he surface, since the oldest writers on pigs
give to the county of Sussex the credit of being their original home.
The description given by Sidney of the Hampshire pig is that "it is a
coarse and useful black pig, inferior to the Berkshire, and not in the
same refined class as the Essex." Richardson writes "The Hampshire breed
is not infrequently confounded with the Berkshire; but its body is
longer and its sides flatter; the head is long and the snout sharp. The
colour of the breed is usually dark spotted; but it is sometimes black
altogether, and more frequently white."

The sheeted pig has also been bred in the county of Essex for over a
century, but it is recorded that it was introduced into this county by a
Mr. Western who subsequently became Lord Western, and whose estate was
situated in Essex.

In Sidney's book _The Pig_, we read, "West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire,
Dorset, Shropshire and Wales had indigenous black or red and black
breeds of swine; and between the whites, the blacks and the reds the
parti-colours were produced which have since in a great degree
disappeared under the influence of prizes, generally awarded to pure
breeds of single colours."

Sidney also states "that Youatt and all the authors who have followed
him down to the latest work published on the subject, occupy space in
describing various county pigs which have long ceased to possess, if
they ever possessed, any merit worth the attention of the breeder."

The Rudgwick, which is another name for the sheeted pig, is included in
the list. Richardson at a still earlier date describes the Sussex breed
as "black and white in colour, but not _spotted_; that is to say, these
colours are distributed in very large patches; one half--say, for
instance, the fore part of the body white and the hinder end black; or
sometimes both ends black and the middle white or _vice versa_; these
pigs are in no way remarkable; they seldom feed to over twenty stone.
They are well made, of middle size, and their skin covered with scanty
bristles. The snout tapering and firm, the ears upright and pointed, the
jowl deep and the body compactly round. They arrive at early maturity,
fatten quickly, and the flesh is excellent."

Richardson also writes, "There is another improved Essex breed, called
the Essex Half-Blacks, resembling that which I have described in colour,
said to be descended from the Berkshire. This breed was originally
introduced by Lord Western, and o