Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra85861922roya).pdf/259

 The above statement supports the suggestion that this animal was the last survivor of some herd that had gained access to the Malay Peninsula and which had not been able to maintain itself under exotic conditions. Possibly even, it was the actual boar to which Dr. Leicester refers.

The description together with an excellent sketch with measurements, at once suggested the interesting possibility of this pig being Sus barbatus which was originally described from Borneo and later discovered in Sumatra and the Rhio Archipelago, and described by Miller under the name Sus oi.

A comparison of the skulls with a topo-type of Sus oi from the Indragiri River, S. E. Sumatra, and with specimens from Tanjong Batu, Great Durian Island and Bintang Island, Rhio Archipelago, shows that they cannot be separated with certainty from this form, nor on the other band can they be distinguished from a considerable series of the true Sus barbatus from various parts of Sarawak, Borneo.

The question then arises, is this pig indigenous in the Malay Peninsula, or is this particular record the result of some fortuitous visit by an adventurous pair—perhaps from Pulo Batam, 10 miles south of the southern extremity of Johore—who established themselves for a brief period in Pahang? Native stories of a giant white pig in Johore undoubtedly refer to this species. On the whole we are inclined to think that it is not indigenous in the Malay Peninsula. Its rarity here—we know of no other examples having beeenbeen [sic] killed or seen authentically—seems to point to the fact of it being only an occasional visitor. If it were a Peninsula species in the strict sense, the geographical distribution would be difficult to explain. On the other hand one should not lose sight of the fact that under favourable circumstances sufficient individuals might reasonably come in from the Malayan Islands near the mainland and establish themselves for a noticeable period.

Mr. Boden Kloss has recently dealt with the Malaysian Bearded Pig. He points out the difficulty of distinguishing Sus barbatus of Borneo and Sus oi of Sumatra and Rhio on the dental characters given by Miller. We agree that they are too variable to be of any use. Kloss however would separate Sus oi on the longer muzzle ("and perhaps a little broader"); the longer mandibular symphysis; the deeper mandible and the slightly more concave profile of the face. These statements broadly speaking agree with certain notes made by one of us in the early part of 1918 but hitherto unpublished on the topo-type of Sus oi in the Raffles Museum, which were as follows:—