The Descent of Man

old age nearly the same form, and then serve in
like manner solely for defence.
[Fig. 67. Head of female Aethopian wart-hog,
from 'Proc. Zool. Soc.' 1869, shewing the same
characters as the male, though on a reduced
scale. N.B. When the engraving was first made,
I was under the impression that it represented
the male.]
In the wart-hog (see Phacochoerus aethiopicus,
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
tusks appear to have been specially modified to
act as guards, though no doubt they are to a