Insectivorous Land Mammals 



not strictly speaking nocturnal, still it is seldom seen 

 on the move before the darkness falls. On a moist, 

 dewy evening, when the moon is lighting up the fields, 

 the Hedgehog may be noted running nimbly along the 

 grassy bank, intent on catching the unwary beetle, 

 snail, or even a worm, that may be abroad. While 

 standing in the shadow of a plantation on such an 

 evening, with a companion, a couple of field-mice ran 

 out from the herbage and scudded across the mac- 

 adamized road. They crossed within a few inches of 

 where I stood. A second later a much larger animal 

 appeared, v/hich I took to be a rat. Before exactly 

 making out the species, the animal struck my boot and 

 rolled over. On putting my hand down I lifted a 

 Hedgehog, and as I held it in my hand I could feel 

 the beating of its little heart through the coil of spikes. 

 Generally speaking, the Hedgehog is a late breeder. 

 Few youngsters are seen before midsummer. These 

 are born in a warm nest of moss, leaves, and fibrous 

 material, usually in a cavity in some uncultivated bank 

 or waste ground. The young are blind at birth. In 

 winter the animal hibernates. 



A casual glance at a dead Mole reveals its remark- 

 able short velvety fur, its peculiarly shaped forearms, 

 and its apparent want of eyes. These three character- 

 istics of the Mole cannot but be apparent to anyone 

 who has seen the carcass of the animal lying by the 

 roadside, where it is not infrequently found. What 



12 



