OF HARTING. 241 



only is its bite considered by our fellow parishioners 

 capable of producing very serious consequences to 

 man and his domestic animals, but even simple contact 

 with any portion of its body is dreaded. Fortunately 

 for the present and future generations, our earlier 

 Naturalists have left us simple instructions for the 

 successful treatment of all genuine cases of shrew-bite 

 a live shrew, an auger, a plug of wood, and a sound 

 growing ash tree, are all that is required for the pur- 

 pose ; a hole is bored in the body of the tree, the 

 poor shrew securely plugged in it, and from that 

 moment the branches and leaves of the " shrew-ash " 

 acquire the wonderful property of neutralizing the 

 venom of any number of shrews ! Will it be needful 

 to add seriously that the bite of this little animal is 

 perfectly harmless to man ? 



The common Hedgehog (Erinaceus Europ&us) is so 

 well known here, that in the game preserves and 

 poultry yards it ranks as " vermin," and, we believe, 

 with some reason. It is a very voracious animal, and 

 appears to be omnivorous ; it is said that insects, grubs, 

 worms, larvae, snails, eggs, milk, birds, young rabbits, 

 vipers, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, roots, and fruit are 

 included in its ordinary bill of fare. The most won- 

 derful fact in the history of this animal, is its power of 

 resisting the action of the most deadly poisons ; prussic 

 acid has been administered to it without producing 

 the least apparent effect, baits seasoned with arsenic it 

 will devour with impunity, and it is utterly indifferent 

 to the bite of the viper. We give this on the autho- 

 rity of the Rev. J. G. Wood ; but a contributor to 

 Hardwick's Science Gossip informs us (Vol. II. p. 166) 

 that " Battle's Vermin Killer " is speedily fatal to it. 

 The Reverend gentleman's statement must, therefore, 

 be taken cum grano ; it is certain, however, that the 

 action of prussic acid on different species of animals 

 varies considerably. On one occasion we administered, 

 on a small piece of sponge at the end of a wire, about 



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