DICOTYLES TORQUATUS. 125 



The Peccari, or Taja9u of Buffon, or Hog from the Coast of 

 Guiana [Dicotyles torquatus, Cuv. 1 ]. 



This peceari, or hog, from Guiana, was nearly of the size of the small 

 black hog, but rather genteeler made. The colour was a dark grey, 

 owing to the bristles being in part white and in part black, as in the 

 porcupine's quills. These bristles were stronger than common hog's 

 bristles, were flattened, and not so regular in shape. Over the shoulder, 

 which came down pretty low, was a lighter- coloured part, placed some- 

 thing like the black stroke in an ass. 



The legs were smaller than in the common hog, and the feet were 

 more like the deer's. It could run pretty fast, and walked as if upon 

 the watch. It has but one back hoof or toe to the hind-foot, and that 

 is on the inside : the outer [back hoof] is wanting. The ears were short 

 in comparison with those in the common hog. The tail was so short as 

 not to be visible when alive. 



I could observe but four nipples : two between the legs, the other two 

 on the lower part of the belly ; but most probably it has more. 



It made a noise like a goat, and had a way of making its teeth crack 

 together when teased, and was very apt to bite when touched. Its food 

 was either meat or vegetables : it was very fond of roots and fruits. 



Its fat was situated like a dog's, not like a hog's ; so that the skin 

 was moveable upon the body ; so much so, that you could almost turn 

 the skin half round the body. 



The stomach is of a very particular shape, for which it would be diffi- 

 cult for us to assign a tise. It may be divided into two parts, one a 

 reservoir, and the other digestive. Its inner surface, therefore, is of 

 two kinds ; one, viz. the reservoir, covered with a thin, dark-coloured 

 cuticle, the other villous, like the internal surface of the human stomach. 

 The left end, or what is commonly called the great end, is the cuticular 

 end, and would appear to have nearly the same use as the first bag in 

 the ruminant ; and the last end of the stomach is thick and glandular in 

 its substance, and takes on something of the appearance of the last 

 or digesting bag of a ruminant's stomach 2 . 



The duodenum passes down the right side, almost as low as the pelvis : 

 it is a little convoluted, having a mesentery, and then it passes towards 

 the left between the spine and other intestines, viz. the basis of the 

 spine, and turn of colon, and directs its coiu-se upwards among those 



1 [The skull and other bones of the female here described are Nos. 3384 — 3403 ; 

 the skull of the male is No. 3381, Osteol. Series.] 



2 [Hunt. Preps. Nos. 552, 553. Home, Comp. Anat. p. 154.] 



