80 



THE HOG. 



English or foreign breeds, according as the taste or circumstances 

 of the farmer or breeder leads him to prefer large or small animals. 



LEICESTERSHIRE. 



The old Leicestershire breed was a perfect type of the original 

 K/gs of the midland counties ; large, ungainly, slab-sided animals, 

 of a light color, and spotted with brown or black. The only good 

 parts about them were their head and ears, which* showed greater 

 traces of breeding than any other parts. Mr. Bakewell improved 

 them, and the variety thus obtained was called after him, and was 

 superior in value and beauty to the old stock. Within the last few 

 years various crosses have been tried, and the original breed is now 

 fast losing all its peculiarities and defects. 



The Essex pigs, too, have been indebted for their improvement to 

 crosses with the foreign breeds, and especially the Neapolitan, and 



LORD WESTERN 6 ESSEX BREED. 



with the Berkshire swine. They are mostly black and white, the 

 head and hinder parts being black, and the back and belly white ; 



