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Show 1894.] RIVER-HOG OF MADAGASCAR. 93 the wild boars, the fact being that they are seldom seen alive by persons who are competent to observe them. I was nearly five years in Madagascar, and only once did I meet, as it were by accident, with a boar on his rambles; this was one morning about 7 o'clock, on some hills about 2000 feet or more above the sea-level, in the north part of Madagascar. Once again I met with it in South Central Madagascar, but this happened in the course of hunting. " It must not be concluded that because wild boars are so seldom seen they are few in number-such is far from being the case. It is scarcely possible to go into any village, especially all along the west side of Madagascar, and not hear the natives complain of the havoc made by these animals. In the gardens, in the open country, and in the forest the wild boar makes himself busy, turning up the ground wherever he goes. " During m y stay in the Mujanga district I paid a visit to Katsepi, about lat. 15° 45' S. I was here, travelling and roaming about all over the country, for several days-over bare hills, through dense forests, and across as rough a kind of country, full of holes and caves, as I have ever seen. The country everywhere showed that the wild boar existed there in great numbers-in fact, in no other part of Madagascar have I met with such abundant proofs of its prevalence; and yet all the while I was roaming about in this district I did not see one. The reason for this is that the boar is never about in the daytime. H e has but one enemy-that is, man-and he has sufficient instinct to know that his enemy may come upon him at any time or place if he roams about in the daytime. He therefore, very wisely, sleeps all day, and in the evening, when all is quiet, starts out on his feeding-expeditions, and probably to meet his friends. " Whilst out feeding there is but little that comes amiss to the wild boar; he may be said to be almost omnivorous. If he enters a garden he makes the greatest havoc possible ; he can clear off any amount of young green rice and all sorts of garden-produce. The natives have the greatest difficulty in keeping him away. They make strong fences around their gardens, and often watch night after night to get a shot at their troublesome visitor; but he is generally more cunning and more patient than the man. At last, perhaps, the man, for some reason or other, will absent himself from the gardens for one night; be goes to look at them in the morning, but he is too late, the boar has had his revel and the gardens are spoilt. These remarks are simply the substance of a conversation I had with some men working for me, who live at Bara-mahamai, in about lat. 13° 40' S., and who had had their gardens destroyed in this manner. " The wild boar can generally find something to eat in whatever kind of country he may be in. O n the plains and open country (where there are no gardens to attack) he will turn up the ground in all directions, searching for various kiuds of tubers, and I daresay he disposes of all grubs, insects, and other forms of |
