350 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
very much since, for I have often seen them stretched 
out at ease in a miry slough, apparently as much at 
home as the greatest pig would be in such a situation, 
in any other part of the world. 
The hogs now reared are large, and often well fed; 
they are never confined in sties, but range about in 
search of food. Those that feed in the heads of the 
valleys live chiefly upon fruit, while those kept about 
the houses of the natives are fed occasionally with 
bread-fruit or cocoa-nuts. Unless well fed, they are 
very destructive to the fences and the native gardens, 
and will bite through a stick one or two inches in 
diameter, with very little effort: sometimes the natives 
break their teeth, or put a kind of yoke upon them; 
which, in some of the islands of the Pacific, is rather 
a singular one. A circular piece, as large as a shilling 
or a half-crown, is cut out of each ear, and when the 
wound has healed, a single stick, eighteen inches or 
two feet long, is passed through the apertures. This 
wooden bar lies horizontally across the upper part of the 
pig’s head, and, coming in contact with the upright 
sticks of a fence, arrests his progress, even when he 
has succeeded in forcing his head through. The flesh 
of the pig is in general soft, rich, and sweet; it is not 
so fine as English-fed pork, neither has it the peculiarly 
agreeable taste by which the latter is distinguished. 
This is probably caused by the Tahitian swine feed¬ 
ing so much upon cocoa-nuts, and other sweet fruit. For 
the kind, however, native pork is very good; but, having 
little meat besides, we soon became tired of it. Although 
capable, when all the bones are taken out, of being 
preserved by salt, the natives never, till lately, thought 
of sitting down to less than a hog baked whole. Several 
