I feel sure that the majority of my friends in Blogland will be lovers of Hedgehogs. Indeed as they are rather attractive living creatures I like them too. There is however a very big ‘but’ attached to my that sentiment. They have only relatively recently been introduced into the western Isles and the damage they do to the ground-nesting bird population is enormous. I had evidence of that excellent nourishment when I found this chap in the garden a few weeks ago. He was the largest Hedgehog I had ever seen.
Oddly looking at him now I can only think about my very first encounter with a hedgehog when I was a small child. We were holidaying in the Glyn Valley in Wales and there was a group of travelling people in the valley and, being an inquisitive child I went off to talk to them. They told me they were Didicoys. Until I just looked up Didicoy on Wikipedia I thought that Didicoys were Gypsies but I see that there is actually a subtle difference. No matter. They told me that the hedgehogs were very important to them as a source of food. They used to cover them in clay and bake them in the camp fire. The spines came off with the clay when they had baked. I have to say that this splendid chap would have made a very good meal. For someone else. At moments like that I become a vegetarian!
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