The Hedgehog 



broad band of brown colour halfway from the tips, the 

 Hedgehog may be said to be proof against its enemies, 

 for it can then roll itself up on the least sign of danger. 

 These spines encircle the head, clothe the whole upper 

 surface of the body, and curve round the root of the 

 tail. 



The animal itself is about lo inches long, half that 

 in height, and stands about an inch off the soil when 

 walking. The general colouring over the back is 

 brown inclined to grey, with a darker streak across the 

 face, which passes through the region of the eye. 

 Beneath, the spines give place to hairs of various 

 textures, some being bristly and others softish, while 

 the colouring is altogether of a lighter shade compared 

 with that of the back and sides. A Hedgehog's ears 

 and eyes are small — the ears short and oval, the eyes 

 black. For food the animal will practically devour 

 anything in the shape of animal life, even dining on 

 carrion when pressed by circumstances. 



Nature fashioned the Hedgehog as an insectivorous 

 animal, but it has long since departed from this original 

 plan. As an egg-stealer I have known it to carry off a 

 dozen pheasant eggs from under a brooding hen, and 

 after purloining the whole clutch, endeavour to kill and 

 eat the fowl itself While on the hunt, the Hedgehog 

 is not over-particular where it sleeps during the day- 

 time. It will curl itself up by a gatepost and feel 

 quite secure, or crawl into any hole until the darkness 

 enables it to resume its search for food. Although 



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