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167 then mashed in milk or whey, with or without the addition of a little bran or oatmeal.

Towards the period when the pigs are to be weaned the sow must be less plentifully fed, otherwise the secretion of milk will be as great as ever; and it will accumulate, and there will be hardness, and perhaps inflammation of the teats. Should it appear requisite, a dose of physic may be given to assist in carrying off the milk; but in general a little judicious management in the feeding and weaning will be all that is requisite.

Martin says: "From some ill-understood cause, several domestic animals, as the rabbit, and sometimes the cat, seem to forget all instinctive ties, and turning upon their offspring, ravenously and unnaturally devour them. This is not unfrequently the case with the sow; and it is remarkable, that when this revolting act has been once committed, its re-occurrence may be expected. This disposition is not always or necessarily connected with general ferocity, nor even with the fierce anxiety which the sow, with other animals, displays in the protection of her young; it may be that the animal is ordinarily mild and gentle, and yet at this juncture becomes madly ferocious. We are not aware whether or not such tragic scenes take place among animals in a state of natural independence; most probably they never do, or but very rarely. Yet in early ages the sow was evidently subject to this morbid propensity; for among the regulations respecting swine, laid down by Hoel Dha, one of the good qualities of a sow expressly noticed is, that she do not devour her young ones. The less the sow, after bringing forth her young, is meddled with, the more comfortable her bedding, the more regularly and gently she has been previously managed and treated, the less likely is she to violate one of the great laws of nature.

"The wild boar, as we have said, is a dangerous animal; and so indeed, to a certain extent, is the domestic boar of some of the larger breeds. Instances are not unfrequent of boars turning furiously upon their keepers, especially if interfered with when in company with the female, or if constrained to quit her society.

"It is not, however, only at certain times and under certain circumstances that the boar is dangerous: a boar, especially one of the large old breeds, is by no means a safe animal to venture near at any time, and we have more than once seen sows almost equally savage; this, however, is not generally the case."

For the first ten days or a fortnight, the mother will generally be able to support her litter without assistance, unless, as has been already observed, she is weakly, or they are too many in number;