IVILD ANIMALS JN CAPTIVITY 



the most cleanly habits, not surpassed by those of any 

 other pet. The Red Eiver hog is certainly the handsomest 

 of the group ; this species is a native of Western Africa. 

 The next species is the Southern River hog (Fotamochcerus 

 africanus); this animal, although not equal in its appear- 

 ance to its western relative, is an extremely good-looking 

 animal. The contrast is very great between these and 

 one of the ugliest brutes in creation, the wart hog of 

 South - Eastern Africa (Phacochcerus wthiopicus), whose 

 frightful and ferocious face must be seen, for description 

 would fail to give any idea of its ugliness. Between these 

 extremes we have a number of species varying in size and 

 appearance ; probably the most marked is the common 

 wild boar of Europe, differing but little from that of Asia. 

 There have been also from time to time exhibited in the 

 Gardens, Timorese swine {Sks iimorensis) from Timor, 

 Andaman swine {S. andamanensis) from the Andaman 

 Isles, Papuan pigs {S. papuensis), Formosan swine (S. 

 taivanus) from Formosa, white-whiskered swine {S. leu- 

 comyslax) from Japan, pigmy hog {Porcula salvanid) from 

 the Western Dooars of Bhotan, the Babirussa (Babirussa 

 alfurus) from Celebes, .(Elian's wart hog [Phacochcerus 

 a.fricinus) from Africa, and the white-lipped peccary 

 (Dicotyles labiatus) from South America. 



It will be seen by the foregoing that a large portion of 

 the world is inhabited by species of this family. 



The origin of domestic pigs is, like the origin of most 

 of our domestic animals, so obscure that it is unsafe to 

 attempt to speculate on the subject. 



In India both Brahmin and Mussulman reject the flesh 

 of the wild boar as food. Detestation of the hog is a feel- 

 ing entertained from remote antiquity. It was classed by 

 the Jews amongst the vilest animals ; and in Egypt the 

 swineherd was numbered among the profane, and forbid- 



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