9T 



is more insatiate in its appetite, and the tendency to obesity 

 increases. 



The male forsaking its solitary habits, becomes gregarious, 

 and the female produces her young more frequently, and in 

 larger numbers. With its diminished strength and power of 

 active motion, the animal also loses its desire for liberty. These 

 changes of form, appetites, and habits, being communicated 

 to its progeny, a new race of animals is produced, better 

 suited to their altered condition. The wild hog, after it has 

 been domesticated, does not appear to revert to its former state 

 and habits ; at least the swine of South America, carried thith- 

 er by the Spaniards, which have escaped to the woods, retain 

 their gregarious habits, and have not become wild boars-.* 



II. OPINIONS KE3PECTING THE HOG. 



From the various allusions to the hog in the writings of the 

 ancient Greeks and Romans, it is plain that its flesh was held 

 in high esteem among those nations. The Romans even mado 

 the breeding, rearing, and fattening pigs a study, which they 

 designated as Porculatio. 



Varro states that the Gauls produced the largest and finest 

 swine's flesh that was brought into Italy ; and according to 

 Strabo, in the reign of Augustus, they supplied Rome and 

 nearly all Italy with gammons, hog-puddings, and sausages* 

 This nation and the Spaniards appear to have kept immense 



droves of swine, but scarcely any other kind of livestock 



In fact, the hog was held in very high esteem by all the early 

 nations of Europe ; and some of the ancients have even paid it 

 divine honors.! 



On the other hand, swine's flesh has been held in utter abhor- 

 rence by the Jews since the time of Moses, in whose laws they 

 were forbidden to make use of it as food. The Egyptians also 

 and the followers of Mohammed have religiously abstained from 

 it. Paxton, in his " Illustrations of Scripture," says : 



* American Farmer's Encyclopedia. t Touatt. 



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