INSECTIVORA 



85 



it will also eat young chickens and game birds^ 

 snakes and vipers. It has been accused of egg 

 stealing, but Mr. Millais defends"^ the urchin on this 

 count by saying that he could not crack the egg, and 

 his gape is not wide enough to swallow any egg 

 larger than a sparrow^s. Anyway, he is on the 

 gamekeeper's black list as an enemy to be slain. 

 He is said to kill snakes and vipers by giving them 

 a sharp bite through the tail, then promptly rolling 



Fig. 29. 



-Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europxus). 

 by W. S. Berridge.) 



(Photo, from life 



himself up. The viper, irritated by the pain of the 

 bite, lashes itself to death by trying to strike its 

 spiny enemy. 



Old writers relate that the hedgehog will suck 

 the udders of cows at pasture. This has never been 

 stated authoritatively, but hedgehogs are fond of fre- 

 quenting cow pastures, and will hunt round the dung 

 for the insects that lurk there, and as Sir Harry 

 * Loc. cit., vol. i, p. 58. 



