378 THE STORY OF THE HEDGEHOG. 



sandy country, hiding in holes beneath thorny bushes or in tufts of grass 

 during the day, feeding chiefly on insects, especiahy a species of Blaps, and 

 also on lizards and snails. It makes a grunting noise when irritated, and 

 when touched suddenly jerks up its back soi as tO' throw its spines forward, 

 iinaking at the same time a sound like a puff from a pair of bellows. The 

 Afghan hedgehog feeds on the slugs and snails so^ common in the fields around 

 Kandahar, as well as worms, insects and lizards. It hides during the day in 

 holes ; and hibernates fro^m the end of October or beginning oi November till 

 February. 



Young hedgehogs are pretty little creatures. The mother generally pro- 

 duces from four to six at a birth. In color, they are, at first, a rose-white. 

 When they get to> be the size of a hen's tgg, their prickles are well developed. 

 The mother nurses them for a short time only, and then leaves them tO' shift 

 for themselves, which they are well able toi do. 



Hedgehogs are particularly fond of cockroaches, and people in England 

 often keep them in the kitchen tO' destroy these pests. 



I once saw a hedgehog roll itself intO' a ball and drop a distance of four- 

 teen feet into an area way without doing itself the least damage. This gives 

 a very good idea of the strength of the prickles in its skin. 



