OF SELBORNE. 
213 
LETTER XXXIII. 
TO THE SAME. 
The natural term of an hog's life is little known, and the reafon 
is plain — becaufe it is neither profitable nor convenient to keep 
that turbulent animal to the full extent of it's time : however, my 
neighbour, a man of fubflance, who had no occafion to ftudy every 
little advantage to a nicety, kept an half bred Bantam-fovv, who 
was as thick as Ihe was long, and whofe belly fwept on the ground 
till fhe was advanced to her feventeenth year at which period ilie 
fhewed fome tokens of age by the decay of her teeth and the de- 
cline of her fertility. 
For about ten years this prolific mother produced two litters in 
the year of about ten at a time, and once above twenty at a litter ; 
but, as there were near double the number of pigs to that of teats, 
many died. From long experience in the world this female was 
grown very fagacious and artful: — when fhe found occafion to 
converfe with a boar fhe ufed to open all the intervening gates, and 
march, by herfelf, up to a diflant farm where one was kept ; and 
when her purpofe was ferved would return by the fame means. 
At the age of about fifteen her litters began to be reduced to four 
or five ; and fuch a litter fhe exhibited when in her fatting-pen. 
She proved, when far, good bacon, juicy, and tender ; the rind, 
or fward, was remarkably thin. At a moderate computation flie 
was 
