540 
MISCELLANEA. 
half declared the mare insensible to pain. Mr. Stanley immedi- 
ately began operating. On the application of the iron there was 
no shrinking or starting ; the burning was continued with the ap- 
plication of fresh irons, and the incisions were unusually deep, the 
case being a long standing one. There was an occasional struggle, 
which Dr. Wise said was caused by the dropping of chloroform 
from the sponge into the nostril. When the operation, which oc- 
cupied from a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes, was completed, 
the shackles were removed, and the animal remained perfectly 
quiet, as if in easy sleep ; the legs were moved about by the by- 
standers, and remained where they were placed. After a short 
time, the mare opened her eyes languidly. A little cold water 
was then thrown upon her head, and she started to her legs and 
looked about rather wildly. Water and hay were then offered to 
her, and she readily ate and drank. When she was first thrown 
her pulse was at 46 ; when the operation was about half com- 
pleted, it was 43; and when it had ended, it had sunk to 40; 
shewing that, even during this very severe operation, the system, 
under the influence of the chloroform, was gradually recovering 
from the excitement caused by throwing. After such experience 
as this, we cannot imagine that any one who has an animal which 
it may be requisite to submit to the severe operation of firing, will 
suffer that operation to be performed in any other way than the one 
we have described . — Banbury Guardian. 
The Hedgehog. 
The other day a friend of mine caught a hedgehog, probably 
about a month old. It was placed on a large grass-plot in the 
evening ; and being wishful to know what really was the food of 
this animal, I kept close to it as it walked about fearlessly around 
my feet. Tt ate grubs and toad-stools, and seemed to relish them 
very much. I captured a young sparrow, nearly fledged, but not 
able to fly. I placed this before the hedgehog. He turned up his 
little snout, and seeing the sparrow running and fluttering, he im- 
mediately gave chase and caught him, and began eating it, begin- 
ning at the head first, swallowing feathers and all. You hear people 
continually crying out against the poor hedgehog for sucking the 
cows’ teats in the fields, and thereby robbing the owners of a quan- 
tity of milk. The hedgehog, I know, is often seen, particularly 
early in the morning, close to the cow’s udder. Why is this 1 
Simply because he has come to feed upon the insects which have 
collected there to suck up the moisture which exudes from the 
udder and teats. If any body could give me positive proof of their 
having seen the hedgehog sucking the teats of a cow, I should be 
extremely astonished and obliged. — Zoologist. 
