260 



THE PECCARY. 



" The Bosch Varks traverse the forests in herds, and subsist on roots 

 and young shrubs. A large hard-shelled sort of orange, with an in- 

 terior filled with seeds, grows in great quantities on the flats near the 

 Natal forests; this is a favorite fruit of the wild pigs, and they will 

 come out of the bush of an evening and roam over the plains in search 

 of windfalls from these fruit trees. 



" The Kaflir tribes, although they refuse to eat the flesh of the do- 

 mestic pig, will still feast without compunction on that of its bush 

 brother. 



" In the bush I always found the Kafiirs disinclined to encounter a 

 herd of these wild Swine, stating as their reason for doing so that the 

 animals were very dangerous ; they also said that the wounds given by 

 the tusks of this wild pig would not readily heal. The Berea bush of 

 Natal was a favorite resort of these wild pigs, but, although their spoor 

 could be seen in all directions, the animals themselves were not so 

 frequently encountered. 



" The Kaffirs are much annoyed by these wild pigs, which force a 

 passage through the imperfectly made fences, and root up the seeds or 

 destroy the pumpkins in the various gardens. As a defence, the Kaf- 

 firs leave nice enticing little openings in different parts of their fences, 

 and the pigs, taking advantage of these ready-made doorways, fre- 

 quently walk through them, and are then engulfed in a deep pit in 

 which is a pointed stake, and they are assagaied with great delight by 

 the expecting Kaffirs, who are on the alert, and who hear the cries of 

 distress from Piggy himself. 



" The tusks are considered great ornaments, and are arranged on a 

 piece of string and worn round the neck." 



America possesses a representative of the porcine group in the Pec- 

 caries, two species of which animals inhabit the Brazils. 



The common Peccary, 

 or Tajacu, although it is 

 of no very great dimen- 

 sions, resembling a small 

 pig in size, is yet a ter- 

 rible animal. Ever fierce 

 and irritable of temper, 

 the Peccary is as formida- 

 ble an antagonist as can 

 be seen in any land, for 

 it knows no fear and will 

 attack any foe without 

 hesitation. Although the 

 Peccary is a very harmless animal to outward view, being only three 

 feet long and weighing fifty or sixty pounds, and its armature consists 



vw- 



The Peccary {Dicotyles Tajacu). 



