Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-01-05
THE VICIOUS PECCARY
4 Fierce Creature Is the South
American Wild Eoar.
HE IS SMALL, BUT FEARLESS

IA WI FNANaIk wan OF any amman IN TX
istence on the Slightest Provocation
8 and Will Fight to the Death---A Bat
tie With a Jsguar.
During one OF his Journeys into Mex
q ico Edward W. Walton. mining ex-
q pert. had a close call from being sliced
y 10 shreds by the fierce little South
4 American pigs known as pcccaries lie
4 told the story of his escape TO Den
Z yer Post reporter.
II wished 20 secure some plumes
\ from number OF the beautifully plum
2 aged birds" said Mr.. Walton. IL went
Z into the jungle and came to a small
4 opening I'm which there were dry
4 leaves. probably Il foot i'm depth. COW
{ ering the ground. and hundreds Of
beautifully colorcd tropical birds in
4 the air ana i'm the trees. | fred ut one
7 OF the birds i'm fight. when &c seemed
{ to me the whole area of these dead
leaves arose i'm front of and all around
4 me. Being a stranger naturally ! was
3 much frightened, especially when
: saw the animals which raised up the
leaves apparently ready for an attack
i The older animals opened and closed
3 their mouths, showing their big. sharp
& tusks, formed much like 4 dirk knife.
q and some of them started toward me
4 impulSivcly I commenced firing nv
q gun in the air ana turned around.
a which seemed to stop most Of them
s. momcntarily, and as / had lots of car
4 tridges ! kept up the shooting, ana
q they turned and ran away | found
4 dfterward that I had saved my life
n by so doing ana Ivy not shooting any OF
4 the animals
" These animals proved to be pecca-
4 ries. They are most ferocious and will
81 attack any animal i'm existence on the
4 slightest provocation When l got
3 back 10 headquarters and told my COM
A ipanions my experience | was informed
" that had shot ono of the animals and
4 made him squeal the whole bunch
8 would have been ON me ana would
4 have torn me TO pieces quickly. They
y nave been known to kill bears. jaguars.
I cattle, horses ana any number Of dogs
q Although in the fight scores of their
Z number might he Killed. they seem to
II have no fear when once aroused.
! Il was told the peccares hurrow un-
Y Ter the dry leaves to protect them
4 selves from mosquitoes and other
~ AAAsr' - l''Nlo VI ll'iI not country. NV
= friends had many exciting experiences
= to tell in regard TO these fcIocious lit
4 tie animals one OF this party. while
"a travelling with companion in q wag-
y on, stopped for lunch under some trees
q and turned their horses out to Craze
q While at lunch Il large bunch of pee
n carries appeared. and they thought it
y would be nice to shoot among them
and get one or two for meat so they
fired into them wounding several.
which commenced to sQueal. Then the
: whole bunch made an attack. The men
& climbed quickly into the wagon and
& Kept on shooting so long as the am
x munition which they had in their
& pockets lasted. AS they were oucnmg
their bags to get out more ammunition
b the peccaries climbed up the tongue
, Of the wagon and jumped into il. ana
+ the men saved themselves only by
+ jumping ON to the seat and then on to-
I limbs Of the trees, the pcccarics taking
< possession of the wagon and tearing
{ things TO pieces. They remained iu
B possession for hours, the men watching
= them from safety in the trees"
z The peccary, or South American wild
L boar, is the smallest OF his species. av-
p eraging about three feet long. nor is
( the animal possessed of any unusual
Z degree OF strength. To make up for
+ tAe natural Individual deficiencies i'm
Z combat with the more powerful ami
2 mails of the jungle the pcccaries al
L ways travel i'm large herds. When once
Il attacked by a herd OF pcccarics the
iq outcome is nearly always death TO their
Il enemy. The little pigs are armed with
= short sharp tusks. ana no matter how
= great the slaughter Of their own mum
z Der during the melee the herd stay on
X the job until The work is finished.
e Travellers in tropical and South
H American countries tell of fierce en-.
" counters between tho pcccaries and the
b iaguar. the monster cat which IS lord
Of the forest The iaguar has o fond
ness for dinner Of pork. but a whole
some respect for the power of n herd
Vt wild pigs When he wants to sat
isfy his cravings for n pork diet he
drops from a limb OF tree ON TO the
back Of "a etragglcr I'm the Dcccary
bcrd The iaguar Stays his victim ana
tncu retreats hastily to his tree be-
fore the herd can get at him. when
the herd grows tired of waiting for
him 10 come down and moves along
Gao jaguar dcsceuds and enjoys his
inca at leisure Frederick Sclous iu
g.s romance of Che animal world ha
n interesting account Of fight bc-
tween iaguar and "a herd OF pee
afiee The pcccaries bad Che iaeuar
roa1 ON the limb OF tree from which
IHs bark had rottcd away. ne was
only f.w feet above them and biz