PECCARY FAMILY 



63 



two hundred. I commenced shooting, and killed 

 five with my rifle. . . Fortunately, I had both 

 revolvers, and a belt full of cartridges for them ; 

 so I went at them. They were chewing the tree, 

 and climbing over each other trying to get at me. 

 I tried to count them, and found that there were 

 over two hundred left, and I had killed twenty- 

 three. The Peccaries showed no signs of leaving. 

 It W'as now noon, and very warm. They would 

 root around, then come back to the tree, and 

 grunt, and paw, and bite the tree ; then they 

 would cool down a little, would go a short dis- 

 tance away, root around awhile, then come back 

 again. I was getting tired of being treed. If 

 only the boys could hear my firing and come 

 over. 



" One o'clock came, then two. Three o'clock 

 came, then four, and no signs of the boys. Some 

 of the pigs would feed while others stood guard : 

 then they would change off. I was so tired. I 

 took my belt off and buckled myself to the tree, 

 so that I would not fall out. Seven o'clock ! 

 they still camped near me. Then the sun went 

 behind the mountain ; darkness came on, and I 

 was thirstv, hungry, and tired : but, worse than 



all. I was a prisoner. Twelve o'clock! The 

 moon shone brightly, and I could see my sen- 

 tinels scattered around. Two o'clock ! Then 

 came a signal from some of the outside ones ; 

 the rest snuffed the air, then away they all went. 

 I unloosed the belt and got down, more dead than 

 alive — so stiff I could scarcely walk. I went 

 first to where I left my turkey and coat. The 

 turkey had been eaten, and my coat had been 

 thoroughly chewed. I started for camp, where 

 I arrived just at daybreak. Two of the boys 

 were out on horseback, hunting for me." 



The chief food of Peccaries consists of nuts 

 and roots, in addition to worms, insects, and 

 carrion. The female produces one or two young 

 once a year. The flesh is somewhat inferior to 

 pork, and the musk gland must be removed im- 

 mediately after the killing: otherwise the meat 

 will be tainted. 



There are several forms of the Peccary in 

 Mexico : and in South America occurs the White- 

 lipped Peccary, a larger species than the Collared 

 variety ; it congregates in very large herds, and 

 does much damage to growing crops. Its lips 

 and breast are white. 



