... . Hedgehogs abound in my gardens and fields. 



The manner in which they eat the roots of the 

 plantain in my grass-walks is very curious. With 

 their upper mandible [or jaw], which is much longer than their 

 lower, they bore under the plant, and so eat the root off upwards, 

 leaving the tuft of leaves untouched. In this respect they are 

 serviceable, as they destroy a very troublesome weed ; but they 

 deface the walks in some measure by digging 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 ; or 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 can, 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 muscle, that enables the creature to roll itself 

 up in a ball, was not then arrived at its full tone and firmness. 



Hedgehogs make a deep and warm retreat with leaves and moss, 

 in which they conceal themselves for the winter : but I never could 

 find that they stored in any winter provision, as some quadrupeds 

 certainly do. G. W. 



