222 WILD TRAITS IN TAME ANIMALS. 



among match - making mothers anxious to get 

 their daughters " off" to put a huge bowl of 

 milk before a damsel, and at the same time to 

 apply a switch sharply and continuously to her 

 back with the view of stimulating her appetite. 

 Only when the milk is all swallowed and is 

 fairly on its way to enhancing the dSuianie s 

 charms (according to Ethiopian ideals) the vis 

 a tergo ceases to operate. Comparing the two 

 methods of obtaining a like result employed by 

 the British agriculturist and the African mother 

 respectively, I think it will be acknowledged that 

 the artifice employed by the former is more 

 worthy of the human intellect. Its economical 

 soundness alone justifies his claim to a higher 

 civilisation. 



The true wild swine, and the feral hogs which 

 have escaped from captivity in various parts of 

 the world, go about in herds for mutual protec- 

 tion ; and when one is attacked the others are 

 generally ready to stand by him and defend him. 

 This affords an explanation of the original use 

 of the shrill voice of the pig, and of his readi- 

 ness to exercise it whenever he is in trouble. 

 In fact, whenever you hear a pig squealing, 

 you hear a testimony to the intrepid deeds of 



