168 BULLETIN 56, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Peccaries ahoiind in the Pajarito Mountains and at La Osa, Pima 

 County, Arizona. At the L:^ Osa ranch Mrs. AV. 8. Sturges had 

 several as pets that had been presented Avhen very young by Papago 

 Indians whom she liad l)efriended. They become gentle and ati'ec- 

 tionate, if not maltreated, but exceedingly vicious if teased and hurt. 

 One that I bought from a Mexican lad Avas fondled and kissed by 

 its owner, who parted from it Avith tears. It followed us about in the 

 camps, where, from its habit of rubbing against one, it received sev- 

 eral hard kicks from frightened teamsters at night, Avhich Avrought 

 such a change in its previously friendly disposition that no one could 

 safely approach it, on which account I was obliged to send it to the 

 National Zoological Park, where it became tractable. 



On the whole, peccaries Avere not abundant on the boundar}^ strip. 

 Whenever any Avere killed they Avere eaten as a novelty and usually 

 considered good meat. They are cleanly animals, but, on account 

 of their musk glands, require careful dressing for the table. 



They Avere abundant at Pozo de Luis, Soifora, Avhere they usually 

 frequented rocky hills. Their tracks and AvalloAvs Avere seen every- 

 Avhere about the base of the mountains. When hunting Avith Lieut. 

 William H. Pean in December, 18f)3, Ave surprised a small herd of 

 peccaries that Avas AvalloAving among some prickly-pear cacti in a 

 ravine at the foot of the Sierra del Cobota, Sonora. All but one ran 

 rapidly over a ridge and disappeared; but that one stood still, behind 

 a bush, and Avas shot. I then ran to the sunnnit of the ridge in the 

 expectation of obtaining a view of the retreating herd, and in doing 

 so almost ran over the Avounded peccary, Avhich I saAv had its foreleg- 

 shot through close to the l)ody. With a grunt the Avounded animal 

 dashed doAvn a hillside through cacti and shubbery so thick that I 

 Avas unable to get another glimpse of it. FolloAving up the herd. Lieu- 

 tenant Pean and I obtained seA'eral more shots at the fleeing peccaries, 

 all of Avhich escaped by hiding in caA^es and among piles of rocks com- 

 jKjsing the talus at the base of a cliff. A little later I returned alone to 

 the spot Avhere the i^eccary had been Avounded, and my attention Avas 

 attracted to a crying suckling, Avhich I at length descried among the 

 large Joints of a prickly pear, looking A'ery much distressed over its 

 sudden abandonment. It Avas a Avee thing of a reddish color, quite 

 different from its parents. Supposing I might be able to catch it 

 alive, I stooped and made the attempt, Avhereupon the tiny pig- 

 squealed and vanished so sAviftly that I could not attempt to shoot it. 

 Later I^ieutenant Bean joined in a search, and Ave Avere rcAvarded by 

 finding the little beast, Avhich Avas espied running along an open space 

 on a neighboring ridge. Seeing Avhere it tried to hide, I chased it up 

 and fired at it several times with my rifle: but it darted so nimbly 

 through the dense groAvth that it Avas unhurt, although it collided 



