96 
NATURE NOTES 
the following account, instancing the attachment to home which is inherent in 
these animals. The story is absolutely authenticated, and was told me by an eye 
witness, so that it admits of no contradiction. The lady in question, who keeps 
a large farm at Henbury, near Bristol, agreed shortly before last Christmas to sell 
eight young pigs about six weeks or two months of age to a native of Sea Mills, a 
village situate about three and a-half or four miles from Ilenbuty. Accordingly a 
man drove over, caught the pigs and deposited them in a sack at the bottom of 
his trap and look them away with him. Three or four da>s subsequently he 
came one evening to enquire of the lady if she had seen the pigs, as they had all 
di.sappeared. To satisfy the man she directed ore of the farm-hands to count 
over her own pigs to make sure that the missing ones had not returned : to the 
surprise of all one was discovered, and was identified by the fact that its recent 
purcha.ser had put a ring in its nose, whereas none of her own pigs had as yet been 
“ rung.” This was the only pig they could discover at the time. However, about 
an hour later her son ran indoors and said that another of the pigs was on its way 
home also. On going into the yard she was surprised to see this little pig, 
number two, racing at full speed down a steep field about half a mile from the 
house, and making straight for the farm. Even at a distance she could hear its 
squeaks, and these were redoubled until, on its arrival, it could hardly contain 
itself for joy, and ran grunting and squeaking into the “ pen ” where so many 
weeks of its life had been spent. The other six pigs were not found until some 
days later, when the purchaser on passing a tree on the top of a hill, about mid- 
way between Henbury and Sea Mills, heard a faint squeaking, and on going to 
the tree was astounded to see the six defaulters rush out from a cavity at the base. 
Not the least curious part of the story is that the first pig was seen making its 
way home by school-children in various parts of the vicinity and that its return 
was via the main road. Now the question presents itself, how is it possible that 
young pigs, which had never in their lives been outside the “ pen” in which they 
were born until they w ere taken aw’ay in a cart and tied up in a sack, find their 
way home, and not only this, but by different routes — one across the fields and 
the other round the main road ? I cannot pretend to suggest an answer. I have 
read of cats, dogs, pigeons, &c., finding their way home under circumstances 
somewhat similar, but it could always be partially explained by the supposition 
that they had roamed far and wide round the country and so knew their bearings 
well, but in the present instance this view is obviously out of the question. 
The eagerness of the pigs to return was not unnatural, seeing that on their 
arrival at their new home they had been obliged to submit to the pain of having 
their noses “ rung,” a circumstance they would naturally associate with their 
recent removal from their old quarters. This is but one of many instances, less 
striking perhaps, which have occurred on the same farm, and beats eloquent te.sti- 
mony to the kindness and attention bestowed on the various dumb animals under 
the lady’s care. 
Fyllon Rectory, Bristol. A. C. Mackie. 
Birds Singing when Abroad. — Not long ago I saw with great interest 
the various collections of a military friend who has just returned to India, and 
who had struck new ground in working up Indian hymtnoptera. He is an 
accurate and ardent observer and has been in many parts of the world. In 
answer to my query as to whether our migratory birds sing when away from us, 
he writes : “Birds sing chit fly at breeding time, consequently if they nest in 
England they do not sing much. If at all, abn ad ; but birds that pass the winter 
in England and nest abroad sing, if they are singing birds, chiefly abroad.” 
This agrees with my memo, on p. 36 of this ytar’s Nature Notes, and also 
with Mr. Aplin’s kind and excellent answer in the number for April. 
Market IVeston, Thetford. Ed.mund Thomas Daubeny. 
April , 1901. 
Frank Heron. — The Rev. A. E'. Curtis enquires on p. 65 as to the meaning 
of "Frank Heron,” a local bird-name in Essex. The prefix "frank” no doubt 
refers to the harsh cry of the heron, which is thought in Berks and Oxon, and 
liro’oably elsewhere, to resemble the woid “ frank.” 
Fyfield, near Abingdon. \V. H. Warner. 
