54 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



Occasionally, a brown boar may be met with ; and, about 

 as rarely, one entirely covered with long bristles, a couple of 

 inches in length, upon the body, and longer on the crest ; but 

 the ordinary colour is a dark slate, almost black, with blue- 

 black bristles on the head, crest, and tip of tail. More rarely 

 still, a boar may be found with a hide upon his shoulders like 

 the shields of the rhinoceros. 



The wild pig's tail is never curly, at least on this side of 

 India, and is longer and finer than that depicted in pictures 

 of the German and European wild variety. The Indian 

 animal, too, is a better bred and a more active one than its 

 European and African congener. 



The Bengal boar is not only one of the most valiant among 

 the beasts of the field, but the most clever and calculating ; 

 he rarely condescends to low, crafty dodges in self-defence or 

 in attack, like the tiger and the panther, or as even the wild 

 buffalo does sometimes ; but there are times and seasons when 

 he becomes extremely irascible, and prone to maim or kill all 

 who approach him, biped or quadruped, with or without pro- 

 vocation. 



On a certain occasion, a party being out at Dilouree, in 

 Pubna, was attacked by a boar without any apparent cause. 

 At the back of the indigo factory was a little river, the muddy 

 bed of which could not be crossed on account of quagmires, 

 except by certain fords at which cattle were accustomed to 

 pass backwards and forwards, and which had been marked 

 off by flags by our host, Mr. L. We had killed a hog, and 

 were walking our horses leisurely through some fields of 

 thatching grass, a foot or two high, close to the river bank, 

 when we espied on the opposite side an immense boar trotting 

 along with tail and bristles erect, and evidently in a very bad 

 humour. After inspecting us for a few moments our sulky 

 friend descended the river bank, and skirting it till he gained 

 a ford, crossed over to our side ; then re-ascending the steep 

 slope, he crossed the grass, and went out into the open to a 

 mustard-field, and turning to bay awaited our approach. 



Seeing the temper and attitude of our foe, we arranged our 



