THE BABIRUSA HOG. 



" There are Hogs also with homes and parats which prattle 

 much." 



Purchas on the babirusa^ A.D. 1693. 



Europe in prehistoric times. The rays of a 

 Miocene sun beat heavily upon the luxuriant 

 landscape ; a vast lake, backed by a mighty forest, 

 lies shining like a mirror in the riotous sunlight. A 

 few guano-covered rocks project from the surface of 

 the water ; on every rock sits a cormorant, preening 

 its feathers, while close inshore a vast ribbon of 

 thousands of flamingoes diligently patrol the shallows. 

 Half a dozen crocodiles doze on an adjacent sand 

 bank, their scaly faces set in an immovable smile. 

 Brilliant kingfishers sit silent among the intense 

 green of the reed beds, jewels of purest sapphire 

 against a background of deepest emerald. White 

 storks soar in drifting spirals high in the azure 

 firmament ; dainty plover-like birds, graceful as the 

 jacanas of recent Africa, run over the surface of the 

 water vegetation ; giant butterflies float in the hot 

 sunshine on wings of crimson and cobalt. Faint in 

 the sultry afternoon silence sounds the dull croaking 

 of innumerable frogs. 



The stately forest half encircling the lake 

 is composed of a mixed temperate and tropical 



