34 THE HEDGE-HOG DEVOURS SNAKES. 



Whether or not the former recognized its enemy 

 was not apparent. It did not dart from the 

 hedge-hog, but kept creeping gently round the 

 box. The hedge-hog was rolled up, and did 

 not appear to notice the snake. The professor 

 then laid the hedge-hog on the snake with that 

 part of the ball where the head and tail meet 

 downwards, and touching it. The snake pro- 

 ceeded to crawl the hedgehog started, opened 

 slightly, and seeing what was under it gave the 

 snake a hard bite, and instantly rolled itself up 

 again. It soon opened a second, and again a 

 third time, repeating the bite, and by the third 

 bite the back of the snake was broken. This done, 

 the hedge- hog stood by the snake's side, and 

 passed the whole body of the snake successively 

 through its jaws, cracking it, and breaking the 

 bones at intervals of half an inch or more, by 

 which operation the snake was rendered moti- 

 onless. The hedge-hog then placed itself at the 

 tip of the snake's tail, and began to eat upwards, 

 as one would eat a radish, without interruption, 

 but slowly, till half the snake was devoured. The 

 following morning the remaining half was also 

 completely eaten up," 



It is to be regretted that the size of the snake 

 was not mentioned, as we might then have judged 

 of the extent of the appetite of a hedge-hog. 



The hedge-hog is readily tamed, and will become 



