THE BEAUTY OF CATTLE 79 



shorthorn, retained the characteristic colour and shape 

 of the original herd, even in the horns and tip of the 

 ear, a proof of the strength of the wild blood which 

 has been observed in several previous experiments. It 

 took a good place among the best cross-breds exhibited, 

 and made excellent beef when killed. 



Swine have probably made the widest departure from 

 the wild state. A bird's-eye view of the piggery, taken 

 from the top of a corn-bin, showed nothing but round 

 and placid-breathing masses of animated pork, shapeless 

 and unpleasing, excellent, no doubt, for food; but how 

 unlike the old rusty-coloured, vivacious, sagacious 

 English woodland pig ! Professor Flower says that the 

 young of all wild kinds of pig present a uniform color- 

 ation, being dark brown with longitudinal stripes of a 

 paler colour. This marking, according to our own 

 observation, is very rare in the domesticated pig, which 

 seems to have lost with civilization all distinguishing 

 marks of its wild parentage. It would be a pity, how- 

 ever, if the poor piggies at Islington were made into 

 ' burnt pig/ after the manner invented by Charles 

 Lamb's Chinaman. That, however, may well be the case 

 unless the rules against smoking in the Cattle Show are 

 more strictly enforced. We saw one visitor knock the 

 ashes off his cigar into a pen. A fire so kindled might 

 run the length of the hall in ten minutes, and not leave 

 a single beast surviving. 



