38 The Hedgehog. [Sess. 



vouring snails and slugs, and certainly if confined in a 

 walled garden these disappear. This, however, is by no 

 means convincing as to what constitutes the staple food of 

 these creatures, it being exceedingly dangerous to rest any 

 theory on experiments made with animals in confinement. I 

 have frequently kept hedgehogs in a walled garden, and, 

 as far as my experience goes, they will not eat fruit. They 

 would take bread and milk or flesh, and a rabbit's liver 

 was always removed first. Slices of apple put down were 

 never interfered with. Being very nocturnal in their habits, 

 it is exceedingly difficult to arrive at an accurate conclu- 

 sion from observation as to what constitutes their food. I 

 would therefore solicit gamekeepers and others interested to 

 dissect and closely examine the stomachs of any hedgehogs 

 they may destroy. By this means much information in 

 practical natural history may be acquired. It must not, 

 however, be supposed that the result will be satisfactory 

 if confined to one season or one locality. As already men- 

 tioned, those I have dissected had been feeding exclusively 

 on beetles, and had I not known otherwise, I would have 

 been forced to the conclusion that they eat nothing else. 

 Observations will therefore require to be taken over a series 

 of years, and in all parts of the country. 



To my mind, the carnivorous character of their teeth in- 

 dicates that nature intended hedgehogs to prey upon flesh. 

 Being anxious to find out how hedgehogs carry eggs, one of 

 these animals was put into a walled garden for the purpose 

 of watching and seeing him in the act. He collected all 

 the dead leaves from beneath the fruit-trees into a corner, 

 in which he concealed himself during the day. As he 

 never emerged from his concealment till dusk, it was 

 difficult to watch his manoeuvres ; but the activity he dis- 

 played in running about was most remarkable. Eggs were 

 laid down, and nobody ever saw him lift one, though he occa- 

 sionally had them removed before morning, when the shells 

 were found among the leaves. 



The depredations of the hedgehog are not confined to eggs. 

 It has been known to invade the pheasantry and kill the 

 young birds even when half-grown. This fact I would have 

 been slow to believe had I not had it confirmed by personal 



