Voices of the Night 



winter's night I was startled upon emerging from a 

 dense wood by hearing a rabbit give vent to the most 

 piercing shrieks a little way ahead of me. I made 

 straight for the place, but upon approaching the spot 

 the cries ceased, and, having nothing in the nature of 

 an electric torch or other light with me at the time, 

 was not able to trace the precise location of the animal 

 in distress, so went on home. I was on the spot before 

 dawn next morning and found an old doe rabbit, blind 

 in one eye, alive in a snare. She was terribly scared, 

 but when I released her scampered off to her home in 

 the adjoining wood, apparently little the worse for her 

 unpleasant experience. 



Hedgehogs upon occasion produce weird sounds by 

 night, very puzzling even to the ear of the field 

 naturalist, and when in trouble are capable of creating 

 the most diabolical din. A friend who lives in the 

 country heard some animal one dark night giving vent 

 to the most heartrending squeals. Securing a lantern 

 he sallied forth, and was surprised to discover that the 

 prodigious din was being created by a hedgehog in a 

 trap. 



Nearly everybody, in the country at any rate, is 

 familiar with the call notes of the landrail or corncrake. 

 Many people think the bird is a ventriloquist, because 

 it appears able to make its voice sound from first one 

 quarter and then another of the field wherein it lives. 

 This illusion is occasionally brought about by the answer- 

 ing voice of a rival and at others by the bird itself. 

 When a landrail is calling it sometimes does so with its 



13 



