Hedgehog Guests
On the subject of hedgehogs Commander W. M. Phipps Hornby writes from Berwick as follows: The account of Mr. W. A. Thomson's experience with a hedgehog largely bears out my own experience with these animals. Although I have not seen one these two years past, on a number of occasions I have encountered hedgehogs in my garden, and about five years ago a pair spent the summer there. I have found that, except perhaps with very nervous specimens, if I approached carefully, their common reaction has been to half curl up and then watch. When that has happened I have on several occasions, taking care to avoid sudden movement, succeeded in slipping my hand under the animal and picked it up, The pair that spent the summer in the garden were remarkably un-nervous. Even the neat presence of my keeshond bitch did not seem unduly to perturb them. Our most enchant. ing moment was one evening when I picked them both up in 'the kitchen garden a little before dusk. My wife broke a bantam'$ egg into a small dish for them; and our last sight of them was the two side by side, Darby and Joan fashion, tucking into th4 delicacy. One of the pair used subsequently to turn up every now and then at the front door and expect to be fed. He would be taken up and with his ' rations '—a saucer of milk and a bantam's egg broken into a dish–• placed on the lawn. He did not like being watched at his meal; but next morning it would be found to have been consumed, and, for some inscrutable reason, the dish that had contained the egg turned upside down
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