436 UNGULATES. 



Himalaya. In this monster the length of the skull was 23 inches, against 16 in 

 an average-sized Indian wild pig, so that the height of the animal could not have 

 been much less than that of a fair-sized mule. The same deposits have also yielded 

 remains of an extinct species which did not exceed the living pigmy hog in point 

 of size. Still more noteworthy are Falconer's pig (S. falconeri) from the Siwalik 

 Hills, and some allied species from the Pleistocene deposits of Southern India and 

 Algeria, which, in the extreme complexity of the lower teeth, approximated to the 

 under-mentioned wart-hogs. The Auvergne pig (S. arvernensis) from the Pliocene 

 of France, is believed, on the other hand, to be related to the African bush-pigs. 

 In most of these extinct species the tusks of the boars, as already mentioned, 

 were relatively small. 



THE BABIRUSA. 

 Genus Babirusa. 



The extraordinary development of the tusks in the males of the animal to 

 which the Malays have given the name of Babirusa (meaning pig -deer) is so 

 remarkable as to suggest at first sight the idea of a malformation. The babirusa 

 (Babirusa alfurus), which is an inhabitant of Celebes and Boru, and is the sole 

 representative of its genus, has, indeed, derived its name from these abnormally- 

 developed tusks, which have led the Malays to liken them to the antlers of 

 the deer. In the boars, as is well exhibited in our figure of the skull, the 

 upper tusks, while curving upwards like those of an ordinary wild pig, instead 

 of protruding from the margins of the jaws, arise close together near the middle 

 line of the face, and thence, after being directed upwards for a short distance, 

 sweep backwards, frequently coming into contact with the surface of the forehead, 

 and are then finally directed forwards at the tip. The lower tusks have the same 

 up wards-and-back wards 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. Both pairs of tusks are quite devoid of 

 enamel, and, as there is no abrasion of the one pair against the other, both grow 

 uninterruptedly ; the upper tusks occasionally attaining a length of 14^ inches, we 

 believe, exclusive of the portion buried in the socket. In addition to the peculiar 

 conformation of its tusks, the babirusa differs from ordinary pigs in the diminished 

 number of its teeth, of which the total is only thirty-four; the missing teeth 

 comprising the outermost incisors and the first two premolars on each side of both 

 the upper and lower jaws. The molar teeth are characterised by their simple 

 structure and the small development of the third lobe of the last one in each 

 jaw. 



The babirusa has a nearly naked skin of a dark ashy grey colour, sparsely covered 

 with hair along the line of the back, and thrown into numerous wrinkles. The 

 ears are small, the tail is short and devoid of a terminal tuft, and the back is much 

 arched. The female has small tusks, and only a single pair of teats. The height 

 at the middle of the back is about 42 inches. The young, of which there are either 

 one or two at a birth, are devoid of stripes. 



