THE PIG 317 



"That is perfectly clear," assented Emile. "As 

 soon as the last wolf and boar have been killed, the 

 English, protected by the sea that surrounds them, 

 are rid of these animals once for all." 



"If we could only rid ourselves of wolves like 

 that!" Louis exclaimed. "Gladly would I see the 

 skin of the last one stuffed with straw and paraded 

 from farm to farm. I will say nothing of the boar, 

 as I don't know its manner of living." 



"The wild boar is also a formidable foe, not to 

 flocks, but to cultivated fields, where it does great 

 damage; besides, it is a brutal beast, rather dan- 

 gerous to meet in the depths of a forest. In size 

 and shape it closely resembles the common pig, the 

 chief difference being in the boar's coarse, blackish- 

 red coat; its dorsal bristles, stiff and strong and 

 standing up in anger in a horrible looking mane ; its 

 head, longer and more curved; its ears, smaller, 

 more erect, and very mobile; its thick and shorter 

 legs ; and, finally, the great stockiness of the body as 

 a whole. The eyes are small but not without expres- 

 sion, becoming quite fiery and ferocious in anger. 

 The eye-teeth of each jaw project in a threatening 

 manner beyond the lips, the lower ones being very 

 long, with a backward curve, sharp edges, and 

 pointed ends, the upper ones shorter and rubbing 

 against the first in such a manner as to serve them 

 as whetstones. From this peculiar function the 

 upper tusks are in fact sometimes likened to grind- 

 stones and hence go by the name of grinders, while 

 the lower tusks, terrible in combat, are called de 



