53 



ing with the remains of the mastodon, the elephant, the ihi- 

 nosceros, and other gigantic beasts which used to stalk over our 

 land. Fortunate is it for us that the unwieldy forms of these 

 last named monsters cannot now alarm us, while their porcine 

 cotemporary remains in existence, to contribute to the nutri- 

 ment of man, who only dates back to the pliocene, or most 

 modern tertiary deposit. 



The ancients honored the Hog, by sacrificing him to Ceres, 

 the goddess of abundance, for having taught man to plough the 

 earth. In Egypt he was sacrificed to Bacchus, as an intrepid 

 beast, who in his fury ravaged vineyards, treading under foot 

 the juicy fruit. The death of the wild boar of the mountain 

 of Erymanthe was one of the twelve labors of Hercules, and 

 the inspired seer who read the oracles of destiny to ^^neas, 

 foretold the hero that his wanderings would not cease until he 

 should espy a white sow recumbent with her litter of pigs, 

 emblem of a multiplying and civilized people. In Rome, the 

 Hog was held in the highest estimation, and there the most 

 particular attention was paid to the art of feeding and fattening 

 him, called Porculantio. A favorite dish at the costly repasts 

 of the wealthy Romans was a hog cooked in the Trojan style, 

 in allusion to the famous horse of Troy, filled with combat- 

 ants. The hog was killed and dressed, then filled with 

 game and oysters, moistened with wines, and then roasted. 



The hog was held in high repute among the less ancient 

 people of Great Britain and of Europe, its flesh forming not 

 only their common flesh-food, but also the principal dish of 

 their best repasts. For centuries a soused boar's-head has 

 been served up at the Christmas dinner in the refectory of 

 Queen's college, Oxford, while the statute books of France, 

 England and Germany yet contain laws against hog- stealing, 

 based upon the old Salique edict — de furtis jwrcorum. The 

 English paid especial attention to their hogs, and at the period 

 when New England was peopled, they had reconstructed their 

 wild boars into an uncouth breed, black and white in color, 

 t^i'ith large bones, long limbs, arched backs, low shoulders, and 



