CHAPTER XVII 



THE BOAE (SUS SCROPllA) 



THE carnivore exhibit the natural character of beasts of prey ; 

 although, acting generally on the offensive in their pursuit of 

 animals for food, they are not disposed to provoke or to prolong a 

 fight, and they seldom attack man unless under provocation. The 

 buffalo, we have seen, is a stubborn and powerful antagonist ; but, 

 for a really thorough and determined fighter, who does battle for 

 the love of the thing, the boar stands foremost among all other 

 animals. There is no creature more common to all climates and 

 countries than the pig ; and although, when domesticated, we find 

 an infinite variety, there is very little marked distinction among 

 the wild hogs of Europe and Asia. The conditions of localities, 

 and the abundance of food, or the reverse, exert a natural influence 

 upon its size, but were a photograph taken of a wild boar in Europe 

 and in Asia Minor there would not be any perceptible difference. 

 Throughout India and Ceylon they are the same in general appear- 

 ance, differing somewhat in size, and, to a certain extent, in length 

 of bristles, according to the influence of temperatures. In cold 

 climates the pig is protected by a growth of coat in proportion to 

 its requirements, but in all other respects it is much the same, and 

 it would be difficult to distinguish any features that would consti- 

 tute a separate variety. 



It is well known that pigs are omnivorous ; their teeth are ac- 

 cordingly designed for every kind of food, with formidable arrange- 

 ments for offence. Although they sometimes differ in the number 

 of molars, they generally have twenty- eight, and six incisors in each 

 jaw. The canine teeth are immensely long, and turned upwards, 

 forming tusks, exactly similar to those of the hippopotamus, the 

 upper jaw containing shorter tusks, against the sharp edge of which 

 those of the lower jaw clash when shut, and thus, by continual 

 friction of surface, preserve the cutting edge in order. 



