FOOT OF SOLID-HOOFED PIG.
(After Coues.)
The hoof, e, is withdrawn
sufficiently to show the joints.
Among the aberrant forms resulting from domestication, according, to Nathusius, is the JAPAN, OR MASKED PIG (S. pliciceps, Gray), with its short head, broad forehead and nose, great fleshy ears, and deeply-furrowed skin, of which the great thick folds are compared by Mr. Darwin to the plates on the Indian Rhinoceros. It is held by Nathusius to belong to the same stock as the Chinese Pig, a view which is by no means improbable if we consider the enormous differences which are produced by the selection of characters under the care of man in the European breeds.
The Hogs are represented in Africa, south of the Sahara, and in Madagascar, by an animal known as the BUSH HOG (Potamochœrus), which possesses a remarkable boss or excrescence, rising from the face below the eyes. The species figured, the Potamochœrus penicillatus, has peculiar ears which look almost as if they had been cut.
One of the most singular of the Wild Hogs is the BABIRUSA (Porcus babirusa), inhabiting the islands of Celebes and Borneo, in which, in the males, the tusks arrive at an enormous size, those of the upper jaw curving upwards and backwards, and even, in some cases, penetrating the skull in their backward reach. These tusks, however, are useless for purposes of attack. The lower jaws also are armed with two sharp tusks, which are capable of inflicting severe wounds. The animal is nearly hairless, and is said to arrive at a size not much less than that of a Donkey. It is very ferocious, and is a more formidable antagonist than the Wild Boar of Europe.
The name Babirusa is said to be a compound of Baba and Rusa, being the Malayan appellations of the Pig and the Deer respectively.
The Babirusa is described as being of a delicate nature, requiring considerable care and attention when kept in confinement. In its natural state it is said to be very swift, running with the rapidity of a Deer, and to be of a fierce disposition. The flesh of this animal is highly prized as an article of food in the countries in which it is found.
MASKED PIG.