548 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



Physical Chaiac- The Wart Hog {Phacochcems africanus) 

 teristics of the attains a total length of six feet four 

 Wart Hog. inches, inclusive of the tail, which 

 measures eighteen inches; the height at the shoulders 

 is twenty-eight inches; the appearance of the animal 

 is also characterized by the very elongated, broad 

 snout somewhat furrowed along the center, the erect 

 excrescences and the tusks which are but very 

 slightly, if at all, bent laterally. The hairy cover- 

 ing of the sides and under parts of the body is short 

 and thin, even during the cold season. On the 

 other hand a mane, which begins on the forehead, 

 broadens on the back, and extends to the croup, 

 attains so considerable a length that it falls down to 

 the abdomen along the sides. The range of the 

 Wart Hog extends principally over the eastern 

 parts of central Africa. 



ish brown, mingled with white, on the sides [and 

 there is an oblique whitish stripe on the neck and 

 shoulders, from which it derives its name of Collared 

 Peccary]. The inguinal gland secretes a fluid of 

 pungent odor, offensive to human nostrils, but which 

 seem to be a grateful perfume to the animals them- 

 selves, for they frequently rub their muzzles over 

 each other's glands, and seem to derive a considera- 

 ble degree of satisfaction from the act. 

 The White Lipped The second species of the genus the 

 Peccary De- White-lipped Peccary {Dicotyles lam- 

 scribed, atus) is perceptibly larger than its 

 relative, from which, also, it differs in color: and it 

 has a large white patch on the lower jaw. Its gen- 

 eral color is grayish brown, rather uniform on the 

 entire body, the light patch on the muzzle standing 

 out in bold relief. 



,;V 



■ 



, 



THE WART HOG.- 



its face. It is a very strong 2 



'his African animal has many peculiar features, those from which it derives its name being the fleshy warts which disfigure 

 ua] and its back is surmounted by long bristles forming a mane. {Phacocharus africanus.) 



THE PECCARIES. 



Among the distinctive characteristics of the Pec- 

 caries {Dicotyles) are, first, their dentition: the teeth 

 are thirty-eight in number and the tusks do not 

 curve upward, nor do they pierce the upper lip. 

 These animals are further characterized by a compact 

 structure; a short head and short, slender snout, 

 and rather small ears; by the lack of an outer digit 

 on each hind foot, the rudimentary tail, the cutane- 

 ous gland opening near the loins, and the mamma; 

 of the female, which are two in number. 



Description of The Collared Peccary {Dicotyles tor- 



the Collared quatus) is a small Hog measuring not 



Peccary. more than thirty-eight inches, with a 



tail less than an inch long, and the height at the 



shoulders is from fourteen to sixteen inches. The 



general color is a blackish brown, fading into yellow- 



Range and Habits The Peccaries are of common occur- 

 ofthe Pec- rence in all wooded regions of South 

 caries. America, up to an altitude of about 



three thousand feet above the sea. [The range of 

 the Collared Peccary extends also northward through 

 Central America, Mexico and Texas, the Red River 

 in Arkansas being the northeastern boundary of its 

 range.] The White-lipped Peccaries roam through 

 the woods in large herds numbering thousands, 

 under the leadership of the strongest males. The 

 Collared Peccaries form into troops only numbering 

 from ten to fifteen, and they daily change their place 

 of abode and are continually migrating. Rengger 

 affirms that one may follow them for days without 

 seeing them. "In their wanderings," says this nat- 

 uralist, "neither the open country (which ordinarily 

 they seldom frequent) nor water can stop them. If 



