THE WILD BOAR. 79 



Aubrey has given a minute account of a sculp- 

 tured representation of hunting the wild boar, over 

 a Norman doorway at Little Langford Church. This 

 bas-relief is figured in Hoare's "Modern Wiltshire." 



After the expulsion of the Danes, and during the 

 short restoration of the Saxon monarchy, the sports of 

 the field still maintained their ground, and hunting 

 and hawking were favourite pastimes. A painting on 

 a MS. of the ninth century, in the Cotton Library, 



WILD BOAR HUNTING. FROM A. MS. OF THE NINTH CENTUBY. 



represents a Saxon chieftain, attended by his hunts- 

 man and a couple of hounds, pursuing wild boars 

 through a wood.* 



In the " Colloquy of Alfric," a hunter of one of the 

 royal forests gives a curious account of his profession. 

 When asked how he practises his craft, he replies : 

 " I braid nets and set them in a convenient place, and 

 set on my hounds, that they may pursue the beasts of 

 chase, until they come unexpectedly to the nets, and 

 so become entangled in them, and I slay them in the 

 nets." He is then asked if he cannot hunt without 

 * Strutt's " Sports and Pastimes,'' p. 5, fig. 1. 



