H2 The Natural History of Selborne 



parturition ; but it is plain 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 

 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. Hedge- 

 hogs make a deep and warm hybernaculum 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. 



I have discovered an anecdote with respect to the fieldfare (Turdus 

 pi/arts}, 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 the heath on our 

 forest. And besides, the larkers in dragging their nets by night 

 frequently catch them in the wheat stubbles ; while the bat-fowlers, 

 who take many redwings in the hedges, never entangle any of this 

 species. Why these birds, in the matter of roosting, should differ 

 from all their congeners, and from themselves also with respect to 

 their proceedings by day, is a fact for which I am by no means able 

 to account. 



I have somewhat to inform you of concerning the moose-deer ; 

 but in general foreign animals fall seldom in my way ; my little 

 intelligence is confined to the narrow sphere of my own observations 

 at home. 



