66 



DOMESTIC PIGS. 



Chap. III. 



Firstly, the Sus scrofa breeds, or those resembling the 

 common wild boar. These still exist, according to Nathusius 

 (Schweineschadel, s. 75), in various parts of central and 

 northern Europe ; formerly every kingdom, 2 and almost every 

 province in Britain, possessed its own native breed ; but these 

 are now everywhere rapidly disappearing, being replaced by 

 improved breeds crossed with the S. Indicus form. The skull 

 in the breeds of the S. scrofa- type resembles, in all important 

 respects, that of the European wild boar ; but it has become 

 (Schweineschadel, s. 63-68) higher and broader relatively to 

 its length ; and the hinder part is more upright. The diffe- 

 rences, however, are all variable in degree. The breeds which 

 thus resemble S. scrofa in their essential skull-characters differ 

 conspicuously from each other in other respects, as in the length 

 of the ears and legs, curvature of the ribs, colour, hairiness, size 

 and proportions of the body. 



The wild Sus scrofa has a wide range, namely, Europe, 

 North Africa, as identified by osteological characters by Kiiti- 

 meyer, and Hindostan, as similarly identified by Nathusius. 

 But the wild boars inhabiting these several countries differ 

 so much from each other in external characters, that they have 

 been ranked by some naturalists as specifically distinct. Even 

 within Hindostan these animals, according to Mr. Blyth, 

 form very distinct races in the different districts; in the N. 

 Western provinces, as I am informed by the Bev. R. Everest, 

 the boar never exceeds 36 inches in height, whilst in Bengal 

 one has been measured 44 inches in height. In Europe, 

 Northern Africa, and Hindostan, domestic pigs have been known 

 to cross with the wild native species f and in Hindostan an 

 accurate observer, 4 Sir Walter Elliot, after describing the 

 differences between wild Indian and wild German boars, remarks 

 that " the same differences are perceptible in the domesticated 



2 Nathusius, ' Die -Bacen des 

 Schweiues,' Berlin, 1860. An excel- 

 lent appendix is given with references 

 to published and trustworthy drawings 

 of the breeds of each country. 



3 For Europe, see Bechstein, ' Na- 

 turgesch. Deutschlands,' 1801, b. i., s. 

 505. Several accounts have been pub- 

 lished on the fertility of the off- 



spring from wild and tame swine. See 

 Burdach's ' Physiology,' and Godron, 

 1 De l'Espece,' torn. i. p. 370. For Africa, 

 ' Bull, de la Soc. d'Acclimat.,' torn. iv. 

 p. 389. For India, see Nathusius, 

 ' Schweineschadel,' s. 148. 



4 Sir W. Elliot, Catalogue of Mam- 

 malia, ' Madras Journal of Lit. and 

 Science,' vol. x. p. 219. 



