DOMESTIC hol}.] and TlIElJv VAJ:i()L'S JUiEEDS. [westphalian breed. 



to Bacchus, and also to the moon when full. 

 "In tho evening of the festival of Bacchus," 

 savs Herodotus, "thouj^h everyone bo obliged 

 to kill a hog before the door of hia house, yet 

 ho iinnunlialoly restores the carcass to tlif 

 swineherd that sold him."' Tlie ancient Scy- 

 thians, according to the same authority, made 

 no use of swine, nor sullored any to be kept in 

 the country. The Abyssinians and tlie Copts 

 of Egypt, as well as the Moliamtnodans, reject 

 the iiesh of the hog. Among tho ancient 

 Greeks and Romans, though tho ofBco of 

 swineherd ajipoars to have been held in con- 

 tempt, the ilesh of the hog was in high estima- 

 tion, and a sucking pig was as favourite a dish 

 with them as it is with many of our own 

 countrymen at the present day. The Chinese 

 have derived no prejudices against tho hog 

 from the Mohammedan nations of tlie East: 

 on the contrary, they rear these animals in 

 great numbers for the sake of their flesh ; and 

 even the numerous population, who tenant the 

 floating town of rafts or barges, contrive to 

 keep and rear them. " One of the most sin- 

 gular circumstances," says Mr. AVilson, in the 

 Qnarterli/ Journal of Agriculture, "in the 

 domestic history of this animal, is tlie immense 

 extent of its distribution, more especially in 

 far-removed and insulated spots inhabited by 

 semi-barbarians, where the wild species is 

 entirely unknown. For example, the South 

 Sea Islanders, on their discovery by Europeans, 

 were found to be well stocked with a small 

 black-legged hog ; and the traditionary belief 

 of the people, in regard to the original intro- 

 duction of these animals, showed that they 

 were supposed to be as anciently descended as 

 themselves. Tet the latter had no knowledge 

 of the wild boar, or any other animal of the hog 

 kind, from wliich the domestic breed might be 

 supposed to be derived." 



The domestic hog is by no means destitute 

 of intelligence, and little deserves the charac- 

 ter of a stupid filthy brute, as some are pleased 

 to give it. As regards filthiuess, this, iu a 

 great measure, depends on its keeper. It is 

 true that, like the elephant and hippopotamus, 

 it delights to wallow in the mire ; but no 

 animal more luxuriates in clean straw ; and 

 when it is styed up in filth, justice is not done 

 to it. The hog is a " huge feeder ;" but so are 

 the horse and ox ; and a fat hog is a more 



comely-looking beast than ono that is lean and 

 ill-fed. "With respect to intelligence, it may 

 bo ranked far before tho ox and horse, though 

 it is less docile. In Alinorca it is used to draw 

 tho plough, and works well ; and Pennant 

 says, that in the district of Murray, between 

 the Spey and Elgin, in Scotland, it was for- 

 merly employed for the same purpo:>o ; and 

 that a credible eye-witness informed hiu), 

 •' that he had seen, in his pariah there, a cow, a 

 sow, and two young horses, yoked together, 

 and drawing a plough in light sandy soil, and 

 that the sow was the best drawer of the four." 

 The senses of taste, smell, and hearing arc 

 possessed in great perfection by the hog. It 

 is a saying among a certain class of persons, 

 that pigs can smell the wind ; and they are 

 certainly aware of the approach of a storm, as 

 they have often been seen in a state of great 

 agitation during its continuance, screaming, 

 and running about with straw in their mouths, 

 or carrying it to their sty as if to add to their 

 shelter. In Italy, advantage is said to be 

 taken of the sense of smell with which this 

 animal is endowed in searching for trufiles ; 

 and in our own country, the famous sow Slut, 

 of which we have spoken in a preceding division 

 of this work, was broke-iu to the gun, and 

 stood to her game as staunch as the best 

 pointer. But it is now time to speak of some 

 of the continental varieties of this animal, 

 before noticing the British breeds. 

 Perhaps the most important is — 



THE WESTPHALIAN BREED. 



The hams of this species have, in this country, 

 become greatly celebrated, from tho peculiar 

 excellence of their flavour ; and, on this ac- 

 count, large numbers of them are imported 

 from Germany. Tlie animal which supplies 

 these is closely allied to the wild boar of his 

 native country, and, like him, roams the forest 

 in search of food, which principally consists of 

 acorns and beech-malt, to which they are ex- 

 tremely partial, and which gives a favourable 

 development to their flesh. After they have 

 fattened themselves upon this, they are driven 

 home to be slaughtered. In former ages, iu 

 Britain, the acorn was the principal food of 

 the hog, as its flesh then formed a large pro- 

 portion of the diet of the people, who esteemed 

 the increase or luultiplicatiou of these animals 



759 



