288 SIR EDMUND LODER ON " PIGSKIN." 



large numbers in the London markets, and the exhibitor had 

 recently purchased a beautiful pale grey variety, which, however, 

 had the black horse-shoe-patch normal. 



' : Pigskin " and Capybara Skin. 



Sir Edmund G. Loder, Bt., F.Z.S., exhibited the tanned skins 

 of a Pig (text-fig. 2), and of a Capybara (text-fig. 1), and made 

 the following remarks: — 



Text-figure 1. 

 Head 



__'_ : _lJ 



A Tail B 



A portion of the skin of a Capybara : (A) natural size ; (B) enlarged four times. 



" In most parts of England and of America pigs . are not 

 skinned : they are scalded and scraped. It was therefore not 

 clear where the pigskins used in trade came from. 



One of my Capybaras having died, the skin was sent to the 

 tanners and, on its return, it was suggested that this was perhaps 

 what was used as " pigskin." 



This idea was favoured by the knowledge that in South 

 America saddles are commonly covered with Capybara skin, but 

 after I had exhibited this Capybara skin at one of our meetings, 

 a correspondent wrote to the ' Field ' newspaper saying that in 

 his part of Scotland it was the custom to skin pigs, the flesh 

 being pickled for the Navy. I then procured a tanned pigskin 



