THE boar's defence. 389 



greater height than twenty inches at the shoulder, 

 their thorough forest habits render the full-grown 

 Boar a powerful and artful combatant. As long as 

 he runs, and seeks his safety in flight, pursuit both to 

 the hound and the hunter has little hazard attending 

 it ; but the moment he has reached some vantage 

 spot, — an angular rock, or the buttress roots of 

 some large tree, sufficient to cover him in the rear, — 

 and he faces round, and stands, he is a dangerous 

 enemy to encounter. His ability to cut with his 

 tusks on the right hand and on the left, and his habit 

 of striking a short upward blow in front by taking 

 one step forward, render him in such a fastness un- 

 approachable. As long as he maintains this position, 

 he absolutely defies the assailant dogs to touch him. 

 No animal can be conceived cooler, none more bold, 

 nor more thoroughly intent on keeping himself un- 

 wearied in tlie labour of defence, by little exertion 

 in the means of defending himself, than a well- 

 toothed Boar, in such a hold. Let his back be in 

 a corner, and there are but eighteen inches between 

 him and death to any ordinary dog that will face 

 him in the forest. 



"The best developed domesticated Hog of the 

 original African breed that I have seen, was a boar 

 of the blue variety ; and the best display of wood- 

 land instinct that I have witnessed was recently 

 exhibited in some young pigs of this blue breed, 

 brought from the commons and forest runs of a 

 mountain farm, and domiciled in town. Three 

 of these country pigs, a boar and two sows, had 

 taken up with a black pig and some four young fol- 



