extraordinary optical
illusions of a like nature--once, in the direction of the sea where no
hills or other obstacles intervened, I saw a beautiful inverted
landscape of mountains, woods, and other objects like castles. The
picture or reflection seemed suspended in the air, and extended a long
way on the horizon. It must have been a reflection of some scene far
from the place where the phenomenon presented itself.

I spent a month with Smith, but as it was the slack time of the year
there was little routine work on the station, and much of our time was
passed in amusement.

The best fun was pig hunting, in which we were frequently joined by
neighbouring squatters.

CHAPTER VIII.

WILD PIG-HUNTING.

It is said that Captain Cook introduced pigs into New Zealand. They were
at the time I write of, the only wild quadrupeds in the land, except
rats (for which I believe the country is also indebted to Captain Cook),
but together they made up for no end of absentees by their prodigious
powers of breeding.

Most of the middle island was infested with pigs; they principally
inhabited the low hills and river bed flats and swamps, and would come
down on to the large plains in herds for feeding on the root of a plant
called spear grass, to obtain which they would tear up the sward and
injure large tracts of grazing land.

Their depredations became so extensive that the Provincial Government
was obliged to take steps for their extermination by letting contracts
for killing them off, at, I think, sixpence per head, or rather tail,
and by this means I have known a single district cleared of 8,000 to
10,000 pigs in a season.

Pig-hunting on the hills is not the inspiriting amusement it is on the
plains. In the former they must be hunted on foot, and shot down, riding
being impracticable, while on the plain they were hunted on horseback
with dogs bred for the purpose, and the huntsman's weapon is only a
short heavy knife sharpened on both sides to a point like a dagger, and
suspended in a sheath attached to the waist belt. Spears were sometimes
used, but they were of a very rough and primitive description, and not
effective. Pig-sticking on the modern scientific principles was not then
practised in New Zealand.

For a day's pig-hunting on the plains a party of men on strong and fast
horses, with a few kangaroo dogs and a bullock dray in attendance,
formed the hunting party. The location of the herd is previously