APPETITE OF SWINE 
387 
praises of the domestic pig in these flattering lines : ‘ ‘ ^ 
the pig is by no means the gross and unintelligent bea®t he i( 
supposed to be by many people who have to do with him, there 
are certain points in his character which it is difficult to describe 
or appraise without using terms which we generally consider ap- 
propriate to the highest human virtues”. This naturalist goes 
on to tell about the ‘ ‘ inexplicable faculty for discovering hidden 
stores of food” which certain mammals, such as the squirrels, 
have, when one is astounded to come upon this tribute to swine, — 
‘‘Apparently, however, the hog, although, with the exception of 
ourselves, perhaps the most versatile and resourceful mammal in 
existence, does not possess any mental faculties of this mysterious 
order”. 
Eobinson intimates that the pig naturally does not hide stores 
of feed like the squirrel, or bee, inasmuch as he puts the surplus 
of stores in the form of fat on his back ; hence the need for tlie 
development of the faculty is not apparent. This is seemingly 
true : The pigs quite readily learn from experience to differenti- 
ate between pleasurable and displeasurable reactions. 
That the newly farrowed piglet should know that “dinner” is 
awaiting him is, on deep thought, somewhat baffling and sur^ 
prising. The very first action noticeable on the part of the piglet 
that comes into the world is the breathing. The first few respira- 
tions may be a bit labored but the natural rhythm is soon estab- 
lished. A subsequent move in which we are now interested, is 
made, — the piggie makes his way to the mammary glands, 
‘ ‘ mouths” the nipple, and begins to take milk nourishment. How 
did the pig know enough to do that ? Some may say, ‘ ‘ Instinct ! 
Others may say the pig does not “know” it — ^but at any rate the 
cold facts are that the pig finds the place of suckling and suckles 
without guidance, unless it sometimes be guided by the com- 
placent but uncertain grunting of the sow. The piggie most 
often finds the “nectar of life” without the beckoning grunts 
of his dam, for many times the grunts are omitted in the par- 
tuition performance. We are reminded of Samuel Butler ’s^°: 
“There is no sign of ‘Fluke’ about the circulation of a baby’s 
blood. There may perhaps be some little hesitation about its 
earliest breathing, but this, as a general rule, soon passes over, 
both breathing and circulation, within an hour after birth, being 
as regular and easy as at any time during life. Is it reasonable 
soButler, Samuel : Life and Habit, 1878, pp. 55, 34, 8. 
