THE VLACKE VARK. 615 
‘The Bush Pig is about two feet six inches in height and five feet in length ; his canine 
teeth are very large and strong, those in the upper jaw projecting horizontally, those in the 
lower upwards. He is covered with long bristles, and, taking him all in all, he is about as 
formidable-looking an animal, for his size, as can be seen. 
‘The Bosch Varks traverse the forests in herds, and subsist on roots and young shrubs. 
A large hard-shelled sort of orange, with an interior filled with seeds, grows in great quan- 
tities on the flats near the Natal forests; this is a favorite fruit of the wild pigs, and they 
will come out of the bush of an evening and roam over the plains in search of windfalls 
from these fruit-trees. 
BOSCH VARK.—Choiropotamus wricanus. 
“The Kaffir tribes, although they refuse to eat the flesh of the domestic pig, will stil 
feast without compunction on that of its bush brother. 
“In the bush I always found the Kaffirs disinclined to encounter a herd of these wild 
Swine, stating as their reason for doing so that the animals were very dangerous ; they also 
said that the wounds given by the tusks of this wild pig would not readily heal. The Berea 
bush of Natal was a favorite resort of these wild pigs, but although their spoor could be seen 
in all directions, the animals themselves were not so frequently encountered. 
“The Kaffirs are much annoyed by these wild pigs, which force a passage through the 
imperfectly made fences, and root up the seeds, or destroy the pumpkins in the various gar- 
dens. Asa defence, the Kaffirs leave nice enticing little openings in different parts of their 
fences, and the pigs, taking advantage of these ready-made doorways, frequently walk through 
them, and are then engulfed in a deep pit in which is a pointed stake, and they are assagaied 
with great delight by the expecting Kaffirs, who are on the alert, and who hear the cries of 
distress from piggy himself. 
‘“The tusks are considered great ornaments, and are arranged on a piece of string and 
worn round the neck.” 
THE VLACKE VARK, or EMGALLA, is even a more formidable animal in its aspect than 
the bosch vark. The general color of the Vlacke Vark is a blackish hue upon the crown of 
