Midsummer to Michaelmas 
pretty and graceful ! The Quaking Grass has been lovely. 
I do like the old names for it so much ! — Panick Grass and 
Ladies’-hair Grass. The French name is Amourettes trem- 
blantes. The yellow Bartonia beside it in the border is 
not, I think, very pretty. The Syringa is beginning to go 
over, but the perfume of the Cherry-laurel is rivalling it in 
the air. Syringa is really the right name for Lilac, but has 
somehow always clung to the Mock Orange, which some 
people are trying to get called by its proper name of Phila- 
delphus. As I was busy to-day raking dead leaves from 
around the roots of some laurels, which form a shrubbery 
in the deep shade of the old “ Bloody Beech ” ( Scottice for 
Copper Beech), where they do harm if they congregate, I 
unearthed a family of Hedgehogs, a mother and three dear 
little Hedgepigs. Of course, on being touched, Master Piggy 
promptly rolled himself into a ball and lay on his back in 
my hand, winking up at me with a cunning eye. So I put 
him down, and Boy and I covered them up again with the 
dead leaves, and I put a saucerful of milk near them. 
Boy was exceedingly delighted with them, and stood a long 
time watching them as they moved faintly and uneasily 
under the leaves. He has been reading Mrs. Ewing’s 
charming story, “ Father Hedgehog and his Neighbours,” 
so was particularly interested in this little family. In Sir 
Thomas Browne’s “ Vulgar Errors,” he mentions a curious 
receipt for seeing in the dark : “ Boil the right eye of a 
Hedgehog in oil, and keep it in a brass pot ! ” Late in the 
evening I went again to look at the Hedgehogs, and saw 
two times rambling about under the Copper Beech. I put 
a handful of Red Valerian leaves and flowers close to the 
milk, in hopes they might fancy it, as Mrs. Ewing says they 
are partial to Valerian. I wonder if it is true they roll 
about on purpose in the dead leaves till they get all 
covered with leaves sticking on their spines, in order to 
keep themselves warm in winter ? It is said Hedgehogs 
kill Adders, and never seem to suffer from the poison. It 
is curious that swine likewise kill snakes. I hope the 
Gamekeeper will not find my interesting proteges , as in that 
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