individuals of all ages and sizes. Thus united, they traverse extensive
districts of forest--the whole drove occupying an extent of a league in
length--all directed in their march by an old male, who acts as leader.
Should they be impeded in their progress by a river, the chief stops for
a moment to reconnoitre; then plunges boldly into the stream, followed
by all the rest of the troop. The breadth of the river, and the
rapidity of the current, seem to be but trifling obstacles to them; and
are overcome easily, since the peccaries are excellent swimmers. They
continue their onward march through the open grounds; over the
plantations, which, unfortunately for their owners, may chance to lie in
their way; and which they sometimes completely devastate, by rooting out
the whole of the crops of maize, potatoes, sugarcane, or manioc. If
they should meet with any opposition, they make a singular noise--
chattering their teeth like castanets; and if a hunter should chance to
attack them when moving thus, he is sure to be surrounded and torn to
pieces: unless he find some tree or other convenient object, where he
may make escape, by getting out of their reach.

The white-lipped peccaries are found in all the forests of South
America--from the Caribbean Sea to the Pampas of Buenos Ayres. They are
abundant in Paraguay; and Sonnini, the traveller, has observed them in
Guyana. Others report their presence on the Orinoco and its
tributaries--as also on all the waters of the Amazon. Most probably, it
was from the number of these animals observed upon its banks by the
early travellers, that the last-mentioned river obtained one of its
Spanish names--the Rio Maranon--which signifies the "river of the wild
hogs."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

HORSES AND ASSES.

The Horse--_par excellence_ the noblest of animals--is represented by
only a limited number of species; but, like other creatures domesticated
by man, he is found of many different breeds and varieties: too many to
be minutely described in these pages. Suffice it to say, that almost
every civilised nation possesses several kinds of horses--differing from
one another in size, shape, colour, and qualities: in size especially--
since this fine animal may be observed not much bigger than a mastiff;
while other members of his family attain almost to the dimensions of an
elephant! Even savage tribes, both in Asia and America, are in
possession of peculiar breeds of horses; and