PIG'S MEASLES 331 



favorite haunt of the hydatids. If hard granules 

 are felt by the fingers, the pig is affected and its 

 market value greatly lowered; if no such granules 

 are found, the animal is healthy and will bring its 

 full price. That is the reason of the operation that 

 so puzzled Emile this morning in the market. The 

 man that was feeling of the animal's tongue was an 

 inspector. His office is to examine all pigs offered 

 for sale and to determine from the feeling of the 

 tongue whether the animal has the measles. Hence 

 he is commonly called a tongue-tester, a word that 

 will now explain itself to you. ' r 



"I see very well," Jules interposed, "how the 

 word came to be used in connection with the exam- 

 ination of the pig's tongue, but I don't yet in the 

 least understand how those hard white granules that 

 the tongue-tester looks for, those hydatids as you 

 call them, can make the meat unwholesome and dan- 

 gerous. ' y 



"You will soon see. Each of those granules is a 

 lodge, a cell, a little chamber if you like, in which 

 lives a sort of worm, richly fed by the pig's animal 

 substance. You are familiar with the worm that 

 inhabits the juicy pulp of cherries, with the one that 

 gnaws the kernel of nuts, with the one that makes its 

 home in the heart of the pear and apple, and with 

 countless others in fact that I told you about when 

 we were on the subject of harmful insects. Well, 

 fruit is not the only thing to harbor such troublesome 

 guests ; every animal has its parasites to devour it 

 while it is still alive. The pig in its turn has a great 



