23 



February 28th, 1837. 

 The Rev. John Barlow, in the Chair. 



The following notice by T. C. Eyton, Esq. of some osteological pe- 

 culiarities in different skeletons of the genus Sus was read. 



" Having during the lašt year prepared the skeleton of a malė Pig 

 of the pure Chinese breed, brought over by Lord Northampton, I 

 was surprised to find that a very great dilFerence existed in the 

 number of the vertebrse from that given in the "Lecons d'Anatomie 

 Comparee," vol. i. Ed. 1835. pag. 182, under the head either of San- 

 glier or Cochon Domestique. A short time afterwards, through the 

 kindness of Sir Ro\vland HiU, Bart., M.P., I prepared the skeleton 

 of a female Pig from Africa ; this also diiFered, aa also does the En- 

 glish long-legged sort as it is commonly called. 



" The following table will show the differences in the number of 

 the vertebrae in each skeleton -vvith those given in the work above 

 quoted. 



Chinese 

 Mdle. 



7 

 15 



4 



4 

 19 



49 



Lecons 

 d'Anat. Comp. 



Sanglier. 



7 

 14 



5 



4 

 20 



50 



Ckjch.dom. 



7 

 14 



5 



4 

 23 



53 



It is possible that some of the caudal vertebrae may be missing. 



" The Chinese Pig vvas imported into this countryfor the purpose 

 of improving our native sorts, with which it breeds freely, and the 

 ofFspring are again fruitful. I this winter saw a fine litter of Pigs 

 by Sir Rowland Hill's African Boar, imported ■with the female I de- 

 scribed, the mother of which was a common Pig ; time will show 

 whether they will again be fruitful. 



" From what has been stated the result appears to me to be that 

 either the above three Pigs mušt be considered as distinct species, and 

 which, should the offspring of the two latter again produce young, 

 would do away \vith the theory of Hunter, that the young of tvvo di- 

 stinct species are tiot fi-uitful, or we cannot consider osteological 

 chEiracter a criterion of species. 



" I have been induced to oiFer the above.not with any desire of 

 species-making, but of adding something towards the number of re- 

 corded facts by which the question what is a species mušt be an- 

 swered." 



