!|90jptiTar fflt 



of &ntmattfr 



305 



| bringing many singular birds and curiosities 

 1 of various kinds. One of the former was a 

 young Harpy Eagle, a most ferocious look- 

 ing character, with a harpy's crest and a 

 beak and talons in correspondence. He was 

 turned loose into the garden, and before 

 long gave us a sample of his powers. With 

 erected crest and flashing eyes, uttering a 

 frightful shriek, he pounced upon a young 

 ibis, and quicker than thought had torn his 

 reeking liver from his body. The whole 

 animal world there was wild with fear." No 

 member of the Bird class could look more 

 I fierce and indignant than a noble specimen 

 > of this formidable Eagle, which we saw 

 : some years ago in the Zoological Gardens, 

 j Regent's Park. Its whole aspect was that 

 ! of formidably organized power ; and even 

 the appendage of the crest added much to 

 its terrific appearance. 



HARRIER. A well-known kind of 



hound, remarkable for his sagacity in tracing, 



I and boldness in pursuing Ms game. There 



j are several varieties, but all differing in their 



i services ; some being adapted for one sort of 



j game, and some for another. The best 



breed, and that to which the name is more 



emphatically applied, is the Harrier used 

 for hunting the Hare, which is supposed to 

 have been originally produced by a cross 

 between the Foxhound and the Beagle. The 

 Harrier is generally from sixteen to eighteen 



; inches in height. 



I HART. The name given to a Stag or 



i male Deer, which has completed his fifth 



! year. [See DEER.] 



| HARVEST-FLY. [See CICADA septem- 



i decim.] 



I HAWFINCH. [See GROSBEAK.] 



HAWK. (FalconidcE.} The name by which 

 several birds of prey, closely allied to the 

 Falcons, are designated ; as the Goshawk, 

 i the Sparrow-hawk, &c., which will be found 

 i under their respective names. The beak of 

 the Hawks resembles that of the Falcons in 

 its general form, being curved from the 

 base , but the wings are shorter, and want 

 the pointed tips which are characteristic of 

 that division of the family. The most pow- 

 erful Hawks are found in cold countries, 

 inhabiting hilly districts where there are 

 woods, and seeking their prey near the 

 ground. Among the whole, none is more 

 j bold and pertinacious in pursuit of its prey 

 than the Sparrow-hawk [which see]. In the 

 first volume of Gray and Mitchell's genera 



of Birds will be found descriptions of the nu- 

 merous genera, with references to the greater 

 part of the species, and figures of most of the 

 typical forms. In the List of Birds in the 

 British Museum collection, which is ex- 

 ceedingly rich in the Hawk tribe, will be 

 seen how numerous the species are. We 

 refer those desirous of further information 

 to those two works. 



HAWK-OWL. [See OWLS.] 



HAZEL WORM, a name sometimes ap- 

 plied to the little lizard Anguis fragilis, more 

 commonly called the Blind-worm [which 



see]. 



HEATHCOCK. [See GROUSE.] 



HEDGEHOG. (.Erino.ce.us Europceus. ) 

 The common Hedgehog is found in most 

 of the temperate parts of Europe and Asia ; 

 and though it has a formidable appearance, 

 it is one of the most harmless creatures in 

 existence. It is an insectivorous quadruped, 

 whose generic character may be thus de- 

 scribed : the back covered with sharp 

 strong spines, about an inch long, with the 

 power of rolling itself up in a ball by means 

 of appropriate muscles ; muzzle pointed ; 

 tail short ; and each foot ftve-toed and 

 armed with robust claws : the head is very 

 conical ; the ears short, broad, and rounded ; 

 the eyes prominent ; the body oblong, and 

 conical above ; and the legs short, almost 

 naked, and of a dusky colour. It is about 

 ten inches in length, and its colour is gene- 

 rally a grey-brown. Its close covering of 

 sharp Rpines, which are firmly fixed in its 

 tough skin, and sufficiently elastic to bear 

 great violence without breaking, protects it 

 from falls or blows, and as effectually secures 

 it from the attacks of an enemy ; for when 

 molested, it instantly rolls itself into a kind 

 of ball, and presents nothing but its prickles 

 to the foe ; and the more the animal is irri- 

 tated and alarmed, the more firmly does it 

 contract itself, and the more stiff and strong 

 does its bristly panoply become. Thus 

 rolled up, it patiently waits till the danger 

 is past : the cat, the weasel, the ferret, and 

 the martin soon decline the combat ; and 

 though a well-trained wire-haired terrier, 

 or a fox, may now and then be found to open 

 a Hedgehog, it generally remains impene- 

 trable and secure. From this state of secu- 

 rity, in fact, it is not easily forced ; scarcely 

 anything but cold water obliging it to un- 

 fold itself. 



The usual food of the Hedgehog is beetles, 

 worms, slugs, and snails ; it is also said to de- 

 vour fruit, the roots of plants, and certain 

 other vegetable substances, while it shows 

 itself not so restricted as has been thought in 

 its choice of animal food ; eggs, frdjb, toads, 

 mice, and even snakes occasionally, serving 

 for its repast. The Hedgehog is strictly 

 nocturnal, remaining coiled up in its retreat 

 during the day, and wandering about nearly 

 all the night in search of food. It generally 

 resides in small thickets, in hedges, or in 

 ditches covered with bushes, making a hole 

 about six or eight inches deep, which it 

 lines with moss, grass, or leaves. The hi- 

 bernation of the Hedgehog is undoubted : 



CDS 



