ro Christy, The Ancient Legend as to the Hedgehog 



shuffling along with some objects on its back. Looking more closely, 

 he was able to make out that these objects were crabs, evidently stuck 

 upon its spines. As the animal was within a few yards of, and was 

 proceeding directly from, a large crab tree growing in a corner of the 

 same meadow, he concluded, very naturally, that it had obtained the 

 crabs from beneath this tree. I know the tree in question very well 

 and have often seen it ; for it grows little more than half-a-mile from 

 my house. Unfortunately he did not follow the Hedgehog to make 

 further investigations, being (he says) anxious to get home to his 

 supper. Thus, he missed an excellent opportunity of carrying further 

 a very interesting observation. 



V. — Summary and Conclusions. — Now, taking the foregoing 

 statements, records, opinions, and observations, and proceeding to 

 examine them critically all together, what scientific value, as evidence 

 can they be said to have (if any) ? 



In the first place, it is well to note that, although there are some 

 twenty species of the genus Erinaceus distributed throughout the 

 world, there is, in Europe, one single species only, and that it shows 

 extremely little variation. 



In the next place, it should be noted that the Hedgehog-and-Apples 

 legend is at least two thousand years old — more, if it originated with 

 Aristotle, as has been stated; also that it is prevalent throughout 

 practically the whole of Europe. There must have been (one would 

 think) some substratum of actual observed fact, renewed from time to 

 time, to keep any legend of the kind alive so long and to cause it to 

 become so widespread. 



Moreover, it is noticeable that, in most cases, the writer of any 

 statement on the matter ascribes to the Hedgehog a partiality for what- 

 ever particular kind of fruit is abundant in the region of which he 

 writes — apples and pears in England, France, and Germany ; figs in 

 Italy ; grapes in Central France and Germany ; grapes and mulberries 

 in Asia Minor ; and so on. This is a poor argument on which to base 

 any evidence in support of the ancient legend ; but, so far as it goes, 

 it is worth noting. 



Again, the statement by ^lian that Hedgehogs "wallow in places 

 where they dry figs "* has about it a considerable appearance of 

 verisimilitude, being apparently based on actual observation. 



One point which the foregoing observations seem to bring out 

 clearly is that (assuming the Hedgehog really does transport fruit in 

 the way stated), it does so less commonly in England than in Central, 

 Southern, and Eastern Europe. The statements of Pliny and /Elian 



* See ante, p. 2. 



