in the manege. A horse is said to boar when he shoots out his nose as high as his ears, and tosses his nose in the wind.

a male swine. See Sus.

The wild boar, among huntsmen, has several names, according to its different ages: the first year, it is called a pig of the saunder; the second it is called a hog; the third, a hog-steer; and the fourth, a boar; when leaving the saunder, he is called a singler or sangler. The boar generally lives to 25 or 30 years, if he escapes accidents. The time of going to rut is in December, and lasts about three weeks. They feed on all sorts of fruits, and on the roots of many plants; the root of fern in particular seems a great favourite with them; and when they frequent places near the sea-coasts, they will descend to the shores, and demolish the tender shell-fish in very great numbers. Their general places of rest are among the thickest bushes that can be found; and they are not easily put out of them, but will stand the bay a long time. In April and May they sleep more sound than at any other time of the year, and this is therefore the successful time for the taking them in the toils. When a boar is roused out of the thicket, he always goes from it, if possible, the same way by which he came to it; and when he is once up, he will never stop till he comes to some place of more security. If it happens that a saunder of them are found together, when any one breaks away, the rest all follow the same way. When the boar is hunted in the wood where he was bred, he will scarcely ever be brought to quit it; he will sometimes make towards the sides to listen to the noise of the dogs, but retires into the middle again, and usually dies or escapes there. When it happens that a boar runs a-head, he will not be stopped or put out of his way, by man or beast, so long as he has any strength left. He makes no doubles or crossings when chased; and, when killed, makes no noise, if an old boar; the sows and pigs will squeak when wounded.

The season for hunting the wild boar begins in September, and ends in December, when they go to rut. If it be a large boar, and one that has lain long at rest, he must be hunted with a great number of dogs, and those such as will keep close to him; and the huntsman, with his spear, should always be riding in among them, and charging the boar as often as he can, to discourage him: such a boar as this, with five or six couple of dogs, will run to the first convenient place of shelter, and there stand at bay and make at them as they attempt to come up with him. There ought always to be relays also set of the best and staunchest hounds in the kennel; for if they are of young eager dogs, they will be apt to seize him, and be killed or spoiled before the rest come up. The putting collars with bells about the dogs necks is a great security for them; for the boar will not so soon strike at them when they have these, but will rather run before them. The huntsmen generally kill the boar with their swords or spears: but great caution is necessary in making the blows; for he is very apt to catch them upon his snout or tusks; and if wounded and not killed, he will attack the huntsman in the most furious manner. The place to give the wound with the spear is either between the eyes in the middle of the forehead, or in the shoulder; both these places make the wound mortal.

When this creature makes at the hunter, there is nothing for it but courage and address; if he flies for it, he is surely overtaken and killed. If the boar comes straight up, he is to be received at the point of the spear; but if he makes doubles and windings, he is to be watched very cautiously, for he will attempt getting hold of the spear in his mouth; and if he does so, nothing can save the huntsman but another person attacking him behind; he will on this attack the second person, and the first must then attack him again: two people will thus have enough to do with him; and were it not for the forks of the boar-spears that make it impossible to press forward upon them, the huntsman who gives the creature his death wound, would seldom escape falling a sacrifice to his revenge for it. The modern way of boar-hunting is generally to dispatch the creature by all the huntsmen striking him at once; but the ancient Roman way was, for a person on foot, armed with a spear, to keep the creature at bay; and in this case the boar would run of himself upon the spear to come at the huntsman, and push forward till the spear pierced him through.

The hinder claws of a boar are called guards. In the corn, he is said to feed; in the meadows or fallow-fields, to rout, worm, or fern; in a close, to grove. The boar is farrowed with as many teeth as he will ever have; his teeth only increasing in bigness, not in number: among these there are four called tusks, or tusks; the two biggest of which do not hurt when he strikes, but serve only to whet the other two lowest, with which the beast defends himself, and frequently kills, as being greater and longer than the rest.

It is very remarkable, that these creatures in the West Indies are subject to the stone; few of them are absolutely free from it, yet scarcely any have the stones of any considerable size. It is common to find a great number in the same bladder; and they are usually of about a scruple weight, are angular, and very regular, each having five angles.

Among the ancient Romans boar's flesh was a delicacy; a boar served up whole was a dish of state.

The boar was sometimes also the military ensign borne by the Roman armies, in lieu of the eagle.

Among physicians, a boar's bladder has been reputed a specific for the epilepsy. The tush of the wild boar still passes with some as of great efficacy in quinsies and pleurisies.