AUTUMN LIGHTS AND SHADES. 199 



ping old mothers come with their large families 

 of small snorks. Little pigs are the funniest crea- 

 tures in existence ; as you stand watching them 

 feed on the mast no matter if it be acorn or 

 beech first one and then another will pluck up 

 courage to come and look, until the whole of 

 one family will be in front of you, their tails 

 wiggling, and their small snouts twisting in all 

 directions, whilst their little twinkling eyes ob- 

 serve you keenly. 



Presently one will begin to frisk about, like that 

 little pig which the Irishman could not count. The 

 others follow suit ; then they face about, and you 

 will hear in rapid succession snork ! snork ! week ! 

 week ! snork ! and then away they will scamper 

 helter-skelter, as if they were flying for dear life. 



If you stop long enough I make it a point never 

 to do that now you will hear the hazel stems 

 crash, and savage grunts issue, as some fierce sow 

 rushes out. She champs her jaws, and her wicked 

 red eyes look all ways at once to see who it is that 

 has upset her darling snorks. 



We hear much about domestication of animals : 

 it has taken ages to get them in that useful condi- 



