Archive image from page 540 of The descent of man . The descent of man : and selection in relation to sex descentofmansele00indarw Year: 1875 Chap. XVII. Mammals—Means of Defence. 519 laterally, would serve as an excellent guard; and hence, perhaps, it is that in old animals they ' are generally broken off, as if by ' fighting.'' Here, then, we have the curious case of the upper tusks of the Babirusa regularly assuming during the prime of life, a structure which apparently renders them fitted only for defence; whilst in the European boar the lower tusks assume in a less degree and only during
Archive image from page 540 of The descent of man . The descent of man : and selection in relation to sex descentofmansele00indarw Year: 1875 Chap. XVII. Mammals—Means of Defence. 519 laterally, would serve as an excellent guard; and hence, perhaps, it is that in old animals they ' are generally broken off, as if by ' fighting.'' Here, then, we have the curious case of the upper tusks of the Babirusa regularly assuming during the prime of life, a structure which apparently renders them fitted only for defence; whilst in the European boar the lower tusks assume in a less degree and only during old age, nearly the same form, and then serve in like manner solely for defence. tj6. 6kull of the Babirusa Pig (from Wallace's ' Malay Archipelago ')• In the wart-hog {Phacochoerus cethiopicus, fig. 67) the tusks in the upper jaw of the male curve upwards during the prime of life, and from being pointed serve as formidable weapons. The tusks in the lower jaw are sharper than those in the upper, but from their shortness it seems hardly possible that they can be used as weapons of attack. They must, however, greatly strengthen those in the upper jaw, from being ground so as to fit closely against their bases. Neither the upper nor the lower ' See Mr. WalLace's interesting account of this animal, ' The Malay Archipelago,' 1869, vol. i. p. 435.
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