612 THE BOSCH VARK. 
A naval officer who had experienced several encounters with this creature, spoke of it with 
great respect, and seemed to hold its warlike abilities in some awe. The adult male Baby- 
roussa is considerably larger than the boar of England, and the officer above mentioned toid 
me that he had seen them ‘as large as donkeys. It is a very good swimmer, and will take 
to the water for its own gratification, swimming considerable distances without any apparent 
effort. 
The skin of the Babyroussa is rather smooth, being sparsely covered with short bristly 
hairs. The object of the upper tusks is at present unknown, although certain old writers 
asserted that the animal was accustomed to suspend himself to branches by means of the 
appendage. The Babyroussa lives in herds of considerable size, and is found inhabiting the 
marshy parts of its native land. 
BABY ROUSSA.—Porcus babirussa. 
Tue Bosco Vark, or Bush Hog, of Southern Africa is a very formidable animal in 
aspect as well as in character, the heavy, lowering look, the projecting tusks, and the callous 
protuberance on the cheek, giving it a ferocious expression which is no way belied by the 
savage and sullen temper of the animal. The Bosch Vark inhabits the forests, and is generally 
found lying in excavations or hollows in the ground, from which it is apt to rush if suddenly 
disturbed, and to work dire vengeance upon its foe. In color it is extremely variable, some 
species being of a uniform dark brown, others of a brown variegated with white, while others 
are tinged with bright chestnut. The young is richly mottled with yellow and brown. For 
the following account of the habits of the Bosch Vark I am indebted to Captain Dray- 
son’s MS. 
‘‘ Where the locality is sufficiently retired and wooded to afford shelter to the bush bucks 
which I have mentioned, we may generally expect to find traces of the Bush Pig. His spoor 
is like the letter M without the horizontal marks, the extremities of the toes forming two sepa- 
rate points, which is not the case with the antelopes, at least very rarely so, the general 
impression of their feet being like the letter A with a division down the centre, thus (A. 
