THE STORY OF THE WILD BOAR. 
209 
forwards at the tip. The lower tusks have the same upwards-and-backwards 
direction as those of the upper jaw, but are frequently less strongly curved, 
although in other cases the direction of their sweep is not very different 
from that of the latter. The upper tusks occasionally attain a length of 
fourteen and one-half inches, exclusive of the portion buried in the socket. 
It is a popular belief that pigs are never injured by the poisons of snakes; 
and it is customary to turn a drove of these animals into a district infested 
SOUTH AFRICAN WILD HOG. 
by such reptiles, which in a short time is usually completely cleared of 
them. It is well known that pigs will destroy any rattlesnake they meet 
with, and this serpent is certainly provided with one of the most deadly of 
poisons, and it is a reptile not at all likely to submit to an attack from 
any quarter without using all its powers of defense. It is supposed that the 
pig receives the bite of the enraged snake on its cheek, where the fat and 
