StllDyE - 



-JIAMMALIA- 



-HYRACIDjE. 



I'Jl 



tubercle. Some otlier minor peculiarities exist ; and 

 Cuvicr mentions that the aorta, or principal arterial 

 trmik of the body, is very commonly enlarged or aneu- 

 rismal at different parts of its com'se. This, however, 

 is clearly an abnormal state, for which it is not easy 

 to account, imless, as in the similar case of tlie ass, it 

 bo o^ving to the presence of parasites in the blood of the 

 kind, belonging to the genus of Entozoa caUed Slrongylus. 

 The habits of the Collared Peccary are similar to those 

 of swine in general ; its food consisting of roots, bulbs, 

 acorns, and other fruits, earthworms, gnibs, and insect 

 larviB of all kinds, fomid in or upon the damp marshy 

 soils, where tliis animal delights to wallow. Although 

 the Tajazou has been domesticated, its flesh is not 

 sufficiently soft and palatalile to be employed as a 

 substitute for common pork ; and were it more plea- 

 sant it could scarcely supplant the ordinary hog, as the 

 I'omale only produces two young at a birth, and a 

 liill-grown individual seldom exceeds fifty lbs. in weight. 

 THE WHITE LIPPED PECCARY {Dicotjjles laUatus), 

 nr Tagnicate, is a larger species, weighing almost 

 ilouble that of the Tajazou, with which, however, it was 

 formerly confounded. It is readily distinguished by 

 the pale colour of the Ups, the rest of the hide being 

 1 iro wn as usual ; it is also of a stouter buUd, the snout 

 Ijcing likewise more prolonged and expanded at the 

 lip. For an interesting accoimt of tlio habits of this 

 animal we are indebted to Mr. Bennett, who observes 

 tliat the White-lipped Peccaries, unlike the former, 

 " congregate in numerous bands, sometimes amount- 

 ing, it is said, to more than a thousand indi%'iduals of 

 all ages. Thus united, they frequently traverse exten- 

 sive districts ; the whole troop occupying an extent of 

 a league in length, and directed in their march, if the 

 accounts of the natives are to be credited, by a leader 

 who takes his station at the head of tlie foremost rank. 

 Should they be impeded in tlieir progress by a river, 

 the chief stops for a moment, then plunges boldly mto 

 the stream, and is followed by all the rest of the troop. 

 The breadth of the river and the rapidity of tlie cm-rent 

 appear to be but trifling obstacles m their way, and to 

 be overcome with the greatest facility. On reaching 

 the opposite bank, they proceed directly on their course, 

 and continue their march even through the plantations 

 which, unfortunately for the owners, may happen to lie 

 in their way, and which they sometimes completely 

 devastate by rooting in the groimd for their favourite 

 food, or devouring such fruit as they find there. If 

 they meet anything unusual in their way, they make a 

 terrific clattering with their teeth, and stop and examine 

 the object of their alarm. When they have ascer- 

 tained that there is no danger, they contmue their route 

 without fiu-ther delay ; but if a huntsman shovdd ven- 

 ture to attack tliem, when they are thus assembled in 

 large numbers, he is sure to be surrounded by multi- 

 tudes, and torn to pieces by their tusks, if he is so 

 un-wise as to neglect his only chance of escape, which 

 consists in climbing a tree, and thus getting fairly out 

 of their reach. The smaller bands are by no means 

 equally courageous, and always take to flight at the 

 first attack." The White-lipped Peccary appears to 

 belong exclusively to Soutli America, being very abund- 

 ant in the provinces of Guiana and Paraguay. 



Family VI.— HYRACIDiE. 



The group of small quadrupeds associated under the 

 above title, constitute a distinct family, the members 

 of which, though insignificant in respect of bulk and 

 numbers, neveilheless possess a special claim upon tlie 

 attention of the scientific naturalist. By those who 

 have not studied tlie subject, it will hardly be credited 

 that these little animals, formerly classed with the 

 Kodents on account of their marked resemblance to 

 that family, present a close approximation to the pachy- 

 derms, and more particularly to the rhinoceroses. 

 This alliance, however, is very obvious, when we 

 examine the conchtion and characters of the feet and 

 teeth — as was, in the first instance, pointed out by 

 Baron Cuvier, and subsequently insisted on by Wiede- 

 mann, Swainson, Lesson, Gray, and otiiers. Kegardiiig 

 only the anatomical peculiarities, it would be more 

 correct to place this family between the Tapirid^ and 

 Rhinocoridiie ; but as its external features present so 

 marked a deviation from those of the two foniilies just 

 mentioned, we prefer to consider this aberrant group 

 in tlie present position — as furthest removed from the 

 ordinary pachydermal type. The Ilyracidse are fur- 

 nished with thirty-eight or forty teeth, namely, six 

 incisors, two above and four below, and twenty-four or 

 twenty-eight molars. In the latter case, there are no 

 less than sixteen premolars or spurious grinders — the 

 canines being always absent. The incisors do not 

 exhibit a true rodent structure, but are conical and 

 similar to those of the hippopotamus. The molars, on 

 the other hand, are very like those of the rhinoceros ; 

 the crowns of the upper set being distinguished by twci 

 enamelled eminences, and connected by a ridge to tho 

 outer margin, whilst those below display two semi- 

 circular ridges, whose convexity is directed outwards. 

 The anterior hmbs are furnished with four toes, but 

 the hind feet are tridactylous. The digits are provided 

 with small flat hoofs ; a remarkable exception obtain- 

 ing to tlie inner toes of the hind feet, which termmate 

 in curved and sharply-pointed claws. Both as regards 

 the skeleton and viscera, we find many other modifi- 

 cations of structure more or less conformable with the 

 true pachydermal type, amongst which may be specially 

 mentioned the existence of no less than twenty-one 

 pairs of ribs — a number far exceedmg tliat of any 

 rodent, and giving a pair more than is found either 

 m the proboscidean tapirs or elephants. In the skull 

 the malar bone forms a complete orbital ring. The 

 HjTacidfe are also provided with a double ccecum ; 

 and this, strangely enough, according to Professor Owen, 

 indicates an afihiity to the sloths: which edentate 

 group, we may mention, contains an animal — the Unau 

 — possessing a still larger number of ribs, namely, 

 twenty-three pairs. On this subject Pi'ofessor Owen, 

 without referring to the ribs, and merely reflecting on 

 the fact which an examination of the coeeum had 

 suggested to his mind, very pithily remarks : — " It is 

 interesting to find, that while tlie facies of Hyi-ax so 

 far simulates that of a rodent as to have deceived the 

 older naturaUsts, and to have concealed from them 

 those unen-ing indications of its alliance with the 

 Pachydermata which the osseous system exhibits ; yet 



