CHAPTER XVII 
THE BOAR (SUS SCROPHA) 
The carnivora exhibit the natural character of beasts 
of prey ; although, acting generally on the offensive 
in their pursuit of animals for food, they are not 
disposed to provoke or to prolong a fight, and 
they seldom attack man unless under provocation. 
The buffalo, we have seen, is a stubborn and 
powerful antagonist; but, for a really thorough and 
determined fighter, who does battle for the love of 
the thing, the boar stands foremost among all other 
animals. There is no creature more common to all 
climates and countries than the pig; and although, 
when domesticated, we find an infinite variety, there 
is very little marked distinction among the wild 
hogs of Europe and Asia. The conditions of 
localities, and the abundance of food, or the reverse, 
exert a natural influence upon its size, but were a 
photograph taken of a wild boar in Europe and in 
Asia Minor there would not be any perceptible 
difference. Throughout India and Ceylon they are 
the same in general appearance, differing somewhat 
in size, and, to a certain extent, in length of bristles, 
