257 



SOME NOTES ON THE FOOD OF THE HEDGEHOG 

 {ERINACEUS EUROP^US.) 



On Jul}' 9tli, 1900, I found a hedgehog entangled in stop 

 netting at end of Tennis Lawn in my garden at Linthorpe, 

 Middlesbroiigli. It appeared to have fed a good deal on beetles, 

 there being numerous wing cases in the excrement, some of metallic 

 green colour. 



The hedgehog Avas kept in the stable yard, where it soon 

 found a retreat under a wood building ; it came out from its 

 hiding place in the evening just at dusk. The Jir>it night I gave 

 it some milk with bread soaked in it. In the morning the milk 

 Avas all gone, but the bread Avas left. The seroml night I gave it 

 a young blackbird about full groAA'n, some milk Avith bread as 

 before, and some moths. The blackbird disappeared all but the 

 Avings and feet, also the milk and the moths. The third night I 

 gave it a young thrush, also about full grown, a saucer Avith Avater, 

 and also a large number of moths. The thrush, the Avater, and 

 the moths Avere all gone. On the foiirfh night I gave it a numlier 

 of moths, a hen's egg, and some cooked tongue and AA-ater. The 

 moths, the tongue, and the Avater Avere gone, but the egg remained. 

 On the fifth night it had a lark, some moths and water. The 

 lark disappeared Avith the exception of a feAv feathers, and also 

 the moths. On the si.rfh night it had moths and snails, Avhich 

 Avere gone in the morning ; and on the secenth night I gave it a 

 bantani's egg, a feAv moths, and some cooked meat. The moths 

 Avere gone, and probably a little of the cooked meat, but not much, 

 the egg remained. It had been moved, hoAvever, and was slightly 

 cracked. It Avas found on the grate of a gully, the yard being 

 sloped doAvn to the gully. It had probably rolled there on being 

 disturbed, and that might have caused it to be cracked. The 

 night on which I gave it the hen's egg, I Avatched it for some time ; 

 it rolled the egg over once or tAvice, and then left it. 



Every Natural History states that the hedgehog eats eggs 

 (game eggs, I suppose). The bantam's egg could be no larger than 

 a pheasant's egg. One of the nights a cooked potato Avas also 

 given to it, but that Avas also left and not eaten or touched that I 

 could notice. I tried the hedgehog again Avith a bantam's egg, 

 but it did not eat it. I also tried it Avith cheese, cooked meat, 

 strawberries, lettuce, cabbage, etc., but it did not eat them. Its 

 chief food ajipears to be beetles, moths, snails and grubs, and 

 jjrobably small animals and birds Avhen it can catch them. I 

 tried it Avith snails, and it seemed to eat them greedily, but moths 

 seemed to be its favourite diet. 



