and security of the animals would 

 more than repay for the extra space occupied, and which, after 

 all, would be comparatively trifling, only an addition of three 

 inches (the thickness of the plank) for each beast, while its cost 

 would be very trifling. 



Pigs. — The shipping of pigs is not very extensively practised. 

 It is done by the gangway, or the crane, when the animals are 

 placed in small movable pens and hoisted on board. By the 

 gangway the shipping of pigs is no easy matter, as they invari- 

 ably refuse to move in any required direction. It is generally 

 effected by seizing one or two of the number, and by main force 

 dragging them along, the sympathies of the herd becoming so 

 excited by the screams of these victims that they are induced to 

 follow them. They are almost invariably kept on deck in open 

 pens ; and although naturally they are better fitted for bearing the 

 atmosphere of the hold, their unmanageableness nearly always 

 renders it impossible to get them beyond the deck, and they 

 suffer in consequence even more than the preceding descriptions 

 of stock. Generally they are never offered either food or water, 

 and suffer from the want of them on a prolonged voyage very much. 

 Cold, hunger, and thirst are the chief evils from which pigs 



