178 THE HOG. 



ing, unshapely beasts. But it is not our feeble voice alone which ia 

 raised against this unnatural stuffing : public attention has latterly 

 bsen much called to this point ; and among others, our merry critic 

 *\mch, who fails not to lash each passing folly of the age, has, as will 

 ' seen by the following epitaph, not been unmindful of this one : 



"Epitaph on a Prize Pig. 



HERE LIES 



ALL THAT WAS EATABLE 

 OF A PRIZE PIG. 



HE WAS BORN 

 ON FEBRUARY 1, 1845: 



HE WAS FED 



ON MILK, POTATOES, AND 



BARLEY-MEAL I 



HE WAS SLAUGHTERED 



ON DECEMBER 24, 1846, 



WEIGHING 80st. 91 bs. 



, :v . ' STOP, TRAVELLER ! 



AND REFLECT HOW SMALL A PORTION 



OF THIS VAST PIG 



WAS PORK SUITABLE 



Hurtrel D'Arboval, treating of Obesity, says, " There is, however 

 no animal so liable to become over-fat, as the pig, and especially the 

 Chinese and Siamese swine. Naturally inclined to corpulence aiK 

 gluttony, they easily acquire an enormous bulk ; and when fat ha* 

 once begun to accumulate, the animal eats little, breathes with diffi 

 culty, becomes inert, unable to sustain his own weight, and deficient 

 in sensation. We have seen wretched pigs so fat that they were 

 obliged to be lifted or dragged out of the sty whenever it was neces- 

 sary to move them. We have also made incisions in their buttocks 

 and even taken off portions of skin from their backs, without their 

 betraying any sense of pain. We saw one hog that had lain for a 

 considerable period on one side, too powerless or too inert even to 

 shift its position, and when it was raised, a large hole was perceived 

 in that part of the back which had been undermost. This had been 

 made by rats feeding and gnawing into the fat of the beast, evidently 

 without its being in the least conscious of their proceedings. 



"Animals that have been castrated are always more disposed to 

 obesity." 



We will now proceed to consider the various modes of keeping 

 and feeding swine and their relative value, and the other incidental 

 matters which may develop themselves as we proceed. 



