THE HOG KIND. 



285 



pibara among the hog kind, merely because 

 it is more like a hog than any other animal 

 commonly known, arid yet, more closely ex- 

 amined, it will be found to differ in some of 

 the most obvious particulars. 



The capibara resembles a hog of about two 

 years old, in the shape of its body, and the 

 coarseness and colour of its hair. Like the 

 hog, it has a thick short neck, and a rounded 

 bristly back ; like the hog, it is fond of the 

 water and marshy places, brings forth many 

 at a time, and, like it, feeds upon animal and 

 vegetable food. But, when examined more 

 nearly, the differences are many and obvious. 

 The head is longer, the eyes are larger, and 

 the snout, instead of being rounded, as in the 

 hog, is split like that of a rabbit or a hare, 

 and furnished with thick strong whiskers; the 

 mouth is not so wide, the number and the 

 form of the teeth are different, for it is without 

 tusks: like the peccary it wants a tail; and, 

 unlike to all others of this kind, instead of a 

 cloven hoof, it is in a manner web-footed, and 

 thus entirely fitted for swimming, and living 

 in the water. The hoofs before are divided 

 into four parts; and those behind into three; 

 between the divisions, there is a prolongation 

 of the skin, so that the foot, when spread in 

 swimming, can beat a greater surface of water. 



As its feet are thus made for the water, so 

 it is seen to delight entirely in that element ; 



and some naturalists have called it the water- 

 hag for that reason. It is a native of South 

 America, and is chiefly seen frequenting the 

 borders of lakes and rivers, like the otter. 

 It seizes the fish upon which it preys, with 

 its hoofs and teeth, and carries them to the 

 edge of the lake, to devour them at its ease. 

 It lives also upon fruits, corn, and sugar-canes. 

 As its feet are long and broad, it is often seen 

 sitting up like a dog that is taught to beg. 

 Its cry more nearly resembles the braying of 

 an ass, than the grunting of a hog. It seldom 

 goes out, except at night, and that always in 

 company. It never ventures far from thesides 

 of the river or the lake in which it preys ; for 

 as it runs ill, because of the length of its feet, 

 and the shortness of its legs, so its only place 

 of safety is the water, into which it immediate- 

 ly plunges when pursued, and keeps so long 

 at the bottom, that the hunter can have no 

 hopes of taking it there. The Capibara, even 

 in a state of wildness, is of a gentle nature, 

 and, when taken young, is easily tamed. It 

 comes and goes at command, and even shows 

 an attachment to its keeper. Its flesh is said 

 to be fat and tender, but, from the nature of 

 its food, it has a fishy taste, like that of all 

 those which are bred in the water. Its head, 

 however, is said to be excellent; and in this 

 it resembles the beaver, whose fore-parts taste 

 like flesh, and the hinder like the fish it feeds on. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



THE BABYROUESSA, OR INDIAN HOG. 



THE Babyrouessa is still more remote 

 from the hog kind than the capibara; and yet 

 most travellers who have described this ani- 

 mal, do not scruple to call it the hog of Bor- 

 neo, which is an island in the East Indies, 

 where it is principally to be found. Proba- 

 bly this animal's figure upon the whole most 

 resembles that of the hog kind, and may have 

 induced them to rank it among the number : 

 however, when they come to its description, 

 they represent it as having neither the hair, 

 the bristles, the head, the stature, nor the 



tail of a hog. Its legs, we are told, are lon- 

 ger, its snout shorter, its body more slender, 

 and somewhat resembling that of a stag ; its 

 hair is finer, of a gray colour, rather resem- 

 bling wool than bristles, and its tail also tuft- 

 ed with the same. From these varieties, there- 

 fore, it can scarcely be called a hog; and, 

 yet, in this class we must be content to rank 

 it, until its form and nature come to be better 

 known. What we at present principally dis- 

 tinguish it by, are four enormous tusks, that 

 grow out of each jaw ; the two largest from 

 2Z 



