HEDGEHOG 



3912 



HEDGING 



desirable. The most handsome per- 

 manent hedges are formed by box, 

 yew. or holly, but all these are of 

 slow growth. The best plants to 

 employ are those which can be 

 procured from nurseries, and which 

 have been transplanted two or 

 three times. They should be 

 planted about a foot apart, and 

 left undisturbed for at least a 

 couple of years, in order that they 

 may establish themselves firmly. 



Afterwards they may be cut 

 back at discretion, freely, in order 

 to establish a thick and close blend- 

 ing of the branches at a low level. 

 If cutting back is neglected after 

 the second or third year of estab- 

 lishment the resulting hedge will 

 be thin and " leggy." Yew should 

 never be employed as an outer 

 hedge, i.e. where gardens and pas- 

 ture meet, as cattle will eat it, with 

 injurious and perhaps with fatal 

 consequences. See Fence. 



Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). 

 Common British mammal, belong- 

 ing to a genus with many species in 

 various parts of the world. It is the 

 largest of the British insect-eating 

 animals, and the only one provided 

 with a defensive armour of spines. 

 It is about 10 ins. long, and has a 

 short tail of about 1 in., a snout 

 somewhat like that of a pig, and 

 very short limbs. Hedgehogs have 

 the power of rolling themselves 

 into a ball, with the head and 

 lirnbs tucked in so that nothing 



characterised by the spore-bearing 

 surface taking the form of fleshy, 

 awl -shaped spines instead of the 



Hedgehog. Specimen of the common 

 British variety 



but an array of sharp spines is pre- 

 sented to an enemy. They are noc- 

 turnal in habit, and are seldom 

 seen in the daytime, which they 

 spend asleep in hedges and thickets. 



The food consists of insects, 

 sna kes, worms,snails,and birds' eggs, 

 varied occasionally by small birds 

 and mammals, together with fruit 

 and roots. The hedgehog breeds in 

 summer and early autumn, and pro- 

 duces three or four young ones at a 

 birth. It hibernates during the 

 winter months, sleeping rolled up 

 in a ball beneath a mass of dead 

 leaves or moss. Except where 

 game is preserved, the hedgehog is 

 a harmless animal and is useful in 

 destroying garden pests. 



Hedgehog Mushroom (Hyd- 

 num). Genus of fungi of the natural 

 order Hymenomycetae. They are 



Hedgehog Mushroom. Specimen of 

 the edible Hydnum repandum 



plate-like gills of the common 

 mushroom. Several species are 

 among the best of the edible fungi, 

 notably H. repandum, which grows 

 in woods, sometimes forming rings 

 or a segment of a circle. It has a 

 short, thick stem, and the spines 

 which cover the underside of the 

 cup extend some way down the 

 stem. Its colour is a pale flesh tint. 

 Another good esculent is H. imbri- 

 catum, with rough scaly top of a 

 warm brown colour. 



Hedgehog Plants (Echino- 

 cactus ; Echinopsis). Two genera 

 of succulent, leafless plants of the 

 natural order Cactaceae. Natives 

 of the hot, dry parts of America, 

 they are more or less globular or 



Hedgehog Plant. Specimen of 



Echinocactus melocactus showing, 



left, spines and, right, flower 



cylindrical, with tubercles or 

 ridges that bear bundles of long- 

 spreading spines. The flowers are 

 large and handsome, white, yellow, 

 rose, or purple. Echinocactus vis- 

 naga attains a very large size, and its 

 long spines are used as toothpicks. 



Hedge Hyssop (Gratiola offi- 

 cinalis). Perennial herb of the 

 natural order Scrophulariaceae. A 

 native of Central Europe, it has 

 opposite, lance-shaped leaves with 

 toothed edges, and whitish flowers 

 streaked with purple. Formerly 

 used as a purgative and emetic, it 

 was abandoned in medical practice 

 owing to its dangerous properties. 



Hedgeley Moor. Spot in 

 Northumberland 8 m. N.W. of Aln- 

 wick, famous for the battle fought 



here during the Wars of the Roses, 

 April 25, 1464. The Lancastrians 

 were making a new effort and a 

 party of them met here some York- 

 ists led by Lord Montagu, War- 

 wick's brother. The Lancastrians 

 were worsted, and Sir Ralph Percy, 

 one of their leaders, was killed. 



Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium 

 officinale). Annual herb of the 

 natural order Cruciferae. It is a 

 native of Europe, W. Asia, and N. 

 Africa. The leaves are deeply cut 

 into lance-shaped lobes ; the flowers 

 are pale yellow, and minute, in a 



Hedge Mustard. Flowers and lobed 

 leaves of the wild plant 



spray. Another species is the Garlic 

 mustard (8. alliaria) with kidney- 

 shaped lower leaves, and larger, 

 white flowers, with a strong odour 

 of garlic when bruised. 



Hedge School. Name given to 

 primitive schools in remote dis- 

 tricts of the United Kingdom be- 

 fore the spread of popular educa- 

 tion. They were common in Ireland, 

 especially in Kerry. The school- 

 masters were paid in produce of the 

 soil. The use of the word hedge to 

 imply inferior is exemplified also in 

 such words as hedge priest, hedge 

 marriage, and Shakespeare's hedge- 

 burn (1 Henry VI, iv, 1). 



Hedge Sparrow . Popular name 

 for the British accentor (q.v.). 



Hedging. Art of keeping hedges 

 in order. A newly established hedge 

 must be protected for four years 



L_ 



Hedge Hyssop. Spray of foliage 

 and flowers of the poisonous plant 



