Traveller,

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1869, 6 February 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

Traveller,

A Hedgehog's Dinner. The Ingenious Stratagem by Which the Little Thing Slew a snake. «• Are snake stories in season ?" asked & man who returned recently from a fishing trip. 11 Always," replied the reporter. " Well, I havß one which I think ia a little different from the usual run. While I was up in the woods I witnessed a most remarkable fight. It was nothing less than a pitohed battle between a snake and a hedgehog. I was sitting on a rock in the shade when I saw the hedgehog. I had my gun in my hand and was about to fire at the animal when something peculiar in his aotions caused me to wait and see what he was up to. H« was crawling along the ground cautiously. Looking ahead of him a few feet I saw a big snake coiled up, evidently asleep. The hedgehog stole up noiselessly within about three feet of the reptile, then suddenly sprang forward and oaught the snake's tail in his teeth. Then, quick as a flash he rolled himself into a ball and seemed to be awaiting an attack. 41 The snake, so rudely awakened from its slumber, came angrily toward its enemy and began striking at him with its fangs. A« each bite the snake's mouth was lacerated by the hedgehog's quille. This, of course, made the reptile furious and it darted back and forth, first to one side then the other, of it's asailant . " The latter, watching a favorable opportunity, sprang forward and again seized the snake's tail in his teath, then rolled himself up as before. " The snake struggled and bit, and twisted this way and that, but the hedgehog still held on. The reptile waa bleeding at the mouth and began to show eigns of exhaustion, bus it kept up the struggle as long as it was abls to move. Finally, when it was completely played out it became still. The hedgehog then unrolled himself, ripped the snake open, and proceeded Leisurely to devour it. I didn't shoot the hedgehog, concluding that an animal which showed such intelligence and was so adept at snake-killing was worthy to live.