130 



fossil animals described by Cuvier, which has been called Cheiropo- 

 tamus. I therefore propose to reverse the words and call the genus 

 Potmnochoerus. The specific name is changed because the pig appears 

 to have been described in 1848 from a specimen in the Museum of 

 the town of Basle in Switzerland, in a work which has not yet reached 

 this country, but a short abstract of the description has been copied 

 into a French Journal. 



The group of Pigs (Sus, Cuvier) may be divided into three very 

 well-marked genera, distinguished by their external appearance, pecu- 

 liarities in the skull, and by their geographical distribution, thus : — 



Genus 1. Sus. 



The ears rounded ; tail slender ; face conical, simple, or with a 

 small wart on each cheek ; the hinder upper part of the intermaxillary 

 bones simple ; the upper canines coming out on the lower edge of 

 the maxilla and then recurved. Found wild in Europe and Asia, but 

 domesticated in all parts of the world. 



This genus contains several species, and almost the whole of them 

 are found wild in the forest, whilst some of their descendants are 

 generally to be met vrith in a domesticated or semi-domesticated state. 

 This is the case with the Pigs found in the islands of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, which have been regarded as distinct species. 



I may state that it is exceedingly difficult to distinguish the species 

 of this genus, especially from the examination and comparison of the 

 skull. I have examined with care ten skulls of what I beheve to be 

 the European Wild Boar and its offspring, grown in this country, at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, and at the Gambia, and twelve skulls of the 

 Wild Boar from Continental India, and though they offer considerable 

 variation, I cannot discover any constant easily-described character 

 by which I can distinguish the European and the Indian kinds from 

 each other, and this is the case with many other genera aUied to the 

 Pigs. We have in the Zoological Gardens the Wild Boar of Europe 

 and a Wild Boar and Sow from Madras living side by side, and they 

 have all the appearance of being most distinct species, which may be 

 thus characterized : — 



Sus APER. 



Covered with crowded bristles, forming a crest on the withers ; 

 black speckled, with grey tips to the bristles ; the legs hairy, black ; 

 hoofs black. 



Hab. Europe, Germany. 



Sus Indicus. 



Covered with scattered, more rigid bristles, more abundant on the 

 front part of the body ; pale grey, blackish on the outside of the 

 shoulders ; legs slender, covered with a few bristles ; hoofs white. 



Female (perhaps half-bred). — Body rather more hairy ; the outer 

 front hoof of each hind foot black. 



Sus Indicus, Gray, Cat. Mam. B.M. 



Hab. India, Madras. 



