360 



THE PECCARY. 



the animal is derived. The color of the legs, as well as of the 

 hoofs which envelope the extremities of the toes, is nearly 

 black. The head is extremely long, the profile forming almost 

 a straight line from between the ears to the extremity of the 

 nose, which projects considerably beyond the mouth, is very 

 moveable, and terminates abruptly in a broad and flat expan- 

 sion, in which the large open nostrils are placed far apart from 

 each other. The ears are small, upright, nearly naked, and of 

 a grayish color. On the legs and muzzle the hairs are ex- 

 tremely short. The color of the young ones is for the first 

 year of a uniform reddish brown. 



The Collared Peccary is not a migratory animal. It gen- 

 erally passes its life in the forest in which it first saw the light 

 where it is usually met with in pairs or in small families. 

 They subsist for the most part on vegetable food, chiefly roots 

 which they procure by burrowing in the earth. They will, 

 however, sometimes feed upon fish and reptiles, and are said 

 to be dexterous in destroying serpents. Their peculiar grunt 

 is heard at a considerable distance ; but they are more easily 

 traced by the nose than by the ear. The places which they 

 inhabit, or even those through which they merely pass, are 

 absolutely infected with the pungent odor of the liquid which 

 is secreted by their dorsal gland : it is a certain direction to 

 those who are in quest of them, and affords the greatest facil- 

 ity in their pursuit. D'Azara seems to have had an unac- 

 countable partiality for this smell, which he first describes 

 as a "musky scent," and afterwards, as if this were not suffi- 

 cient, rates BufTon severely for calling it an unsavoury odour, 

 and quotes the authority of Ray (which should have been 

 Tyson) and others for its being "musky, sweet, and agreeable." 

 He admits, however, that the animal may exhale different 

 odors according to the quality of its nutriment, its state of irri- 

 tation, or a variety of other circumstances. 



When reduced to a state of captivity, the Peccaries, as we 

 have said before, become perfectly tame and domesticated. A 

 pair of them which were in the French Menagerie lived upon 

 the best terms with the dogs and all the other domestic ani- 



