PIG'S MEASLES 333 



sion of which might be as much as two centimeters, 

 and the smallest five or six millimeters. 



* ' Hydatids live in the flesh of a live pig ; they live 

 there by thousands and thousands, in such multi- 

 tudes that sometimes not a piece of fat the size of a 

 nut could be found free from these little parasites. 

 Each one, snugly ensconced in its retreat, its 

 strongly-walled cell, grows in peace, sheltered from 

 all attack, and makes predatory raids in the imme- 

 diate vicinity with its crown of hooked claws and its 

 four suckers." 



"What a miserable fate is the pig's," Emile ex- 

 claimed, "to be eaten up alive like that, all full of 

 the ravenous vermin and unable to get rid of them ! 

 The poor animal must soon succumb. ' ' 



"Not exactly. It wastes away, it is true, but it 

 resists for a long time, being very tenacious of life." 



"I can't think without horror," said Jules, "of 

 the terrible itching such an army of vermin must 

 cause, biting and boring into the creature 's flesh all 

 over its body. 9 ' 



"Your horror would redouble if you knew that 

 this vermin only awaits a favorable opportunity to 

 emigrate to our bodies even, and to ravage us in our 

 turn." 



"What! Those horrid pig worms have designs 

 on us 1 " 



"And designs, ala,s, too often accomplished, if we 

 are not careful. That is what we are now about to 

 consider. ' ' 



