132 
WILD BEASTS AJVD THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
entirely upon the hounds ; even then, as I have 
shown, the boar, if possible, would be avoided. 
Boar-hunting cannot be classed as a Ceylon sport; 
it is a misfortune when the hounds take up the 
scent. 
In the low country, where wild pigs swarm, I 
seldom or never condescended to fire at them. 
The coolies love the fat and flesh of these in¬ 
digestible animals, and the result is certain to be 
either fever or dysentery. For this reason alone I 
reserved my fire whenever a fine boar presented 
itself, as our people were sure to possess themselves 
of the flesh, although it was strictly prohibited. I 
have often felt, when in hot climates, that Moses 
and Mahomet were right in forbidding the use of 
pork. A pig is a filthy beast in its tastes, and there 
is no garbage that it would refuse. A foul feeder 
must to a certain extent have foul flesh ; the pigs of 
the low country in tropical climates are the omni¬ 
present scavengers ; common-sense should warn the 
consumer of the danger of such food. 
The wild pigs of Newera Ellia are highly 
estimated, as they cannot possibly obtain anything 
undesirable as food. The jungles are full of roots 
and berries, and there is nothing objectionable 
within reach of the wild hog. 
In Turkey and Asia Minor I have frequently 
eaten wild boar. In the month of November they 
are delicious, as they have fattened upon walnuts, 
sweet chestnuts, and a great variety of wild fruits. 
During the Crimean War, when the cavalry went 
