Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
1. The colour pattern in the Essex breed shows continuous variation in width and in shape of the belt, in size and number of the distal white points, in pigmentation of the skin and in the occurrence of all-black colour.
2. The variation in ear shape extends from long, hanging ears to small, erect (prick) ears.
3. ‘Rose back’ was observed in a small percentage of pure-bred Essex pigs.
4. Observed results of crossing Wessex with Essex pigs, and the similarity in variation of colour of the two breeds, indicate that the factors upon which the colour depends are the same in Essex and in Wessex, and that there is no genetical difference in colour in these two breeds.