THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



223 



Another very useful mammal, respecting which men have 

 been as much deceived as about the other, is the hedgehog. 



The hedgehog, represented everywhere as a pilferer of 

 our orchards, carrying off apples and pears on its spines to 

 eat them in its retreat, on the contrary never touches any 

 fruit. It is an active flesh-eater, which only feeds on 

 worms, snails, and rodent animals injurious to our dwell- 



Flesh-Eating Coleoptera of the family Carabidac. 

 111. Calosoma sycophanta. 112. Anthia duodecimpunctata. 113. Carabus gryphaut. 



ings. Far from devastating our gardens, it protects them. 

 This is well known in some countries, Astrachan, for in- 

 stance, where it is substituted for the cat in the town 

 houses. 



To these auxiliaries of notable activity must be added an 

 ample host of smaller ones ; the work of which, however, 

 when multiplied by numbers, amounts to a large figure. 

 They are found as a providential compensation in that class 



all they got was a dress of a costly kind and of a very disagreeable smell, so that 

 the fashion soon died out. 



