This animal is, therefore, seldom attacked, but at a disadvantage, either by numbers, or when found sleeping by noon-light. The hunting the wild boar is one of the principal amusements of the nobility in those countries where it is to be found. The dogs provided for this sport are of a slow, heavy kind. Those used for hunting the stag, or the roe-buck, would be very improper, as they would too soon come up with their prey; and, instead of a chase, would only furnish out an engagement. A small mastiff is, therefore, chosen; nor are the hunters much mindful of the goodness of their nose, as the wild boar leaves so strong a scent, that it is impossible for them to mistake its course. They never hunt any but the largest and the oldest, which are known by their tracks. When the boar is reared, as is the expression for driving him from his covert, he goes slowly and uniformly forward, not much afraid, nor very far before his pursuers. At the end of every half mile, or thereabouts, he turns round, stops till the hounds come up, and offers to attack them. These, on the other hand, knowing their danger, keep off, and bay him at a distance. After they have for awhile gazed upon each other, with mutual animosity, the boar again slowly goes on his course, and the dogs renew their pursuit. In this manner the charge is sustained, and the chase continues till the boar is quite tired, and refuses to go any farther. The dogs then attempt to close in upon him from behind; those which are young, fierce, and unaccustomed to the chase, are generally the foremost, and often lose their lives by their ardour. Those which are older and better trained, are content to wait until the hunters come up, who strike at him with their spears, and, after several blows, dispatch or disable him. The instant the animal is killed, they cut off the testicles, which would otherwise give a taint to the flesh; and the huntsmen celebrate the victory with their horns. THE HOG* in a natural state, is found to feed chiefly upon roots and

had caught very young, and which formed such an attachment to a young lady in the house, that he accompanied her wherever she went, and slept under her bed. Once he attacked her maid as she was undressing her mistress, and, if he had been strong enough, would have done her some material injury. This lady was the only person for whom the pig showed any affection, although he was not fed by her. At last he fretted himself to death, on account of a fox which had been taken into the house to be tamed.

* HOGS IN ANCIENT TIMES.-Among the ancients, the hog was in very high esteem. It was the peculiar sacrifice to Ceres, the goddess of harvest. In the island of Crete, hogs were regarded as sacred. In ancient Rome, very particular attention was bestowed upon them, and the art of rearing and fattening them was much studied, an art which the Latin writers on rural economy, have termed PORCULATIO. Under the emperors, gluttony and epicurism were carried to an excess equally cruel and disgusting. Among the rich there were two very famous manners of dressing this animal. The one consisted in serving a hog up entire, with one side roasted and the other boiled. The other was called the Trojan, in allusion to the Trojan horse, whose interior was filled with combatants. The inside of the hog, from which the viscera had been taken, was stuffed with victims of all kinds, such as thrushes, larks, beccaficoes, oysters, &c. the whole being bathed in the best wine and the

most exquisite gravy. So great was the expense of this dish, that it became the subject of a sumptuary law, while the barbarous modes of torturing the poor animal to death, for the purpose of imparting a higher flavour to the flesh, passed unpunished and unregarded. It is not possible to read the anecdotes found in history, of such infernal gluttony, without horror; but we shall forbear any mention of atrocities which make us blush at belonging to the species capable of committing them.

In hot climates the flesh of swine is not

good. Sonnini remarks, that in Egypt, Syria and even the southern parts of Greece, the meat, though very white and delicate, is so far from firm, and so surcharged with fat, that it disagrees with the strongest stomach. It is, therefore, considered unwholesome, and this will account for its proscription, by divine authority, and by the legislators of the east. Such an abstinence was doubtless indispensable to health, under the burning suns of Egypt and Arabia. The Egyptians were permitted to eat pork only once a year, on the feast day of the moon, and then they sacrificed a number of these animals to that planet. At other times, if any one even. touched a hog, he was obliged immediately to plunge into the Nile, with his clothes on, by way of purification. The swine-herds formed an isolated class, the outcasts of society. They were interdicted from entering the temples, or intermarrying with any other families.

vegetables; it seldom attacks any other animal, being content with such provi sions as it procures without danger. Whatever animal happens to die in the forest, or is so wounded that it can make no resistance, becomes a prey to the hog, who seldom refuses animal food, how putrid soever, although it is never at the pains of taking or procuring it alive. For this reason, it seems a glutton rather by accident than choice, content with vegetable food, and only devouring flesh when pressed by necessity, and when it happens to offer. Indeed, if we behold the hog in its domestic state, it is the most sordid and brutal animal in nature. (g) The awkwardness of its form seems to influence its appetites; and all its sensations are as gross as its shapes are unsightly. It seems possessed only of an insatiable desire of eating, and seems to make choice only of what other animals find the most offensive. But we ought to consider that the hog with us is in an unnatural state, and that it is in a manner compelled to feed in this filthy manner, from want of that proper nourishment which it finds in the forest. When in a state of wildness, it is of all other quadrupeds the most delicate in the choice of what vegetables it shall feed on, and rejects a greater number than any of the rest. The cow, for instance, as we are assured by Linnæus, eats two hundred and seventy-six plants, and rejects two hundred and eighteen; the goat eats four hundred and forty-nine, and rejects a hundred and twenty-six; the sheep eats three hundred and eighty-seven, and rejects a hundred and forty-one; the horse eats two hundred and sixty-two, and rejects two hundred and twelve; but the hog, more nice in its provision than any of the former, eats but seventy-two plants, and rejects a hundred and seventy-one.

The hog is, by nature, stupid, inactive, and drowsy; if undisturbed, it would sleep half its time; but it is frequently awaked by the calls of appetite, which when it has satisfied, it goes to rest again. Its whole life is thus a round of sleep and gluttony; and, if supplied with sufficient food, it soon grows unfit even for its own existence; its flesh becomes a greater load than its legs are able to support, and it continues to feed lying down, or kneeling, an helpless

THE MASKED BOAR (Sus Larvatus.) This species is distinguished by a fleshy protuberance on the fore part of the head, enveloping the upper part of it like a mask. It is a native of the Cape, nearly the size of the European boar, and has all its proportions. The only distinction is the fleshy prominences. The head of this species is morever, distinguished by a large arch formed by the cheek Bones, and by the long surface to which the muscles of the trunk are attached. The habits of this animal are little known; but it appears to be very wild, dangerous, and untractable. There is a specimen in the British Museum, under the name of Sus Larvatus, to which Cuvier refers for the type of (g) Buffon,

Sus Larvatus. It has not the fleshy prominences, but the specimen being dry, may account for the difference.-ED.

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INTELLIGENCE OF THIS GENUS. - The intelligence of these animals is limited, and they are not in general very susceptible of edu cation. The learned pigs which are exhibit. ed about prove, however, what may be done by the persevering industry of man. gamekeeper of Sir H. Mildmay," says the Rev. Mr. Daniel, "actually broke a black sow to find game, and to back and stand. Slut, which was the name he gave her, was rendered as staunch as any pointer. After Sir Henry's death, the pig-pointer was sold for a very considerable sum of money.

THEIR UTILITY. In the island of Minorca, hogs are converted into beasts of draught: a cow, a sow, and two young horses have been there seen yoked together; and of the four, the cow drew the least. The ass and the hog are here also common helpmates, and are frequently yoked together to plough the land. In some parts of Italy, hogs are used in hunting for truffles, which grow some inches deep in the ground. A cord being tied round the hind leg of one of the animals, the beast is driven into the pastures, and wherever it stops and begins to root with its nose, truffles are always to be found. vol. ix. p. 14.

instance of indulged sensuality. The only time it seems to have passions of a more active nature, is, when it is incited by venery, or when the wind blows with any vehemence. Upon this occasion, it is so agitated as to run violently towards its sty, screaming horribly at the same time, which seems to argue that it is naturally fond of a warm climate. It appears also to foresee the approach of bad weather, bringing straw to its sty in its mouth, preparing a bed, and hiding itself from the impending storm. Nor is it less agitated when it hears any of its kind in distress: when a hog is caught in a gate, as is often the case, or when it suffers any of the usual domestic operations of ringing or spaying, all the rest are then seen to gather round it, to lend their fruitless assistance, and to sympathize with its sufferings. They have often also been known to gather round a dog that had teased them, and kill him upon the spot.

Most of the diseases of this animal arise from intemperance; measles, imposthumes, and scrophulous swellings are reckoned among the number. It is thought by some that they wallow in the mire to destroy a sort of louse or insect that is often found to infest them; however, they are generally known to live, when so permitted, to eighteen or twenty years; and the females produce till the age of fifteen. As they produce from ten to twenty young at a litter, and that twice a year, we may easily compute how numerous they would shortly become, if not diminished by human industry. In the wild state they are less prolific; and the sow of the woods brings forth but once a year-probably, because exhausted by rearing up her former numerous progeny.*

It would be superfluous to dwell longer upon the nature and qualities of an animal too well known to need a description: there are few, even in cities, who are unacquainted with its uses, its appetites, and way of living. It will be sufficient, therefore, to observe that the wild boar was formerly a native of our country, as appears from the laws of Hoel Dda, (g) the famous Welsh legislator, who permitted his grand huntsman to chase that animal from the middle of November to the beginning of December. William the Conqueror also punished such as were convicted of killing the wild boar in his forests, with the loss of their eyes. At present, the whole wild breed is extinct; but no country makes greater use of the tame kinds, as their flesh, which bears salt better than that of any other animal, makes a principal part of the provisions of the British navy.

As this animal is a native of almost every country, there are some varieties found in the species. There is a remarkable variety of this animal about Upsal, (g) which is single-hoofed like the horse; but in no other respect differing from the common kinds. The hog common in Guinea differs also in somethings from our own: though shaped exactly as ours, it is of a reddish colour, with long ears, which end in a sharp point, and a tail which hangs down to the pastern; the whole body is covered with short, red, shining hair, without any bristles, but pretty long near the tail. Their flesh is said to be excellent, and they are very tame.

All these, from their near resemblance to the hog, may be considered as of the same species. The East Indian hog, we well know, breeds with the common kind; whether the same obtains between it, and those of Upsal and Guinea, we cannot directly affirm; but where the external similitude is so

*PROLIFIC SWINE.-The most prolific kind of swine is the improved breed, which is a mixture of the Chinese black swine, with others of the larger British breed: they pos. sess qualities superior to either of the original stocks. They are very prolific; are sooner made fat than the larger kind, upon less provisions, and they cut up when killed into more useful and convenient portions. Another breed of swine has been introduced into this kingdom, which is expected to rival, or excel,

(g) British Zoology, vol. i. p. 44.

all the others. The original stock was produced from a wild boar brought from America, and a sow of the improved Chinese breed. The sows are extremely prolific; and the colour of the pigs in general is most fancifully diversified: some are striped longitudinally, with brown and black; others brown and bluish grey; and others with black and white. The colour of the boar was a rusty brown.

(g) Amænit Acad. vol. v. p. 465.

strong, we may be induced to believe, that the appetites and habits are the

THE PECCARY, OR TAJACU.-That animal which of all others most resembles a hog, and yet is of a formation very distinct from it, is called the Peccary, or Tajacu. It is a native of America, and found there, in such numbers, that they are seen in herds of several hundreds together, grazing among the woods, and inoffensive, except when offended.

The peccary, at first view, resembles a small hog: the form of its body, the shape of its head, the length of its snout, and the form of its legs, are entirely alike: however, when we come to examine it nearer, the differences begin to appear.t

The colour of the body is grizzly, and beset with bristles, thicker and stronger than those of a common hog; though not near so thick as those of a porcupine, they resemble them in this respect, that they are variegated with black and white rings. The belly is almost bare; and the short bristles on the sides gradually increase in length as they approach the ridge of the back, where some are five

inches long. On the head also, between the ears, there is a large tuft of bristles,

that are chiefly black.

The ears are about two inches and a half long, and stand upright; and the eyes resemble those of a common hog, only they are smaller. From the lower corner of the eye to the snout, is usually six inches; and the snout itself is like that of a hog's, though it is but small. One side of the lower lip is generally smooth, by the rubbing of the tusk of the upper jaw. The feet and hoofs are perfectly like those of the common hog; but, as

was already observed, it has no tail. There are some anatomical differences in its internal structure from that of the common hog.

The peccary may be tamed like the hog, and has pretty nearly the same babits and natural inclinations. It feeds upon the same aliments; its flesh, though drier and leaner than that of the hog, is pretty good eating; it is improved by castration; and, when killed, not only the parts of generation must be taken instantly away, but also the navel on the back, with all the glands that contribute to its supply. If this operation be defered for only half an hour, the flesh becomes utterly unfit to be eaten.

The peccary is extremely numerous in all the parts of Southern America. They go in herds of two or three hundred together, and unite, like hogs, in each other's defence. They are particularly fierce when their young are attempted to be taken from them: they surround the plunderer, attack him without fear, and frequently make his life pay the forfeit of his rashness. When any of the natives are pursued by a herd in this manner, they frequently climb a tree to avoid them; while the peccaries gather round the root, threaten with their tusks, and their rough bristles standing erect, as in the hog kind, they assume a very terrible appearance. In this manner they remain at the foot of the tree for hours together; while the hunter is obliged to wait patiently, and not without apprehensions. until they think fit to retire.t

The peccary is rather fond of the mountainous parts of the country, than the lowlands; it seems to delight neither in the marshes nor the mud, like our hogs; it keeps among the woods, where it subsists upon wild fruits, roots, and vegetables; it is also an unceasing enemy to the lizard, the toad, and all the serpent

*TAME PECCARIES.-Two of these animals in the French menagerie lived on the best possible terms with the dogs and other animals in the yard; they returned of themselves to their stall, came when called, and appeared fond of being caressed But they loved liberty, always endeavouring to escape when forced to return, and sometimes attemp. ing to bite; they wounded a young boar which had been placed along with them; they delighted in heat, and suffered much, and grew very thin, from the effects of cold. Bread and fruits constituted their principal nutriment; but, like the domestic hog, they would eat almost anything. They were ha

bitually silent; but, when frightened, would utter a sharp cry, while they expressed their satisfaction by a slight grunting.-CUVIER.

THE JAGAUR AND THE PECCARY.-It is said that the Jagaur, the great predatory of the American forest, will follow these herds in silence, and seize the opportunity of an individual being in the rear to seize and kill it in an instant, when it immediately takes refuge in a tree, till the herd have passed, and left their dead companions behind. If this trait of character were sufficiently established, it would give rise to many curious reflections.-ED.