238 WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



another copse. In the " rowetty " grass on the bank 

 or in the hollow places, under fallen leaves and trailing 

 ivy, the hedgehog hides during the day, so completely 

 concealed that while the sun shines it is extremely 

 difficult to find one without a dog. 



A spaniel racing down the mound will pounce on 

 the spot and scratch the hedgehog out in a moment ; 

 then, missing the dog, you presently hear a whining 

 kind of bark half rage, half pain and know imme- 

 diately what he is doing. He is trying to unroll the 

 hedgehog, who, so soon as he felt the approach of 

 the enemy, curled himself into a ball, with the sharp 

 spines sticking out everywhere. The spaniel, snap- 

 ping at the animal, runs these quills deep into his 

 jowl ; he draws back, snaps again, shakes his head, 

 and then tries a third time, with blood spots round 

 his mouth. Every repulse embitters him his semi- 

 whine expresses intense annoyance and if left alone 

 there he would stay till covered with blood. 



But the older dogs sometimes learn the trick : they 

 then roll the hedgehog over with a paw, touching it 

 gently, so as not to run the spines in, till the depres- 

 sion comes uppermost where the hedgehog has tucked 

 his head inwards. This is the only vulnerable place, 

 and with one desperate bite the dog thrusts his teeth 

 in there, seizes the nose, and then has the hedgehog in 

 his power. The young of the hedgehog are amusing 

 little things, and try to roll themselves up in precisely 

 the same manner ; but they cannot close the aperture 

 where they tuck their heads in so completely. Though 



