162 ] Animal Friends and Helpers 



under the most discouraging conditions. The wild hogs of India, 

 for example, make themselves quite respectable nests which 

 resemble grass huts thatched on top and with openings at the 

 side. 



The fact that pigs like to wallow in mud is advanced as further 

 evidence that they like dirt. The real reason for their wallowing 

 is that the pig, being only sparsely covered with hairs and bristles, 

 is a constant victim of flies and other insects. It has no tail, as a 

 cow has, to swish these tormentors off, and so its only hope of 

 cleaning itself free of pests is to take a mud bath. 



Your child probably shares the general view that the pig's nose 

 is singularly ugly. Be that as it may, the nose has many uses and 

 is even comparable to the elephant's trunk in its value to its 

 owner. The fleshy covering of the nostrils is a sensitive-feeling 

 organ which, especially in the wilds, aids the pig to locate bulbs, 

 acorns, roots, and other foods. Besides guiding the pig to food, 

 the nose also serves as a digging tool. Bony plates under the flesh 

 give it remarkable strength. 



"Pig eyes," small but gleaming, reflect a good brain, though 

 tame pigs rarely have a chance to show how intelligent they are. 

 Wild pigs have large open ears; those of tame breeds vary, some 

 being sharp and forward-opening, others lopped. The distinctive 

 feature of the male pig's teeth is the upward curve of its upper 

 canines. These tusks, especially in the wild boar, make formid- 

 able weapons. 



PIG TALK 



Though the squeals and grunts of a pig are anything but 

 musical, they are interestingly intelligible to the human ear. You 

 recognize the hunger squeal easily enough by its querulous tone, 

 and the terrified squeal of fright is equally unmistakable. It does 

 not take you long to distinguish between the grunt of well-fed 

 satisfaction and the habitual grunting that echoes wild animal 

 ways. Continuous grunting was once the means by which the 

 pig herd kept together. 



