The only other pachydermatous animal besides the tapir indigenous to
South America is the little truculent peccary--a herd of which creatures
is more feared by the natives than the jaguar, boa, or anaconda. There
are two species--the Dicotyles tajacu and Dicotyles labiatus, or
white-lipped peccary; the latter being the larger and fiercer of the
two. The peccary is very like a small hog. Its form is short and
compact, thickly covered with strong, dark-coloured bristles, except the
lower part of the body, which is nearly destitute of hair. It has a
somewhat large head, short snout, and short, upright ears; while a
fleshy protuberance is its representative for a tail. At the first
glance it seems harmless enough, but inside its mouth are found some
short tusks, double-edged, and as sharp as lancets, with which the
creature is capable of inflicting the most deadly wounds. It is
remarkable for a glandular orifice at the lower part of the back,
surrounded by strong bristles. From this gland exudes a strong-scented
fluid; so that, as soon as the creature is killed, it is necessary to
cut it out, or the rest of the flesh becomes so imbued as to make it
unfit for food.
In its habits it is like the hog, and lives on the same kind of food,
but its chief duty in the economy of nature is that of destroying
reptiles and snakes of all sorts,--particularly the rattlesnake, which
it attacks without the slightest hesitation; nor does it appear to
suffer in any way when bitten. It gives voice with a sharp, shrill
grunt; but when angry, it smartly clashes its tusks together, making a
sound heard at a considerable distance, and announcing its approach.
The flesh is somewhat dry and insipid, and entirely destitute of fat.
That of the female is considered the best.
The larger species--the white-lipped peccary--is dreaded by the farmers,
as it frequently, in large numbers, attacks their crops, choosing always
the most flourishing fields.
The peccary, though occasionally found by itself, is a gregarious
animal. A herd will attack a jaguar or puma, and even the sturdy tapir,
without fear; and rushing at their antagonist with their sharp tusks,
never fail to come off victorious. Knowing their power, the jaguar,
when meeting a herd, flies through the forest to avoid them. When the
hunter and his dogs encounter one of these armies, his only chance of
escape is to climb the nearest tree, when they can only stand below
gnashing their teeth, and gazing up at him with their vindictive little
eyes. His dogs, however, quickly fall victims to their fury.
On one occasion a party of hunters had brought a bear to bay, when, in
the midst of the fierce contest, a herd of peccaries came charging over
the ground, putting not only the bear, but the men and the dogs to
flight.
The peccary will, indeed, attack man or beast without hesitation, its
assaults being not the less dangerous because it seems utterly ignorant
of the danger it runs itself. It is, however, hunted by the natives for
the sake of its flesh. It frequently takes up its abode in some
forsaken burrow or the hollow of a tree. The creatures back in, one
after the other, till there is no room for more. The outer one then
takes the post of sentinel, and gives notice of the approach of any
desirable quarry. The hunters, aware of this habit, cautiously--
sometimes with firearms and sometimes with pointed weapons--approach the
peccaries' abode. A slight noise draws the sentinel from the hollow,
when it is immediately shot down or transfixed by a spear. Another at
once takes its place, coming out to see what is the matter, when it is
killed in the same way; and thus a whole family may be killed in detail.