240 



COLLARED PECCARY. 



that is at present (184C) in a menagerie in Charleston, is exceedingly 

 gentle, taking its food from the hand, and allowing itself to be caressed 

 even by strangers. It lies down in the manner of a pig, and next to 

 giving it food, the greatest favour you can bestow on it is to scratch it 

 either with the hand or a stick. It however is easily irritated. We no- 

 ticed that it has a particular antipathy to the dog, and when approached 

 by that animal immediately places itself in a defensive attitude, raising 

 its bristles, showing its tusks, stamping its feet, and uttering a sharp 

 cry which might be heard at the distance of seventy yards ; when in a 

 good humour, however, it occasionally utters a low grunt like a pig. It 

 seems to suffer much from cold, and is always most lively and playful on 

 warm days. It appears to prefer Indian-corn, potatoes, bread and fruits, 

 but like the domestic hog evinces no unwillingness to take any kind of 

 food that is presented to it. We remarked, however, that it is decidedly 

 less carnivorous than the common hog. 



It is stated by authors that this species produces but once a year, and 

 brings forth only two at a litter. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The Collared Peccary has a most extensive geographical range. It 

 was seen by Nuttal at the Red River in Arkansas, north latitude 31°. 

 Our specimens "svere obtained in Texas. It exists in all the lower portions 

 of Mexico and Yucatan, and is found every where viithin the tropics. It 

 is said by D'Azara to be abundant at Paraguay, south latitude 37", thus 

 spreading itself through an extent of sixty-eight degrees of latitude. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



This species has been noticed by all the early travellers in South 

 America and Mexico. They however almost invariably confounded 

 the habits of two species. D'Azara pointed out the distinctive marks 

 which separate these species. They differ so much from each other 

 that they ought never to have been mistaken. Linn^us applied the name 

 Stis tajacu, but as it is impossible to ascertain which species he had in 

 view we cannot use his name for either. Rat, Erxleben, and Schreber 

 applied the same name, and committed the same error. Brisson gave the 

 name Aper Americanus, and Klein that of Porcus muschiferus in the same 

 manner, without discriminating the species. Baron Cuvier established 

 the genus Dycotyles, and F. Cuviek applied the specific name of torquatus. 

 BuFFON, who had heard from M. De la Borde that there were two distinct 

 species in Cayenne, considered them as mere varieties produced by age. 



