THE PIG. 213 



current fashion, and are now but little different 

 from the other civilised pigs throughout Europe 

 and America. 



In my childhood I remember learning some 

 verses in which an aboriginal Irish pig — described 

 as " very lean and tall, with long hind-legs "■ — 

 was represented as making a speech (of an unusu- 

 ally ungallant character for any being hailing 

 from that polite country) to a Chinese sow who 

 inhabited an adjoining sty. It ran somewhat as 

 follows : — 



'■ If you and I were bacon, ma'am, the difference between 

 An Irish and a Chinese pig would scarcely then be seen." 



Now, apart from the moral at the end (for I 

 have an impression that there was an excellent 

 moral), this didactic effort can scarcely be com- 

 mended. A closer adherence to Baconian meth- 

 ods would have convicted the poet — out of his 

 own mouth — of his error. Both to the eye and 

 to the palate the difference is very considerable. 



Although the table qualities of our domestic 

 swine are to a great extent due to the care of the 

 early gourmands of the East, their disposition to 

 lay on an enormous amount of fat in a short 

 space of time dates back to an age tar beyond 



