Mr Smail's Zoological Notes in 1869. 97 



by flying at me repeatedly as I handled the young, which 

 were just ( ripe.' The cock flew oftenest at me, but of course 

 both birds swerved when they neared my face. I should 

 state that the nest was placed under the branches of a large 

 bush of heather growing on the top of a rock, which stands 

 about ten feet above the burn in which I was fishing. 



Litter of Hedgehogs. — On 23rd June, a Hedgehog, which 

 had been put into a friend's garden a few days before, pro- 

 duced three young. The nest was made of a large lot of 

 tangled grass-roots, and was placed in a hole made by the 

 animal, between a large sheltering flower-bush and the garden 

 wall. It was well hidden. The young were at three days 

 old covered on the back only, the bristles being nearly as soft 

 as grass. The head, legs, and belly were quite bare, and of a 

 dull cream colour. At nine days one of them partly opened 

 an eye ; but in a few days more the mother, doubtless terri- 

 fied or irritated by being so frequently disturbed, killed the 

 progeny and partly devoured them. For a time she left the 

 young, covered up, during the day, and hid herself in another 

 hole which she made. An egg and milk were put near the 

 nest at night, and these were, with one or two exceptions, 

 eaten ere morning. 



Note on Lampris guttatus, Retz, — the Opah or King-fish. 

 Communicated by the Rev. J. Dixon Clark, Belford Hall. 



A specimen of this rare fish was washed ashore near Budle 

 Bay, in the month of February. When first found, it was in 

 a perfect state, but some boys not knowing its value greatly 

 disfigured it. It is of a beautiful gold and silver colour, with 

 large spots ; and is about 36 inches long, 22 inches across the 

 back, and 4 stones weight. It is a native of the seas of China 

 and Japan, and has seldom been seen in northern waters. 

 Pennant, in his British Zoology, gives an account of one 

 having been found on the sands at Blyth, in Northumber- 

 land, in the year 1769. 



