3o8 NETHER LOCHABER. 



writer, along with a friend, went to the nest, and found a hedgehog 

 sitting on the eggs. Some of them were broken, and the nest in a 

 great mess. Outside there was an empty shell, and a large round 

 hole in it. On this occasion the hedgehog had to pay the extreme 

 penalty. Mentioning these things to the people about, the writer 

 was informed that it was understood generally that hedgehogs 

 destroyed eggs, but it had never been known to them that they 

 attacked young chickens. However, they had never given the 

 matter any attention. Perhaps these facts I have related may be of 

 some use to you in making further inquiries about the hedgehog. 

 At any rate, you may rely on the truth of my statements, as they 

 are no hearsay stories, but facts that took place before my own 

 eyes. Query — Granted that the hedgehog does not eat eggs, then 

 what was he doing in possession of these three different nests % 

 How were the eggs broken ? What animal killed the chickens, if 

 it was not the hedgehog 1 Perhaps a weasel would have done it, 

 but in that case, would the weasel not have iniiicted some serious 

 wound about the throat, and which would have left some bloody 

 marks r' 



Of some half-dozen bird-catchers, or bird-fanciers, as they p^fer 

 calling themselves, that visit the West Highlands professionally 

 from time to time, our favourite is Mackenzie, a north countryman, 

 we believe, as one indeed might readily guess from his surname, 

 and well enough known, we daresay, in and about Inverness, where 

 during our last visit we noticed with pleasure — for it is a good sign 

 of a people — that birds in cages were exceedingly common. " Old 

 Cowie," another of the fraternity, is a respectable man, with more 

 knowledge, perhaps, of things in general than any of his brethren 

 that have chanced to come our way ; but for a knowledge of our 

 native wild-birds, their favourite haunts, food, song, and individual 

 habits — idiosyncrasies — for a knowledge, we say, precise and accu- 

 rate to the most astonishing degree on all those matters, you may 



