A note on the food of feral pigs Sus scrofa) of Auckland Islands.

While studying the population of feral goats (Capra hircus L.) on the northern tip of main Auckland Island in summer 1972-73 (Rudge and Campbell, 1975) skeletons were looked for from which to estimate natural mortality. We found only two skulls, both without horns or lower jaws, and concluded that goat bodies were eaten by feral pigs. Some pig faeces were therefore collected around Port Ross, preserved in 10% formalin, and later washed apart on a I mm sieve. Identifiable items were listed as present or absent and scored by percent frequency of occurrence. No goat remains were found but the other contents supplemented the only previous note, which came from examining the stomachs of 16 pigs shot during the same expedition (Challies, 1975).