More than the jay, more than the field-mouse, the elephant-beetle has contributed to reduce the superfluity of acorns.
Presently man arrives, busied in the interest of his pig.

In my village it is quite an important event when the municipal hoardings announce the day for opening the municipal woods for the gathering of acorns.

The more zealous visit the woods the day before and select the best places.
Next day, at daybreak, the whole family is there.

The father beats the upper branches with a pole; the mother, wearing a heavy hempen apron which enables her to force her way through the stubborn undergrowth, gathers those within reach of the hand, while the children collect those scattered upon the ground.

First the small baskets are filled, then the big _corbeilles_, and then the sacks.
After the field-mouse, the jay, the weevil, and so many others have taken toll comes man, calculating how many pounds of bacon-fat his harvest will be worth.