HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 385 



them disgorge their food robs the fish-hawk of his shining 

 prey with just as splendid audacity as ever, and continues 

 with quite as ferocious astuteness to tear out the eyes of 

 any wounded deer or buffalo cow that it may perceive go 

 aside from the herd. 



But, all rules have their exceptions and it was to treat 

 concerning one of these exceptions, that this chapter has been 

 written. Certainly, however much other wild animals may 

 have yielded to the awful supremacy of that dread machine, 

 behind which man has entrenched his physical inferiority, 

 the Peccary cannot be accused of the same weakness ; for of 

 a verity, it does seem to me that if those same formidable 

 tubes were to pour forth the thunders and fires of Hecla 

 itself, instead of the respectable little volcano, of which they 

 at present can boast, the belching of this huge and noisy 

 chaos would only increase the irate valor of this curious 

 little animal. It seems to be entirely insensible to all those 

 sudden influences, the unexpected supervention of which are 

 sure to cause panic in other animals. Ungovernable rage 

 seems to take the place of this panic a rage quite as head- 

 long and as blind. Though scarcely more than eighteen 

 inches high by two and a half feet in length, it is yet, 

 really, one of the most formidable animals belonging to our 

 hemisphere. It is gregarious, and goes in droves of from 

 ten to fifty. Its jaws are armed after the manner of the 

 wild boar, with tushes, but they are of very different shape, 

 and if possible, more to be dreaded. They stand straight in 

 the jaws, instead of curving upwards, and have the form as 

 well as keenness of the lancet blade. Their motions are as 

 quick as lightning, and with shoulders, head and neck 

 possessing extraordinary muscular power, they manage to 

 slash and gash in the most horrible manner with these 

 villainous little weapons, which are only about an inch and 

 a half in length. As they do not hesitate to attack any 

 thing or any body, big or little, provocation or no provo- 



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