1894.] EIVEB-HOG OP MADAGASCAR. 93 



the wild boars, the fact being that they are seldom seen alive by- 

 persons who are competent to observe them. I was nearly five 

 years in Madagascar, and only once did I meet, as it were by 

 accident, with a boar on his rambles ; this was one morning 

 about 7 o'clock, on some hills about 2000 feet or more above the sea- 

 level, in the north part of Madagascar. Once again I met with it 

 in South Central Madagascar, but this happened in the course of 

 hunting. 



" It must not be concluded that because wild boars are so seldom 

 seen they are few in number — such is far from being the case. 

 It is scarcely possible to go into any village, especially all along 

 the west side of Madagascar, and not hear the natives complain of 

 the havoc made by these animals. In the gardens, in the open 

 country, and in the forest the wild boar makes himself busy, taming 

 up the ground wherever he goes. 



" During my stay in the Miijanga district I paid a visit to Katsepi, 

 about lat. ]5° 45' iS. I was here, travelling and i-oanoing about 

 all over the country, for several days — over bare hills, through 

 dense forests, and across as rough a kind of country, full of holes 

 and caves, as I have ever seen. The country everywhere showed 

 that the wild boar existed there in great numbers — in fact, in no 

 other part of Madagascar have I met with such abundant proofs of 

 its prevalence ; and yet all the while I was roaming about in this dis- 

 trict I did not see one. The reason for this is that the boar is never 

 about in the daytime. He has but one enemy — that is, man — and 

 he has sufficient instinct to know that his enemy may come upon 

 him at any time or place if he roams about in the daytime. He 

 therefore, very wisely, sleeps all day, and in the evening, when all 

 is quiet, starts out on his feeding-expeditions, and probably to 

 meet his friends. 



" Whilst out feeding there is but little that comes amiss to the 

 wild boar ; he may be said to be almost omnivorous. If he enters 

 a garden he makes the greatest havoc possible ; he can clear off 

 any amount of young green rice and all sorts of garden-produce. 

 The natives have the greatest difficulty in keeping him away. 

 They make strong fences around their gardens, and often watch 

 night after night to get a shot at their troublesome visitor ; but 

 he is generally more cunning and more patient than the man. 

 At last, perhaps, the man, for some reason or other, will absent 

 himself from the gardens for one night ; he goes to look at them 

 in the morning, but he is too late, the boar has had his revel and 

 the gardens are spoilt. These remarks are simply the substance 

 of a conversation I had with some men working for me, who live 

 at Bara-mahamai, in about lat. 13° 40' S., and who had had their 

 gardens destroyed in this manner. 



" The wild boar can generally find something to eat in what- 

 ever kind of country he may be in. On the plains and open 

 country (where there are no gardens to attack) he will turn up 

 the ground in all directions, searching for various kinds of tubers, 

 and I daresay he disposes of all grubs, insects, and other forms of 



