426 THE PECCARY. 



by the farmers, as it frequently, in large numbers, attacks their 

 crops, choosing always the most nourishing fields. 



The peccary, though occasionally found by itself, is a gre- 

 garious animal. A herd will attack a jaguar or puma, and 

 e.ven the sturdy tapir, without fear ; and rushing at their an- 

 tagonist with their sharp tusks, never fail to come off victo- 

 rious. Knowing their power, the jaguar, when meeting a 

 herd, flies through the forest to avoid them. When the 

 hunter and his dogs encounter one of these armies, his only 

 chance of escape is to climb the nearest tree, when they can 

 only stand below gnashing their teeth, and gazing up at him 

 with their vindictive little eyes. His dogs, however, quickly 

 fall victims to their fury. 



On one occasion a party of hunters had brought a bear to 

 bay, when, in the midst of the fierce contest, a herd of pec- 

 caries came charging over the ground, putting not only the 

 bear, but the men and the dogs to flight. 



The peccary will, indeed, attack man or beast without hesi- 

 tation, its assaults being not the less dangerous because it 

 seems utterly ignorant of the danger it runs itself. It is, 

 however, hunted by the natives for the sake of its flesh. It 

 frequently takes up its abode in some forsaken burrow or the 

 hollow of a tree. The creatures back in, one after the other, 

 till there is no room for more. The outer one then takes the 

 post of sentinel, and gives notice of the approach of any de- 

 sirable quarry. The hunters, aware of this habit, cautiously 

 sometimes with firearms and sometimes with pointed weapons 

 approach the peccaries' abode. A slight noise draws the sen- 

 tinel from the hollow, when it is immediately shot down or 

 transfixed by a spear. Another at once takes its place, 

 coming out to see what is the matter, when it is killed in 



