THE BABIROUSSA 



1023 



arched. The female has small tusks, and only a single pair of teats. The height 

 at the middle of the back is about forty-two inches. The young, of which there 

 are either one or two at a birth, are devoid of stripes. 



The peculiar characteristic of the tusks, the reduction in the number of the 

 teeth, and the uniform coloration of the young, indicate that the babiroussa is a more 

 specialized creature than the ordinary pigs. At the same time, the simple structure 

 of the molar teeth indicates that it must be directly descended from one of the ex- 

 tinct genera of pigs in which a similar type of dentition obtains. 



The habits of the babiroussa seem to be very similar to those of other 

 wild swine; moist forests, canebrakes, and the banks of rivers and 

 lakes where abundance of water plants are to be found, being its favorite resorts. 



Habits 



THE BABIROUSSA. 

 (One-eighth natural size. ) 



Here these animals collect in larger or smaller herds, sleeping by day and going 

 forth to feed at night. The babiroussa is an excellent swimmer, not only entering 

 lakes to feed on water plants, but likewise traversing small channels of the sea sep- 

 arating one island from another. Its gallop is lighter than that of the wild boar. 

 The senses of smell and hearing are very acute in the babiroussa, and its grunt is 

 very similar to that of other swine. The young are born in February, and of very 

 small size, and require great attention on the part of the sow. 



Babiroussa are frequently tamed in Celebes, and may be found in the houses of 

 some of the chiefs. The first living examples brought to Europe were a pair exhib- 

 ited in Paris in the year 1820. 



Much discussion has arisen as to the use of the tusks of the male babiroussa. 

 It has been suggested that they may be for the purpose of protecting the eyes when 



