1902. Notes. 25 



Notes on the Hedgehog. 



Perhaps my experience may help Mr. Patterson in determining the 

 time of year at which the Hedgehog produces its young. 



About three years ago my men were mowing, and I happened to go up 

 to the top of the lawn where they were at work. I had a small dog with 

 me, who became very excited around a clump of long grass and briars 

 under some trees. On investigating the clump I discovered in its centre 

 a very cosy nest, which contained a family of Hedgehogs — a mother and 

 her four children. The young were fine strong ones, about a quarter 

 size of the mother, with their spines quite matured, and able to run 

 about as fast as the parent. Judging from their size I should say they 

 were at least three or four months' old. It was the last week in July 

 I found them, so that assuming my estimate of their age to be nearly 

 correct, they would be born in March or early in April. I am sorry I 

 did not take a photograph of the nest and its inhabitants. 



I am inclined to agree with Mr. Patterson's suggestion regarding the 



fat, for the following^ reasons -(1) because Hedgehogs do not move 



about much, if at all, in winter in search of food, and (2) in most cases 



they coul4 find no food, at least the sort they live on during the summer, 



so that this fat is their winter larder. 



Wm. M'Endoo. 

 Tanderagee. 



Large extinct Red Deer of Ireland. 



In his paper on "Irish Red Deer" {Irish Naturalist^ May, 1901, 

 pp. 101-104), Mr. A. Loftus Otway describes a remarkable pair of horns 

 of the extinct Irish Red Deer, which were discovered in the reclaimed 

 alluvium south of Wexford Harbour in February last. He also mentions 

 the find of a second pair of horns, and of a single antler in separate 

 positions in the same neighbourhood. Through the kindness of their 

 finder I enjoyed the opportunity of examining and measuring these 

 specimens. The dimensions are, I think, worthy of record in the 

 Irish Naturalist : — 



Greatest length of antler along beam, . . 30 inches. 



Length of same cutting off curves, . . 24 , 



Girth of burr, . . . . .6 



Thickness of beam between brow and bez tines, 2 ,, 

 Do. above bez tine, . .2 , , 



Do. decreasing to, . . i4 ,, 



Do. at base of cluster, . . 2^ ,, 



Points (including one quite small point), . 11 + ? ,, 



The second complete head, probably a deformity, had enormously 

 long antlers, reaching the length of 40 inches, but with only 9X9 points. 



It is noteworthy that such completely different heads as that described 



by Mr. Otway and the second one in this note should have been found 



in such close proximity. 



G. E. H. Barrett- Hamii^ton. 

 Leeuwspruit, South Africa. 



