THE WILD BOAR. 
162 
by his formidable tusks, which in some io' 
stances are almost a foot long, and capable 
of inflicting the most severe and even fatal 
wounds. 
These animals, when young, keep togethei' 
' along with the old ones, never wandering b)' 
themselves till they are strong enough to cop^ 
with the ravenous wolf. When attacked, tb® 
strongest of the herd front the enemy, foriO' 
ing themselves into a ring, and thrusting tb^ 
weaker into the centre ; and, in this position^ 
few beasts of prey dare to assail them. 
arriving at maturity, the wild boar ranges tb^ 
forest alone and fearless, not dreading aP) 
single adversary. He offends no other 
mal ; but is, at the same time, a terror to tb® 
fiercest inhabitants of the woods. 
The wild boar subsists on acorns, mast, 
roots of various kinds, and also occasionally 
devours such animal food as he happens 
meet with. In most of the countries whPi'^ 
