THE HEDGEHOG 



231 



ball with the conjunction of head and bird, if they could get a grip of her. I 

 tail towards the ground — the interest of would say the same of badgers, foxes 

 these facts is materially heightened. stoats, weasels, otters, polecats, squirrels 



Remembering the character of the and rats. I would say the same of many 

 Hedgehog's natural food, 

 which consists of worms, 

 grubs, snails, beetles, lizards, 

 meadow mice, and generally 

 such small creatures as he 

 can catch by snouting at 

 sundown ; remembering also 

 that his hibernation is, as 

 a rule, unbroken, it is not 

 surprising to find that he 

 makes no provision against 

 the winter. Unfortunately 

 for himself the Hedgehog is 

 unable to discriminate be- 

 tween what is (humanl}') 

 lawful food and what is un- 

 lawful. Where an animal 

 is suspected of damaging 

 either the eggs or young 

 of game, it is difficult to 

 get a fair hearing for e\-i- 

 dence in his favour, but 

 the conclusion that, because 

 a Hedgehog may be caught 

 in a gin baited with a 

 broken pheasant's egg and 

 set in his usual run, a 

 Hedgehog must of necessity 

 be a stealer of pheasants' 

 eggs, is, on the face of it. 

 absurd, and the capture of 

 a hundred Hedgehogs de- 

 V o u r i n g pheasants' eggs 

 would hardly justify the 

 game - keeper's gibbet. I 

 have seen a song- thrush 

 peck a litter of harvest mice 

 to pieces in hay-time, but 

 I should not feel justified 

 on that account (though 

 harvest mice are dear to 



me) in shooting every thrush, and every birds, but I should try to present the 

 bird I thought looked like a thrush, at case fairly, and, if I were successful. I 

 sight. I should try rather to consider should convince my questioner that the 

 whether anything could be put to the day when the last of the " vemiin " was 

 credit side. Were a game-preserver to destroyed would be a bad day for " land." 

 ask me to give an unbiased opinion as The possibihty of Hedgehogs preymg on 



to whether Hedgehogs were destructive snakes is of some interest, and a few 

 to game. I would answer that they were, years back I had the curiosity to invcsti- 

 That thev would eat the eggs if thev gate the mutual relations between Hedge- 

 could crack them ; the young, if thev hogs and \'ipers. More recently I have 

 could catch them ; and even the hen exj)erimcnted with Hedgehogs and Grass- 



THE SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF THE UNCOILING OF A 

 HEDGEHOG FROM THE "NAUTILUS" POSITION. 



