78 DOMESTIC PIGS. Chap m> 



degrees, dependent on the climate ; thus, according to Koulin, 

 the semi-feral pigs in the hot valleys of New Granada are very 

 scantily clothed; whereas, on the Paramos, at the height of 

 7000 to 8000 feet, they acquire a thick covering of wool lyino- 

 under the bristles, like that on the truly wild pigs of France. 

 These pigs on the Paramos are small and stunted. The wild 

 boar of India is said to have the bristles at the end of its tail 

 arranged like the plumes of an arrow, whilst the European 

 boar has a simple tuft ; and it is a curious fact that many, but 

 not all, of the feral pigs in Jamaica, derived from a Spanish 

 stock, have a plumed tail. 29 With respect to colour, feral pigs 

 generally revert to that of the wild boar ; but in certain parts 

 of S. America, as we have seen, some of the semi-feral pigs have 

 a curious white band across their stomachs; and in certain 

 other hot places the pigs are red, and this colour has like- 

 wise occasionally been observed in the feral pigs of Jamaica. 

 From these several facts we see that with pigs when feral there 

 is a strong tendency to revert to the wild type ; but that this 

 tendency is largely governed by the nature of the climate, 

 amount of exercise, and other causes of change to which they 

 have been subjected. 



The last point worth notice is that we have unusually good 

 evidence of breeds of pigs now keeping perfectly true, which 

 have been formed by the crossing of several distinct breeds. 

 The Improved Essex pigs, for instance, breed very true; but 

 there is no doubt that they largely owe their present excellent 

 qualities to crosses originally made by Lord Western with the 

 Neapolitan race, and to subsequent crosses with the Berkshire 

 breed (this also having been improved by Neapolitan crosses), 

 and likewise, probably, with the Sussex breed. 30 In breeds 

 thus formed by complex crosses, the most careful and unre- 

 mitting selection during many generations has been found to be 

 indispensable. Chiefly in consequence of so much crossing, 

 some well-known breeds have undergone rapid changes; thus, 

 according to Nathusius, 31 the Berkshire breed of 1780 is quite 



29 Gosse's ' Jamaica,' p. 386, with a ix. p. 94. 



quotation from Williamson's ' Oriental 30 S. Sidney's edition of ' Youatt on 



Field Sports.' Also Col. Hamilton the Pig,' 1860, pp. 7, 26, 27, 29, 30. 



Smith, in ' Naturalist's Library,' vol. 31 ' Schweineschadel,' s. 140. 



