100 NATURAL HISTORY 
ging little round holes. It appears that beetles are 
no inconsiderable part of their food. In June last 
I procured a litter of four or five young hedgehogs, 
which appeared to be about five or six days old; 
they, I find, like puppies, are born blind, and could 
not see when they came to my hands. No doubt 
their spines are soft and flexible at the time of their 
birth: but it is plain that they soon harden; for 
these little pigs had such stiff prickles on their 
backs and sides as would easily have fetched blood 
had they not been handled with caution. Their 
spines are quite white at this age; and they have 
little hanging ears, which I do not remember to be 
discernible in the old ones. They ean, in part, at 
this age, draw their skin down over their faces, but 
are not able to contract themselves into a ball, as 
they do, for the sake of defence, when full grown. 
The reason, I suppose, is, because the curious mus- 
cle that enables the creature to roll itself up in a 
ball was not then arrived at its full tone and firm- 
ness. Hedgehogs make a deep and warm hyber- 
naculum with leaves and moss, in which they con. 
ceal themselves for the winter ; but I never could 
find that they stored in any winter provision, as 
some quadrupeds certainly do. 
I have discovered an anecdote with respect to 
the Firtprare (turdus pilaris) which I think is 
particular enough ; this bird, though it sits on trees 
in the daytime, and procures the greatest part of 
its food from white-thorn hedges ; yea, moreover, 
builds on very high trees, as may be seen by the 
Fauna Suecica, yet always appears with us to roost 
on the ground. ‘They are seen to come in flocks 
just before it is dark, and to settle and nestle among 
