SIR,-1 was interested in Ian Niall's paragraph in 'Country Life'
in your issue of March 4 headed 'Animals that swim.' His invitation to 'someone who has met a pig in midstream' prompts this letter.
More than fifty years ago I was boating with an uncle on the upper reaches of one of the arms of Sydney harbour. As we were rounding a bend we saw an animal ahead of us swim- ming strongly across the stream which at that point was some twenty-five or thirty yards wide and salt water. As the boat drew near we saw that it was a pig—rather more than half- grown. Boy-like I wanted to urge it to swim faster but my uncle restrained me saying, 'Don't hurry it, don't hurry it, it might cut its throat.' He evidently thiought there might he some truth id the old country story.
As there are no wild pigs in that part of Australia this one must have been a domestic specimen which had escaped from captivity. As there is little natural food for pigs in the Australian bush he must have tired of his freedom and was making for home. He evidently took to the water voluntarily as there was nothing pursuing him.
We watched hitn quiet'y till he reached the farther bdrik up which he scrambled and made off into the bush on his awn affairs. He was rather lean and had little jowl.
Whether a fully-grown fat pig with a heavy jowl might wound himself in the throat while swimming-1 think it possiNe. His forelegs are short and for the weight and size of the animal are comparatively slim. To . enable a pig to attain any speed in the water the strokes of his forelegs must of necessay be—and they arc—rapid and vigorous. At the beginning of each stroke the trotters go very near the throat and of course are sharp enough to inflict an injury if they happen to tomb the flesh.— Yours faithfully, A. J. 0. SINIPS0N Tillington, Pe:worth, Sussex
Previous page
