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Zoological Notices. By James Smail, Esq. 



Hedgehogs. — In summer, a boy brought me a hedgehog 

 which he had taken from before a dog, which was trying to 

 worry it. I put the animal into an empty rabbit-house, and a 

 few days afterwards it produced two dead young ones. I re- 

 moved one of the young ones, and two days afterwards I re- 

 moved the other ; and during the following night the hedgehog 

 burrowed under the strong wood-fence which kept it in, and dis- 

 appeared. A rabbit could not have burrowed with better effect. 



I have seen two hedgehogs fight. This was at night-fall, in a 

 wood. They stood on their hind legs and fought dog-fashion ; 

 but they did the worrying without noise. They fought furiously, 

 and did not observe me, although I was within a few feet of 

 them. One of them turned coward, and rolled up ; and I pushed 

 the other out of the way. 



Adders. — Adders are common on Buckholm and Williamlaw 

 hills, at Galashiels ; and in some of the glens of Upper Lauder- 

 dale, they are really numerous, especially so in Blyth water and 

 Erncleuch water. I have seen them now and again, in these 

 glens when fishing in May and June. A year or two ago, when 

 fishing in Erncleuch, I was baiting a hook, my head on a level 

 with the summit of the bank, which was topped by close strong 

 heather. I was facing the bank, and became aware of the ap- 

 proach of an Adder, when it was only about five feet from my 

 face. It was looking right into my eyes, and when it was within 

 a couple of feet of my nose I made a very hurried and I am afraid 

 undignified jump backward into the water. The reptile, no 

 doubt, was for getting into some hole near where I was, and did 

 not mean to bite me. It came too suddenly upon me, however, for 

 me to act in a cool manner. 



Mr Brydon, Burncastle, told me, he had seen an Adder swim 

 across the water ; and he said farmers sometimes lost a ewe, when 

 bitten on the udder by an Adder. A shepherd, at Burncastle, 

 had a donkey, which died from Adder -bite. 



The late Dr Biddell, Earlston, told me he had been twice 

 called in for Adder-bite. Both cases were at Fans, near Earlston. 

 One was the case of a girl who was bitten on the thumb, the 

 other a woman, who was bitten on the foot. The woman's case 

 proved a more serious one than the girl's ; but both recovered in 

 a short time. I have never heard of any person dying from 

 Adder-bite. m 



