THE STORY OF THE WILD BOAR. 



209 



forwards at the tip. The lower tusks have the same upwards-and-backwards 

 direction as those of the upper jaw, but are frequently less strongly curved, 

 although in other cases the direction of their sweep is not very different 

 from that of the latter. The upper tusks occasionally attain a length of 

 fourteen and one-half inches, exclusive of the portion buried in the socket. 

 It is a popular belief that pigs are never injured by the poisons of snakes; 

 and It is customary to turn a drove of these animals into a district infested 



SOUTH AFRICAN WILD HOG. 



by such reptiles, which in a short time is usually completely cleared of 

 them. It is well known that pigs will destroy any rattlesnake they meet 

 with, and this serpent is certainly provided with one of the most deadly of 

 poisons, and it is a reptile not at all likely to submit to an attack from 

 any quarter without using all its powers of defense. It is supposed that the 

 pig receives the bite of the enraged snake on its cheek, where the fat and 



