Game Animals of India, etc. 



the wild swine of Europe and Southern Asia. It is 

 probably not entitled to rank as a species by itself, 

 but whether it should be regarded as a local race of 

 the Indian species, or be affiliated to the European 

 S. scrofa, is at present uncertain. 



THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR 

 WILD PIGS 



(Sus vittatus andamanensh and S. v. nicobaricus) 



The larger islands of the Bay of Bengal and the 

 Malay Archipelago are the home of a group of wild 

 pigs near akin to S. cri status^ and in some cases 

 indistinguishable externally from the island races 

 of that species. They are, however, easily separated 

 by the much simpler form of the last molar tooth in 

 each jaw ; the upper one having only two transverse 

 ridges and a small terminal heel. The section of the 

 lower canine ot the boars is similar to that of S. cristatus ; 

 a character distinguishing them from S. verrucosus ot 

 Java. The group is typified by 6', vittatus of Sumatra, 

 and although its various representations in other islands 

 and in the Malay Peninsula have been described as 

 distinct species, it is preferable to regard them merely 

 in the light of local races. 



The two smallest representatives of the groups are 

 the Andaman and the Nicobar wild pigs {S. vittatus 

 andanianensis and S. v. nicobaricus'). The former, which 

 appears to be chiefly distinguished from the latter by 

 its smaller size, stands about 20 inches in height, and 

 has blackish hair, with a brownish tinge on the mane. 

 S. V. peninsularis of Johore and other parts of the ex- 

 tremity of the Malay Peninsula is a considerably larger 

 member of the group. 



The S. verrucosus group does not occur within our 

 limits. 



284 



