TRENCn imEF.DS.] 



AND TIII'IK VAKIOL'S lUiHllDS. ■'nii; hiinksi: uiiEKi). 



broad and stron£» limbs, but 8m:ill bono. Its colour is that of a reddish yellow, and their 



hair is very rough. Tiio lluiigariun j)ig8 aro 

 of a grey colour, with straij^ht, poiuted oars, 

 short body, and short and linn legs. These 

 arc very rough in the coat, and the young aro 

 nuirked with longitudinal bands — two circum- 

 stances indicative of a connection, and that by 

 no means remote, with tlio wild boar. They 

 inhabit Turkey in Europe, Bosnia, Croatia, 

 Hungary, and Austria, and are designated 

 according to tiio country from which tiio spe- 

 cimen immediately iu question may have been 

 procured. In reference to tlio Portuguese hog, 

 it is 80 extremely like the Chinese, tliat it has, 

 by Mr. Laurence, been made a question whe- 

 ther these varieties aro not identical ; the 

 former being but the latter naturalised in that 

 of Portugal. 



THE CHINESE BREED. 



The Chinese hog is found in the south- 

 eastern countries of Asia, as Siura, Cochiu- 

 China, the territories of the Birman empire, 

 the kingdom of Cambodia, Malacca, Sumatni, 

 and in Batavia, and other islands of the 

 Eastern Archipelago. There are also varieties 

 iu India and China. 



The principal point of difference between 

 the hog of Siam and that of China Proper, is, 

 that the former is usually black, whilst the 

 latter is of a white colour. Neither, however, 

 exhibit a constant uniformity iu this respect, 

 the colours of each frequently varying — the 

 blacks coming from China, and the whites 

 from Siam. Even in the same litter, pigs 

 of different colours frequently appear ; and 

 instances are not uncommon in wliich even 

 pied individuals have occurred. On account 

 of these differences of colour, some have gone 

 so far as to assert that there are no fewer than 

 seven varieties of the Cliinese pig ; but, as the 

 distinctions are referred only to colour, these 

 varieties can hardly be said to have more than 

 a hypothetical existence. The small white 

 breed is almost perfect iu make and quality. 

 Parkinson says — " These are certainly pigs in 

 miniature ; their legs about two or two-and- 

 a-half inches long ; their ears, the size of a 

 large leaf on an apple-tree ; the length of the 

 jaw, from the snout end to the crown, about six: 

 inches ; from the crown to where the tail is set 

 are small, but they are hard feeders. Their I on, about two feet ; with height proportionate ; 

 5 E 701 



hair is also coarse, but scanty in quantity, and 

 of a white colour. The Perigord are generally 

 hlaek, with a very sliort thick neck, and a 

 broad compact carcass. The swine of Cham- 

 pagne aro of considerable size, long-bodied, 

 and ftat-sided, witti broad pendulous ears, 

 and not favourably looked upon. Those of 

 Bologna are related to the English breeds. 

 Tliev arc of a large size, have a largo and 

 broad ear, arc quick fatteners, and white in 

 colour. It is to these that we are indebted 

 for the celebrated Bologna sausages. 



The following extract from the Annales 

 d\igricnlture Fran^aise, presents us with the 

 unsuccessful trials of a breeder to improve his 

 stock: — "I commenced," he says, "with the 

 large Shropshire pigs. They pleased my eye, 

 and, for some little time, I felt perfectly satis- 

 lied. In a short time, however, I began to 

 observe that, although they devoured an im- 

 mense quantity of food, they fattened but very 

 slowly, and seemed to derive no advantage 

 from the herbage and vegetables which they 

 found in the fields. When killed, the flesh, 

 and especially the fat, was exceedingly coarse. 

 The sows, nevertheless, produced many pigs at 

 each farrow, which, from their size when young, 

 sold well to persons who were tolerably rich, 

 and knew little or nothing about the breeding 

 of pigs. I next tried the small Berkshire pigs, 

 and immediately perceived a very sensible im- 

 provement. They fattened quickly, procured 

 most of their nourishment from the fields, and 

 their flesh was very superior to that of the 

 last-named breed. But as they were large, I 

 thought to effect a still greater improvement 

 by exchanging them for the Chinese ; but here 

 I fell into the opposite extreme. The Chinese 

 ■were prolific, fattened speedily, and almost 

 obtained their own subsistence; but they were 

 faulty in form, and their flesh was not firm, 

 but loose in fibre, as if they had died of disease." 

 Jutland swine are long-bodied, curve-backed, 

 long-legged, with large pendulous ears ; and 

 they attain a very great size. They, however, 

 are of a coarse make, and heavy -boned. Sweden 

 possesses many diflerent breeds, the favourite 

 being a supposed oft'-shoot from the wild boar, 

 with erect ears, a turned-up snout, and long, 

 bony legs. The hogs of Russia and Poland 



