28 WASTE-LAND WANDERIXGS. 



with the weather, or at least with coming rain-storms. 

 The drought of summer is so far a convenience as to 

 throw light upon this habit, as it did upon the uneasy 

 cows. Pigs carry sticks as frequently then as during 

 wet weather, or just preceding a shower. Furthermore, 

 these gathered twigs are not brought together as though 

 to make a nest, but are scattered about in a perfectly 

 aimless manner. From some cause, the animal is uneasy, 

 and takes this curious method of relieving itself. The 

 probabilities are that it is a survival of some habit 

 common to swine in their feral condition, just as we 

 see a dog turn about half a dozen times before lying 



down. 



In an interesting paper on local weather-lore, read by 

 Mr. Amos W. Butler before the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, during the Philadel- 

 phia meeting of ISStt, the author has another version of 

 this saying: "When hogs gather up sticks and carry 

 them about, expect cold weather." This is wholly at 

 variance with what I have observed, for my memoranda 

 record this habit almost wholly during the hot weather, 

 and this must necessarily be the rule with ^New Jersey 

 swine, or the local w^eather prophets would not have 

 coined the verse as I have given it. 



As to the other couplet, it is about as near meaning- 

 less as any saying can well be. Some rustic rhymer, a 

 century ago, may have added it as a piece of fun, but it 

 has stuck most persistently. As it stands now, it has 

 stood for quite one hundred years. 



In reference to the dog, I have heard the following 

 more pretentious stanza, which has now taken its place 



