386 
HONEY.—HEDGEHOG. 
hearing of one another, and seemingly taking pride 
in responding ; on these nights I found that each 
continued its warble a certain space of time, and 
then ceased to allow another the same duration of 
song. I have heard a small party of these birds 
during summer within a gunshot of the eastern end 
of Plymouth, and I have also heard an individual 
in a garden in the town itself. Setting their winter 
songs out of the question, they seem to commence 
their vernal notes indicative of nidification in the 
beginning of April should the weather be suitable. 
Honey .—Hancock (“ On Instinct”) says that the 
honey made in different localities of England and 
Ireland varies in quality and flavour. With regard 
to Devon and Cornwall this is found to be true, as 
the honey made in the vicinity of our heaths, where 
little but that flower and wild thyme is obtainable 
by bees, is very rich and singular in taste. 
The Hedgehog notwithstanding the persecutions 
to which it is subjected, is tolerably plentiful with 
us, living chiefly in thickets and hedges producing 
much shelter. It is a night feeder, and by standing 
quite still on moonlight evenings of summer in spots 
where urchins occur, you may see them issue forth 
and run actively over the turf to secure worms, &c. 
On opening a hedgehog November 4th, 1830, I 
found in its stomach a great quantity of earth worms, 
and an eqnal number of beetles, besides which there 
were fragments of the blades and roots of grass; the 
worms had been swallowed after having been bitten 
through at one spot of the middle of the animals. 
When I kept a hedgehog in confinement, I placed 
some worms enveloped in very thick paper in its 
cage, and I saw the animal presently advance and 
tear open the parcel to devour the contents, so that 
it appears likely they capture this portion of their 
food by the means of scent. When seized by a dog 
the hedgehog emits a cry very similar to that of an 
