Hunting 'with Swine, 4? 07 



either search the place and take away the truffle before he has 

 brought it to the day, or let him root it out himself, and take it 

 from him quickly, by way of exchange, as has been mentioned. 

 But swine often devour the truffles so greedily and so quickly 

 after they have rooted them out, that you can seldom or never 

 take them from them. In this case, in France, their mouths are 

 bound either by a metal ring, or a leathern muzzle, which is 

 strapped over the snout, and fastened behind the ears. Some 

 truffle-hunters put this also in practice with dogs that are spoiled; 

 but it is one of those extremes to which a keen hunter is not 

 easily led, and he generally prefers parting with his dog. 



The search for truffles is often tedious and wearisome with 

 swine, which not only root after truffles, but after other articles 

 of food, as roots, insects, larvse, worms, &c. Expectation is 

 often disappointed, and we cannot always be sure of what is 

 found, as with dogs, when they hunt for and, by scratching, 

 point out the presence of the truffle. Besides this, a swine can 

 be used for the search only a year, or, at most, two summers and 

 autumns. In the third year they become too large, too unruly, 

 and in a condition in which they must be made use of with a 

 view to economy; that is, must be killed. Proper truffle-hunters, 

 therefore, very seldom seek them with swine, but leave this to 

 the peasants; who, in the South of France, and some districts 

 of Italy, pursue the practice. This mode of search is said to be 

 there carried on chiefly by women. 



§ 16. Conclusion. — Much still remains to be investigated with 

 respect to the nature of truffles, especially as to their origin and 

 increase. Foresters endowed with a spirit of enquiry, and some 

 botanical, and particularly physiological, knowledge, might still 

 make many interesting discoveries with respect to these dis- 

 tinguished productions of nature, if in their sylvan excursions 

 they would pay a closer attention them. I will myself, at every 

 opportunity, which oiFers, endeavour to advance in my enquiries 

 and observations, and, when I find the latter sufficiently interest- 

 ing, communicate them in some periodical paper. 1 shall par- 

 ticularly endeavour, along with a practised chemist, to make and 

 publish a chemical analysis of truffles ; since the old one, which 

 was communicated, now exactly 100 years ago, by GeofFroy, 

 whom I have so often mentioned, and according to which truffles 

 are said to contain sulphur and volatile alkali, now that chemistry 

 has made such great progress, is no longer satisfactory. If this 

 slight sketch, which was made for the purpose, gives some in- 

 struction to such of my brother foresters as are not experienced 

 in the art, and only half-satisfies the connoisseur, I shall not look 

 upon my attempt as entirely unsuccessful. 



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