iSQ MAMMAliA. 



Our scc'uiul family is tliat of the 



Paciiydermata Ordinaria,— 



AVhich liuve fiiur, t!iruc, or two toes to tlu-ir feet. Those in ^vhjch tlie toes make even nnm- 



bers liave feet somewhat eleft, and a|)])r(ixiniute the Ruminants in various parts of the 



skeleton, and even m the eomplieatiou of the stomach. They are usually divided into two 



genera. 



The Hippopotami {^Ilijiprjpofamvs, Lin.) — 



Have four nearly equal toes to each foot, terminated by Utile hoofs ; six grinders on ench side of lioth 

 jaws, the three anterior of "v\'hich are conical, the posterior presenting two pairs of ]ioiuls, which, hy 

 detrition, a.ssunie a trefoil shape ; four incisors aliovc and below, those of the upjier jaw bhort, conical, 

 and reeurved, tlu' inferior jirolonged, c)lin(lrieul, jiointed, and horizontally projecting; a cauiue tooth 

 on each side ahove and lielow, the upper straight, the lower very large and recurved, those of the two 

 jaws riihljuig against each other. 



Thc^e anjuials lia\e a very ma;.sive body, naked of liair ; very sliort legs, tlieir hellv almost 

 touc'iiiiig tin; gruiiiirl; an enormous head, tcrtninatrd hy a swolii nutzzle, wliieh encloses tlie .'t])paratiis 

 of their large iVoiU teeth ; a :>hort tail, and >niaU eyes and ears. Their stomach is divided into several 

 sacs. They live in rivers, ii}ion roots and other vegetable substances, and display much ferocity and 

 stupidity. 



One living: species only is kno^vn, xhc 11. amj'liib'nis, ],in., now conlnied to the rivers of niediid ami south 

 Africa. It fonnerly found its way to iit:>p'^ 'jy tl'e Nile, lnU has loiif^- disappeared from tliat country. 



The EuropeaTi freshwater deposits vontain the hnncs uf a species of Hippopotamus very similar t^ tliat of 

 Africa, and also of two or tliree others successively smaller. (See my Researches on Fossil Bones, vol. i.> 



The Pigs (Sus, Lin.) — 

 Have two large middle toes to each foot, armeil with strong hoofs, and two much shorter lateral ones 

 that hardly touch the ground. Their incisors vary in nmnher, liut the inferior always slant forward ; 

 the canines project from the mouth and cun^e upward : muzzle terminated by a truncated snout 

 adapted to turn up the soil, and stomach but shghlly divided. 



The Pigs, properly so called, — 

 Have from twenty-four to twenty-eight grinders, the posterior of v\hieh are oblong, with tuberculaled 

 crowns, the anterior more or less compressed, and six incisors to each jaw. 



The Wild lioar {-Sits scropha, Lin.), which is the paient stock of our Donieslic Hog and its varieties, has pris- 

 matic tusks that curve outward and sliditly upward ; tlie body stout and thick ; straight ear:?; the hair bristly 

 and black: the young ones are variegated black and wlnte. It does great injury to rields in the neighbourhood 

 of forests, by tearing; up the ground in search of rimts, 



'Ihe Domestic Pig varies in size and length oC Imilis, in the direction of its ears, and also in colour; being white 

 or black, sometimes red, and often varied. Every one is acquainted with the usefulness of this iiniinal, on account 

 of the flavour of its flesh, and the length of time it can be preserved by means of salt; the facility witli which it is 

 fed; and its great fecundity, wdiich surpasses that of all other animals of its size, the female often producing 

 fourteen young at a htter. The period of gestation is four months, and they produce twice a year. The Hog 

 continues to increase in size for live or six years, is prolific at one, and sometimes lives to t-venty. Although 

 naturally savas:e, they are social, both >viid and tame, and know how to defend themselves against "Wolves, by 

 fornnng a circle, and presenting a front in every direciion. Voracious and savage, they do not even spare their 

 own young, [at h;ist, if the parent be distmbed soon after their birth]. This species is spread throughout the 

 giube, and none Imt Jt-ws iinii Mahometans lefuse to eat its tlesli. [It appears to be indigenous only, however, to 

 Eni'ope and Asia, extending to the Peninsida of Ilindo.stan: the Chiiie:^e breed is probably a (li.stinct apecies, 

 thout;h it coninnn)j;les freely with the other.] 



The Masked Ii(iar (.V. /H/Trt///j, F. Cuv. ; A'. ^/^/rf/H//.t, Schreber ; tanglier de Mailai/ascar, Daub.) — Tusks like 

 the (_'omniun IIol;; ; but on each side of the muzzle, near the tusks, is a large tubercle, somewhat like the nipple of 

 a woman, sui)poi ted by a bony prominence, wdiicli iuiparts a singular physiognomy to the ainmal. It inhabits 

 Madagascar and the south of Africa. 



Tlie lialjyroussa {Sus hahyrussa. Butt'. Supp.j^Longer and more slender legs than the others, ivilh slender tnslcs 

 turned vrrticiiily npwnrils, those of the upper jaw inclining spirally backward. It inhabits several islands uf the 

 itidiao Ar-i'lii)>cl;i--n. [Tiie Papuan Hog {S. papuensu) is anotlier distinct species from New Guhiea.] 



From the Pigs re(iuire to !je separated 



