THE PIG FAMILY. 



known species, the Red River-hog of Guinea 

 (P. porcus {penicillatus)), fig. 153, which 

 attains the length of rather more than three 

 feet exclusive of the tail. The river-hogs are 

 distinguished from ordinary pigs by their more 

 slender forms, longer legs, thinner bellies, 

 and especially by the dentition, which always 



69 



wants one premolar, so that they have only 

 40 teeth in all. The bristles are finer, and 

 are greatly elongated on the middle line of 

 the back, on the abdomen, and on the sides 

 of the face where they form whiskers. The 

 most striking external character consists in 

 the form of the ears, which are long pointed 



wmmsm 



Fig. 153. — The Red River-hog (Potamochorrus porcus). 



paper-cornet-like organs, the points of which 



are considerably prolonged by tufts of fine 



bristles. It is on account of this structure 



that a name meaning "tufted hogs" 1 is applied 



to the members of this genus in German. 



The species shown in the illustration above is 



of a beautiful dark orange- brown colour; the 



brow, cheeks, ears, and slim legs are black; 



the ear-tufts, whiskers, eyebrows, and mane 



white; the delicate long snout of a grayish 



colour. It is the most highly coloured of all 



pigs. Another species with a less variegated 



coat was discovered by Stanley near Lake 



Tanganyika. The very agile young ones of 



this species have a striped coat. They live 



in troops in marshy districts. In captivity 



1 Pinselschweine. 



they are comparatively gentle animals, yet 

 liable to accesses of sudden fury. 



The Wart-hogs of Africa (Phacochcerus) 

 certainly form one of the ugliest types known 

 among animals. Two species are distin- 

 guished, the Emgalo of the Cape {Ph. cethio- 

 picus) and that of Inner Africa {Ph. africanus), 

 which is spread over the whole of Africa 

 from the shores of the Red Sea to the ocean. 

 The distinctions between the two species are 

 not very important. The first has a shorter 

 head, broader snout, more prominent cheek- 

 swellings, and more readily loses the incisors 

 with advancing years. 



The wart-hogs, fig. 154, are of the size of 

 a wild -boar, with enormous head and long 

 legs. The body is almost naked, of a dirty 



