74 Quadrupeds. 



IT. Insectivorous, or Insect-eating Animals. 



THE HEDGEHOG. (Erinaceus Europeans.) 



THIS animal is something like a porcupine in miniature, 

 and is covered all over with strong and sharp spines or 

 prickles, which he erects when irritated. His common 

 food consists of worms, slugs, and snails ; and thus, far 

 from being a noxious animal in a garden, he is a very 

 useful one, as he feeds upon all the insects he can find. 

 Hedgehogs inhabit most parts of Europe. Notwith- 

 standing its formidable appearance, it is one of the most 

 harmless animals in the world. While other creatures 

 trust to their force, their cunning, or their swiftness, 

 this quadruped, destitute of all, has but one expedient 

 for safety, and from this alone it generally finds protec- 

 tion. The instant it perceives an enemy, it withdraws 

 all its vulnerable parts, rolls itself into a ball, and pre- 

 sents nothing to view but a round mass of spines, im- 

 pervious on every side. When the Hedgehog is thus 

 rolled up, the cat, the weasel, the ferret, and the marten, 

 after wounding themselves with the prickles, quickly 

 decline the combat ; and the dog himself generally 

 spends his time in empty menaces rather than in effec- 

 tual efforts, while the little animal waits patiently till its 

 enemy, by retiring, affords an opportunity for retreat. 



The female produces from two to four young ones at a 

 birth. When first born they are blind, and their spines 

 white and soft, but they become hard in a few days. 



