Chap. III. DOMESTIC PIGS : THEIR PARENTAGE. 65 



CHAPTER. III. 



PIGS — CATTLE — SHEEP — GOATS. 



PIGS BELONG TO TWO DISTINCT TYPES, SUS SCROFA AND INDICUS — TORP-SCHWEIN — ■ 

 JAPAN PIG — FERTILITY OF CROSSED PIGS — • CHANGES IN THE SKULL OF THE HIGHLY 

 CULTIVATED RACES — CONVERGENCE OF CHARACTER — GESTATION — SOLID-HOOFED 

 SWINE — CURIOUS APPENDAGES TO THE JAWS — DECREASE IN SIZE OF THE TUSKS — 

 YOUNG PIGS LONGITUDINALLY STRIPED — FERAL PIGS — CROSSED BREEDS. 



CATTLE. — ZEBU A DISTINCT SPECIES — EUROPEAN CATTLE PROBABLY DESCENDED 

 FROM THREE WILD FORMS — ALL THE RACES NOW FERTILE TOGETHER — BRITISH 

 PARK CATTLE — ON THE COLOUR OF THE ABORIGINAL SPECIES — CONSTITUTIONAL 

 DIFFERENCES — SOUTH AFRICAN RACES — SOUTH AMERICAN RACES — NIATA CATTLE 



— ORIGIN OF THE VARIOUS RACES OF CATTLE. 



SHEEP. — REMARKABLE RACES OF — VARIATIONS ATTACHED TO THE MALE SEX — 

 ADAPTATIONS TO VARIOUS CONDITIONS — GESTATION OF — CHANGES IN THE WOOL 



— SEMI-MONSTROUS BREEDS. 

 GOATS. — REMARKABLE VARIATIONS OF. 



The breeds of the pig have recently been more closely studied, 

 though much still remains to be done, than those of almost any 

 other domesticated animal. This has been effected by Her- 

 mann von Nathusius in two admirable works, especially in the 

 later one on the Skulls of the several races, and by Rutimeyer 

 in his celebrated Fauna of the ancient Swiss lake-dwellings. 1 

 Nathusius has shown that all the known breeds may be divided 

 in two great groups : one resembling in all important respects 

 and no doubt descended from the common wild boar ; so that 

 this may be called the Sus scrofa group. The other group 

 differs in several important and constant osteological characters ; 

 its wild parent-form is unknown ; the name given to it by 

 Nathusius, according to the law of priority, is Sus Indicus of 

 Pallas. This name must now be followed, though an unfortu- 

 nate one, as the wild aboriginal does not inhabit India, and the 

 best-known domesticated breeds have been imported from Siam 

 and China. 



1 Hermann von Nathnsius, 'Die « Schweinesch'adel,' Berlin, 1864. Riiti- 



Racen des Schweines,' Berlin, 1860 ; meyer, • Die Fauna der Pfahlbauten,' 



and 'Vorstudien fur Geschichte,' &c, Basel, 1861. 



VOL. I. ™ 



