He then quotes from _The Complete Grazier_, sixth edition, as follows: "They are black and white, short haired, fine skinned with smaller heads and ears than the Berkshire, but feathered with inside hair which is a distinctive mark of both; have short snubby noses, very fine bone, broad and deep in the belly, full in the hind quarters, but light in the bone and offal. They feed remarkably fast and are of an excellent quality of meat. The sows are good breeders, and bring litters of from eight to twelve; but they have the character of being bad nurses." If this allegation were true at the time it was written, it is not at the present time as the Half-Blacks or sheeted sows are both prolific and first-rate mothers. Malden describes the Sussex: "A large breed called the Rudgwick, was one of the largest in England. There appears to be a doubt as to whether the coloured pig was descended from the spotted Berkshire or the black and white Essex. They were of medium size, of good quality generally, but of somewhat heavy bone." The generally accepted view is that the Essex sheeted pig was descended from importations from the county of Sussex. These sheeted pigs are still occasionally met with in Essex, but the system of crossing which is generally followed by pig breeders in the county is gradually reducing its number, although even amongst the cross-breeds the peculiar marking occasionally shows itself. At the time of writing there is a movement on foot to form a society for the purpose of reviving the breed. From the utility point of view the sheeted pig has much to recommend it, but whether or not one or more of the breeds of pigs whose pedigrees are already recorded do not possess at least equal merits must be left for decision by others. SPOTTED PIGS In many districts are found other parti-coloured pigs, but in these the black, the white, and the red colours show themselves in spots of varying size and extent. Probably amongst the best types of these spotted pigs is the one found over the greater part of the county of Northampton, and portions of the counties of Leicester and Oxford adjoining. In the former county the pigs have more of black than white in their colouring, whilst in the two latter red spots are more often seen. This is probably due to a stronger infusion of the blood of the Staffordshire red pig which is now known as the Tamworth. The blood of the Neapolitan pig through the Berkshire or the Small Black is credited with being the origin of the darker coloured Northamptonshire spotted pig. The qualities claimed for these spotted or "plum pudding" pigs as they are locally termed, are prolificacy, quick growth, hardihood, and the production of pork possessing a large proportion of lean to fat meat. They are also good grazers, and grow to a size quite the equal of the Berkshire. In form they are perhaps more suited for the fresh pork trade than for the manufacture of bacon of the kind now so much in demand.