THE V LACKS VARK. 



613 



" The Bush Pig is about two feet six inches in height and five feet in length ; his canine 

 teeth are very large and strong, those in the upper jaw projecting horizontally, those in the 

 lower upwards. He is covered with long bristles, and, taking him all in all, he is about as 

 formidable-looking an animal, for his size, as can be seen. 



"The Bosch Varks traverse the forests in herds, and subsist on roots and young shrubs. 

 A large hard-shelled sort of orange, with an interior filled with seeds, grows in great quan- 

 tities on the flats near the Natal forests ; this is a favorite fruit of the wild pigs, and they 

 will come out of the bush of an evening and roam over the plains in search of windfalls 

 from these fruit-trees. 



. 



' - 



BOSCH VARK. Otoiropotamus africanut. 



"The Kaffir tribes, although they refuse to eat the flesh of the domestic pig, will still 

 feast without compunction on that of its bush brother. 



" In the bush I always found the Kaffirs disinclined to encounter a herd of these wild 

 Swine, stating as their reason for doing so that the animals were very dangerous ; they also 

 said that the wounds given by the tusks of this wild pig would not readily heal. The Berea 

 bush of Natal was a favorite resort of these wild pigs, but although their spoor could be seen 

 in all directions, the animals themselves were not so frequently encountered. 



"The Kaffirs are much annoyed by these wild pigs, which force a passage through the 

 imperfectly made fences, and root up the seeds, or destroy the pumpkins in the various gar- 

 dens. As a defence, the Kaffirs leave nice enticing little openings in different parts of their 

 fences, and the pigs, taking advantage of these ready-made doorways, frequently walk through 

 them, and are then engulfed in a deep pit in which is a pointed stake, and they are assagaied 

 with great delight by the expecting Kaffirs, who are on the alert, and who hear the cries of 

 distress from piggy himself. 



"The tusks are considered great ornaments, and are arranged on apiece of string and 

 worn round the neck." 



THE VLACKE VARK, or EMGALLA, is even a more formidable animal in its aspect than 

 the bosch vark. The general color of the Vlacke Vark is a blackish hue upon the crown of 



