272 NOVEMBER 



the kitchen table. It is as tame as any dog, and though 

 it cannot wag a tail, expresses pleasure at its kindly recep 

 tion. The meal concluded, it took off to its other night 

 time occupations, and disappears into the night, no one 

 knows where. What is certain is that, like the othei 

 hedgehog at the drinking pond, it has not yet retired into 

 hibernation. These creatures of the night are, of course a 

 very difficult to observe ; but they are singularly punc 

 tual to their hours. There is, for example, a particular 

 badger (living on the edge of a Herefordshire wood) 

 which always emerges from its earth at 9.15 p.m. pre 

 cisely. Its punctuality has enabled a local dweller, who 

 has a genius for such observation, to exhibit the animal 

 to friends who have not seen the animal in the wild. 



The tortoise and the hedgehog who come to the garden 

 drinking pond meet, as at an African jungle pond, very 

 various boon companions. Rabbits come, and hares. 

 Doubtless neither is a good gardener. The rabbit is in 

 ordinately fond of cabbage, and the hare of anything that 

 looks at all like a carnation ; but these rabbits and hares 

 are more congenial than most of their tribe. The garden 

 is cabbageless ; and though there are carnations, the 

 hares prefer to nibble a rock moss that flourishes there. 

 It is regrettable, but true, that a grey squirrel who visits 

 the pond is welcomed ; and no crime or sin is set to his 

 charge. He has not eaten peaches (as in other gardens) 

 or plums ; nor has he been observed to harry birds or 

 their nests. Perhaps one reason is that wild hazel nuts 

 are plenty. Many of the mammals are thirsty creatures. 

 I know one garden pool that, unlike this, is deep and with 

 overhanging sides, which proved fatal to a grey squirrel 

 and a fox during one week, which was the peak of a spell 

 of heat and drought. Ponds meant to be a lure to any 

 sort of creature should be shelving and shallow* 



