AT DAGGERS DRAWN 73 



the head, the part mostly attacked by enraged boars, 

 presents no sort of armature designed for defence ; while 

 in the Wart-hog, on the other hand, great solid bucklers 

 of hide stand out on either side of the head below the 

 eyes, giving the animal a most repulsive appearance, 

 but affording him a very present help in time of trouble. 

 In the wild-boar, where the tusks are shorter, no such 

 protective armature is needed. 



While the ungulates, or hoofed animals, are peculiar 

 in the development of horns as weapons of offence, they 

 are by no means singular in the use of teeth for this 

 purpose. In some cases, as in the Muntjac, both forms 

 of armature are present. The only other instances where 

 teeth in this group of animals are used for offensive 

 purposes are those furnished by the Camel and the 

 Horse. But here they do not exhibit that excessive 

 size which is met with in the Elephant, and some of the 

 Swine. In both the Camel and the Horse it is the canine 

 which is used, and both jaws are similarly armed. Since 

 the camel has no upper incisors, the part played by the 

 teeth is beyond dispute ; but it has been contended that 

 the horse uses his incisor or " front-teeth " alone when 

 fighting. But this is not so ; the canines can, and do, 

 inflict ugly wounds, as is shown by the necks of zebras. 



A further method of defence among the larger Ungulates, 

 at any late, is resorted to when hard pressed : and this 

 is the use of the hoof in kicking. Giraffes kick both after 

 the usual fashion and in striking downwards with the fore- 

 foot. And an interesting demonstration of this has been 

 furnished by Mr. F. C. Selous in his delightful " African 

 Nature Notes." He relates that on one occasion he came 

 across a calf only a day or two old, with its back broken. 

 From scratches on the calf, and the footprints on the 



