HEDGEHOG. 105 



slugs, and snails; but it goes higher in the scale of gastro- 

 nomic enjoyment, devouring frogs, toads, mice, and even 

 snakes. The mode in which it attacks the latter animals 

 is given in a manner worthy of the good old historian of 

 Selborne himself, in a communication by Mr. Broderip, 

 in the first volume of the Zoological Journal. The expe- 

 riment was made by Professor Buckland, and is thus de- 

 tailed : " Having occasion to suspect that Hedgehogs, 

 occasionally at least, preyed on snakes, the professor pro- 

 cured a common snake, and also a Hedgehog, and put 

 them into a box together. Whether or not the former 

 recognized its enemy was not apparent ; it did not dart 

 from the Hedgehog, but kept creeping gently round the 

 box ; the Hedgehog was rolled up, and did not appear to 

 see the snake. The professor then laid the Hedgehog 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 Hedgehog 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 motionless. The Hedgehog then placed 

 itself at the tip of the snake's tail, and began to eat up- 

 wards, as one would eat a radish, without intermission, 

 but slowly, till half the snake was devoured. The fol- 

 lowing morning the remaining half was also completely 

 eaten up." 



The fondness of the Hedgehog for insects occasions it 

 to be kept in many houses in London for the purpose of 



P 



