' BREEDS OF SWINE 49 



of swine is comparatively easy, and such is the case, 

 although we may not at all times be able to see it. 



Original swine.— The original types of swine from 

 which our present day breeds have descended have been 

 the Sns Scrofa and the Sits Cristatiis or S. Indicus, both 

 belonging to the species Suida:. Nearly every part of 

 the world has native members of the Suidcc, but so far 

 as we know, only the two above have played an impor- 

 tant role in the formation of our present day breeds of 

 swine, which may be considered as having arisen by the 

 crossing of these two strains. The Siis Scrofa was the 

 native swine of the British Isles and Europe, while the 

 5". Indicus was a native of Asia and southeastern Europe. 

 These are related to the wart hog of Africa, to the 

 babiroussa of the East Indies and the peccary of Central 

 and South America. The Sns Scrofa was a very large, 

 coarse animal, measuring often over three feet in height, 

 of a dark gray color with the young more or less striped. 

 The Sus Indicus, on the other hand, was nearer like our 

 present day swine, being short and thick, with a strong 

 tendency to fatten easily and mature early. They were 

 of several colors. The Asiatics were the first to do- 

 mesticate and make progress at breeding, with the result 

 that at a very early time there were three strains or 

 breeds of the S. Indicus. known as the Chinese, Siamese 

 and Neapolitan, which breeds or strains played a very 

 important part in the formation of the present day 

 breeds, which for the most part trace to England or to 

 English origin. 



Influence of domestication on swine. — Knowing as we 

 do the principal characteristics of the original types of 

 swine and of the present breeds, we are able to state what 



