THE WILD BOAR. 17 



In the "Diary" kept by Duke Albert V., 1555- 1579*, 

 besides all other sorts of game, 51 boars were shot 

 in one year, in 1576, 107, and in 1577, 104, "all with 

 his own hand." 



But it was in Hesse that the wild boar was found in 

 greatest abundance ; so much so, indeed, that when we 

 consider the damage these animals do to the fields, it is 

 almost inconceivable how husbandry could be carried 

 on. In the year 1556 the Landgrave Philip had killed, 

 up to November 30th, 726 A^^.ld boars, and of these 

 sixty-one were boars of large size. 



In 1559, he wrote durino-the huntino- season to Duke 

 Christopher of Wiirtemberg, " In this year's boar-hunt- 

 ing we have had good sport mth our young hounds, and 

 killed 1120 boars." In the winter of 1560, there v\'ere 

 1274 killed. And in November 1566, in three days, 

 238 good fat boars were killed. In Hesse Darmstadt, 

 also, the number hunted yearly was very large. In 1724 

 it amounted to 835 in one district only; and in the 

 following ten years to 5543. And in J 581 the 3Iar- 

 grave John George of Brandenburg wrote to the Land- 

 grave William of Lower Hesse, that he had killed 501 

 wild boars in that year. 



Their colour is black, or a blackish brown, although 

 occasionally some will be found piebald, which, how- 



* Communicated by Dr. Foringer, 

 C 



