Among the villagers, their chief occupations are the management of
dairies, and the breeding of cattle; and many of the peasantry make a
living by hunting the chamois, as the wild goat is called. This is
rather a dangerous employment, yet the chamois-hunters delight in it;
they carry a long hook pointed with an iron spike, and with the help
of this, they leap from rock to rock, over frightful chasms and
precipices; yet such is their surprising activity, that they are never
killed. Other peasants earn a livelihood by fattening and preparing
snails for market; for these creatures are considered a great delicacy
in many parts of Switzerland. In another part of the country the
inhabitants almost exclusively follow the trade of watch-making, and
polishing the crystals and pebbles that are found in the mountains,
Geneva, a city of Switzerland, is celebrated for the watches that are
made there.

The women are extremely domestic, delighting in their children; and
all the Swiss are remarkable for their passionate love of home. In
every village there is a school, established by the Government for
the instruction of poor children. The Swiss are the most graceful of
all peasants, and wear very smart costumes. The men wear large hats,
and their dress is generally a brown cloth jacket without sleeves, and
puffed breeches of ticking. The women have short blue petticoats, a
cherry-coloured boddice, full white sleeves fastened above the elbow,
and a muslin kerchief thrown round their necks; while their hair is
plaited, and twisted about their heads. They also wear pretty flat
straw hats, ornamented with bows of ribbon.

The scenery of Switzerland is of the most charming and romantic
description; there are towering mountains, craggy rocks, steep