12 Christy, The A?ident Legend as to the Hedgehog 



eggs from the nests of game-birds and poultry which are usually 

 ascribed to the Hedgehog are really the work of some other animal. 



On the other hand, there is equally' little doubt that, on occasion, 

 the Hedgehog will readily subsist on a vegetable diet. Knappsays : — * 

 " In the autumn, crabs, haws, and the common fruits of the hedge 

 constitute its diet." Macgillivray asserts! that it "eats fruits, especially 

 apples that have fallen from the trees." On this point, Mr. Harting 

 favours me with a very pertinent observation of his own . — 



" From personal observation [he says], I know that they will feed 

 on fallen fruit. On one occasion, late in September, some years ago, 

 when partridge shooting in West Sussex, I was returning home in the 

 evening and saw at a little distance a Hedgehog at the foot of a crab- 

 tree, busily engaged in mouthing some object which, at the distance, I 

 could not distinguish. I watched it for some time and then, slowly 

 approaching, the Hedgehog scuttled away. At the spot, I found 

 a partially-gnawed crab-apple bearing the marks of teeth on one side, 

 which convinced me that the animal had been feeding on it. So far 

 as I could see, the Hedgehog made no attempt to carry off the crab in 

 its mouth, as a squirrel would have done." 



Another observation bearing upon this point has been kindly 

 supplied to me by Miss Gulielma Lister, F.L.S., in whose garden at 

 Leytonstone grows an old medlar tree, beneath which are planted 

 some small holly bushes. When sweeping up the leaves beneath this 

 tree in winter, the old gardener has repeatedly found a Hedgehog 

 rolled up asleep beside a little heap of fallen medlars, which apparently he 

 had gathered together, both the animal and the medlars being deeply 

 buried under a thick bed of leaves. Whether or no the medlars 

 showed any signs of having been gnawed by the creature, I do 

 not know. 



Those statements among the foregoing which explicitly mention 

 apples or crabs are of special interest ; for, of all fruits, these are those 

 most commonly mentioned in statements, both ancient and modern, 

 as to the Hedgehog transporting fruits on his prickles. On the whole, 

 it seems clear that the creature does eat fruits of various kinds. 



Yet another cognate point which has to be considered is ; — Does 

 the Hedgehog lay up a store of food for the winter? Obviously, of 

 animal food, he could not. Of vegetable food, however, he might, and 

 some writers have stated explicitly that he does. J Yet others, of at 



* Journ. of a Naturalist, 3rd ed., p. 130 (1830). 



i Hril. Quadrupeds, p. 119 (183S). 



J See, for example, the staleineiils of Pliny (p. i), .I'^lian {p. 2), Top.sell (ji. 4), 

 and others quoted above. 



