" YOUNG WISDOM," THE LITTLE OWL 479 



himself up in a ball, and then, waiting till the supposed living snake was still, made 

 a startling, sudden spring upon it. After that I saw him play with it, almost as a 

 cat does with a mouse, darting upon it, retiring, playing possum, seizing it again 

 in his teeth, until he tired of it and went rolling back to his bed. 



Spines enjoyed being stroked. It may seem a rather difficult task to stroke a 

 hedgehog without painful results ; but I used a small stick, and Spines would 

 stretch himself out to get the full enjoyment of my rasping ; or he would ask to 

 be rubbed with one's boot, and I have often sat in front of the fire with the funny 

 creature stretched out in front of me, enjoying the warmth on one side and the 

 toe of my boot on the other. He had also a taste for blacking, and occasionally 

 would come out whilst I was at work at my desk and lick my boots. 



He would amble off into the garden, when allowed, and lose himself ; but I 

 generally found him easily the next morning by means of my saucer, for he would 

 come out of his hiding-place at the sound of its clicking. 



The next-door neighbour's dog met him in the early stages of our acquaintance 

 and did his best to kill him. Spines rolled himself up and didn't budge. I heard 

 a most fearful commotion and went out to see what was the matter. Spines had 

 lost a great many of his prickles, and the dog had a cheval-de-frise all round his 

 nose and mouth, and was very considerably astonished. 



As my hedgehog got more familiar, he used to go down into a little conserva- 

 tory and bask there in the heat. And Plate I. shows him in that attitude. 

 I fancy this must be almost a unique picture of a living hedgehog, lying on his 

 side, with eyes half shut, and little paws almost pathetically held out. But in 

 that attitude he would lie for a long time, and allow himself to be tickled under- 

 neath. He was an " amusin' little cuss," as Artemus Ward puts it, and I was 

 very sorry when some stupid person left my garden door open one day and Spines 

 did not respond to the chinking of his saucer. 



One thing I learnt from him which I shall not forget. He could bite, upon 

 occasion ! 



No. 5. " YOUNG WISDOM," THE LITTLE OWL. 



The little owl (Athene noctua noctua) has been reintroduced into this country 

 of recent years, and has settled down with a vengeance ; for already complaints 

 have been heard of its depredations amongst young pheasants and partridges 

 on one hand, and many of the smaller birds on the other. The bird must, however, 

 do an immense amount of good in its way, as generally its food consists of grass- 

 hoppers, chafers, and other insects. I have dissected a good many of its castings, 

 and found large quantities of the wing-cases of beetles predominating. 



An enterprising Nature student in my neighbourhood introduced two pairs of 

 these birds some years ago, and I have no doubt that it was in consequence of his 

 action that one spring morning a breathless boy arrived at my door with news 

 of a strange " crittur with glittering eyes," that had been heard in an empty house 

 not a hundred yards away, and was now " looking out o' the winder." 



Needless to say, I followed him to the scene, and found, sure enough, a tiny 

 heap staring out of a bedroom window. We went round the house, and I played 

 successfully the part of a burglar, and forced a window (I hope the landlord won't 

 see this). It was thus that I found Wisdom, a diminutive bird, 9 inches long 

 when full grown, with pale yellow eyes. If Truth gets to the bottom of the well, 



