A PECCARY HUNT ON THE NUECES. 149 



calf, inflicting a very severe wound. I have 

 known of several cases of horses being cut, 

 however, and dogs are very commonly killed. 

 Indeed, a dog new to the business is almost 

 certain to get very badly scarred, and no dog 

 that hunts steadily can escape without some 

 injury. If it runs in right at the heads of the 

 animals, the probabilities are that it will get 

 killed ; and, as a rule, even two good-sized 

 hounds cannot kill a peccary, though it is no 

 larger than either of them* However, a wary, 

 resolute, hard-biting dog of good size speedily 

 gets accustomed to the chase, and can kill a 

 peccary single-handed, seizing it from behind 

 and worrying it to death, or watching its chance 

 and grabbing it by the back of the neck where 

 it joins the head. 



Peccaries have delicately moulded short legs, 

 and their feet are small, the tracks looking 

 peculiarly dainty in consequence. Hence, 

 they do not swim well, though they take to the 

 water if necessary. They feed on roots, 

 prickly pears, nuts, insects, lizards, etc. They 

 usually keep entirely separate from the droves 

 of half-wild swine that are so often found in the 

 same neighborhoods ; but in one case, on this 

 very ranch where I was staying, a peccary 

 deliberately joined a party of nine pigs and 

 associated with them. When the owner of 

 the pigs came up to them one day the peccary 

 manifested great suspicion at his presence, 

 and finally sidled close up and threatened to 

 attack him, so that he had to shoot it. The 

 ranchman's son told me that he had never but 



