Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-21
ABOUT THE WATTLED HOG.
s3nguIar Excrescences Of the Anf- malls JowIs Serve n Useful
 Purpose.

Most every resident of the south ot west. as well as those who, a1thoughat present residents of Washington, have in former years lived In either one or the other of the above-named gec- Hions, has seen or knows something about "wattled hogs," says the Post, ot that city. It appears that during the early settlement of the region beyond the Appalachian range there appeared 8 race of swine remarkable for the pe- culiar elongated excrescences of skin. gristfe and flesh growing outward and depending from either jowi, which the early settlers termed "wattles::' These singular growths were generally from six to eight inches In length, and were joined to the skin of the jowl by a marrow neck, while the main or lower part of the wattle thickened out, until in some cases they measured nearly two or three inches in diameter, always terminating in narrow tip, from which grew a heavy tuft of hair.
 Swine of this character are still found in many parts of the west, while in the south they are almost as nu-
 
 view of the fact that every animal mechanism has some definite function to perform in promoting the welfare, safety and protection of the beings pos sessing the same, people have often wondered what earthly use the wattles could be to the swine above described, for as near as they could see they filled no useful purpose whatever.
 It will be interesting to many who doubtless have often wondered what useful function these wattles could fill in the economy of nature to learn the following from Prof. w. J. McGee, who who offers very satisfactory explana- tion as to the use of these singular and unsightly appendages of the old~fash- toned western swine. Speaking to a Post reporter he said:
 During my boyhood days on a farm in Iowa wattled hogs were as fumer- ous as the more improved kinds are to- day. h fact they were all over tho west, and nowhere very popular. Most farmers were getting rid of this peculiar stock by crossing them with the inn proved varieties, and the question as to what use the animals found for their peculiar wattles was as great mystery then as 1t is to-day in sections where hogs of this race still exist. However, there was a general and widespread be- lief at the time that while other hogs that nature had not endowed with wat ties were most certain to cut their throats and drown whenever they un- dertook to swim creeks, rivers or ponds, the wattled hog could swim any dis tance without incurring the least injury to it's throat sWattled hogs never drown was common saying at the time, and on investigation discov- cred that far from being farmers su- psrstition the belief was founded on fact.
 .sFor a time failed to understand why such was the case. until one day I happened to observe several wattled hogs swimming across a stream Of rather clear water, saw at glance just what function those wattles per form. Once in the water the wattIes 6rifted back by the current agaanst the throat, so that in swimming the sharp hoofs of the animal strike not against the throat, but upon the wattIes, taus preventing their sharp hoofs from cut ting into the juguIar. Tn short, these wattles serve to protect the threat Of the hog from its sharp hoofs while 1t is swimming It Is certainly 8 very curi- ous provision of nature, and one which enables hog to swim without injury. The wattles may be cut and bleeding after long swim, but they soon heal, and no great injury could be done to l the animal, even If they were cut en- tiraly through"