HEDGEHOGS. 109 



its head down, erects its bristles like a crest, and utters little 

 short grunts; sometimes they make this grunting noise at night. 

 In the cauldron scene in Macbeth Shakespeare makes the Second 

 Witch say, " Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined." 



In the colder parts of Europe the hedgehog becomes torpid 

 in winter, and lies asleep for months in a nest of moss or leaves, 

 usually in a hole or sheltered hollow. I do not know how long it 

 hibernates in New Zealand. It wakes up in spring, very hungry, 

 and in its excursions, which are undertaken at night, it proceeds 

 to make up for lost time, and runs about with a quick shuffling 

 gait. It is particularly fond of beetles, but it eats all sorts of 



[./. Macdonald, photo. 

 FIG. 14. THE HEDGEHOG. 



insects, as well as worms, slugs, and small snails. Occasionally it 

 goes for bigger things, such as frogs and mice, young birds, and 

 especially eggs. It has been credited with turning a hen off her 

 nest and eating her eggs. Sometimes it eats vegetables, and I 

 am told that about Christchurch it digs the potatoes out of the 

 rows. On the whole, however, it is a beneficial animal in a garden. 



The first hedgehogs brought into New Zealand were received 

 in 1870 by the Canterbury Acclimatization Society, which got a 

 pair, but I do not know what came of them. 



In 1885 a shipment of one hundred was made to the Otago 

 Society, but only three survived the voyage. These were liberated 

 in a suburban garden, but were very sluggish, though the weather 



