IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 47 
back. After a while, she had a family of kittens, which she was 
careful to put on a table out of Mr. Spot's way. But one day when 
she was out, he managed to climb up by the table leg, and he at 
once pushed one of the kittens off, then rolled off himself — for 
Hedgehogs can roll from great heights without hurt — and snatch- 
ing the kitten, was dragging it off to his hole, when Madam Puss 
came back. She flew at him, but only got her nose full of prickers. 
He would not give up the kitten, and Puss fought like any other 
mother, to save her baby. At last the owner of both had to in- 
terfere and take the little creature aw r ay. 
That settled the matter of even a show of friendship, for never 
again did cat and Hedgehog lie together on the hearth. 
Hedgehogs are useful as food, cooked in various ways. Gypsies 
and other wanderers in Europe have a curious way. The animal is 
rolled up in a thick layer of clay. The whole bundle is then put on 
the fire and baked till the clay is hard and cracks. It is then taken 
off, and broken open, when the skin comes off with the clay and 
Mr. Hedgehog is ready for the table — or the fingers, more likely, 
I'm afraid. 
The most curious use to which Hedgehogs are put, is in 
medicine — or was long ago. One wise and grave writer gives direc- 
tions for making a wonderful eye salve, that would enable a person to 
see as w 7 ell by night as by day. It was made by taking the right 
eye of a Hedgehog, frying it in oil, and keeping in a brass vessel for 
a long time. The fried eye imparts its virtues to the oil, and to 
this day country people in England think his fat is good for deaf- 
ness. 
