HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 885 
them disgorge their food—robs the fish-hawk of his shining 
prey with just as splendid audacity as ever, and continues 
with quite as ferocious astuteness to tear out the eyes of 
any wounded deer or buffalo cow that it may perceive go 
aside from the herd. 
But, all rules have their exceptions—and it was to treat 
concerning one of these exceptions, that this chapter has been 
written. Certainly, however much other wild animals may 
have yielded to the awful supremacy of that dread machine, 
behind which man has entrenched his physical inferiority, 
the Peccary cannot be accused of the same weakness; for of 
a verity, it does seem to me that if those same formidable 
tubes were to pour forth the thunders and fires of Hecla 
itself, instead of the respectable little volcano, of which they 
at present can boast, the belching of this huge and noisy 
chaos would only increase the irate valor of this curious 
little animal. It seems to be entirely insensible to all those 
sudden influences, the unexpected supervention of which are 
sure to cause panic in other animals. Ungovernable rage 
seems to take the place of this panic—a rage quite as head- 
long and as blind. Though scarcely more than eighteen 
inches high by two and a half feet in length, it is yet, 
really, one of the most formidable animals belonging to our 
hemisphere. It is gregarious, and goes in droves of from 
ten to fifty. Its jaws are armed after the manner of the 
wild boar, with tushes, but they are of very different shape, 
and if possible, more to be dreaded. They stand straight in 
the jaws, instead of curving upwards, and have the form as 
well as keenness of the lancet blade. Their motions are as 
quick as lightning, and with shoulders, head and neck 
possessing extraordinary muscular power, they manage to 
slash and gash in the most horrible manner with ‘hese 
villainous little weapons, which are only about an inch and 
a half in length. As they do not hesitate to attack any 
thing or any body, big or little, provocation or no provo- 
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