THE HEDGEHOG OR URCHIN. 253 



and cosy nook that presents itself, is in the first 

 place the cause of the mischief. Finding a rabbit- 

 stop during the absence of the mother, the hedge- 

 hog creeps in to enjoy the warmth of the nest at 

 the end of the shallow hole. Whether or not he 

 eats the young makes little difference. Their 

 chances of a healthy survival are small with a 

 hedgehog as temporary bed-mate. His first in- 

 tention is not, probably, to destroy. He may 

 already have fed, and is merely in search of 

 warmth and sleep. The idea of eating the 

 youngsters presumably occurs to him as an after- 

 thought ; and having gorged, he sleeps again, in 

 all probability occupying the stop for three days 

 or so. He may even finally make his home there. 



The sentiments of the mother-rabbit on return- 

 ing, to find the narrow hole filled from top to 

 bottom and from side to side by a stubborn ball of 

 prickles, can well be imagined. Her helplessness is 

 complete, and realising this, she promptly forsakes 

 the nest. 



Having once profited in this manner by the 

 discovery of a rabbit-nest, a hedgehog quickly 

 acquires the habit of hunting for such places. 

 Thus a single urchin may make enormous inroads 

 into the rabbit population of a given area during 

 the spring and summer. In Upper Wharfedale 

 hedgehogs are particularly numerous, and times 

 without number I have thrust my hand into 

 a stop presumably containing young rabbits to 

 find a hedgehog occupying it. Indeed, it was 

 the exception rather than otherwise for a rabbit 

 nesting on a certain sandy hillside to bring off 

 her brood successfully ; usually she was victimised 

 by the hedgehogs a day or two after her young 

 were born, and on numerous occasions we have 



