THE WILD BOAR. 9 



with his spear. And although a comrade who was the 

 other side of a ditch called to him to take heed, for that 

 it was an old boar, he did nevertheless proceed; and 

 dropping his spear the boar rushes forward and re- 

 ceives it on his forehead. Hereupon the boar knocks 

 it aside, and hews the poor youth with his tusks just 

 above the knee in such a manner, that all the blood- 

 vessels were cut in two, the wound going to the very 

 bone. When the others had come near to him and had 

 spoken a few words, commending him to God, he sighed 

 a few times and gave up the ghost."* 



The tusks of the female are too insignificant to 

 inflict a ripping wound, so she bites, and bites terribly. 



She is a good mother, though on occasions she devours 

 her young, and, strangely enough, such unnatural con- 

 duct grows epidemic. Hardly has one mother thus 

 trespassed against nature, when others begin to follow 

 her example, and litter after litter is thinned by the 

 like atrocity. To put a stop to this, the only way is to 

 exterminate the evil-doers root and branch , and so end 

 at once the allurement of bad example, f 



* Landau. 



t Since the above was written, some cirenmstanees have occurred 

 which show that when the wild-boar has once begun the practice of 

 devoiu'ing its young, it will continue to do so under any circumstances. 

 Last week (the second week in April 1860), on inquiring of the forester 

 how the wild-boars were thriving, and about the last litters, he told me 

 that a great many had been lost by this unnatural practice having 

 gained unusual ascendency. As hitherto, it had become contagious. 



