CHAPTER XXXIX. GROUND 

 VERMIN. 



THE HEDGEHOG. 



A LTHOUGH the hedgehog be decidedly vermin, it is 

 jfjL not generally so held except by gamekeepers, the 

 majority of whom kill it when caught, and compass its 

 destruction whenever evidence of its mischievousness is 

 apparent. It is mostly regarded as living entirely on insects 

 and such reptiles as it can discover in these islands, but 

 it really is as destructive amongst young game as it can 

 well be, considering its comparatively slow movements and 

 the difficulty such a rough-bodied, short-legged animal must 

 have in passing over uneven and overgrown ground. 



There is no need to describe the appearance of the 

 hedgehog, for there are few other common objects of the 

 country better known. It has a great variety of names 

 in different parts, and, independent of many local ones, 

 it is also termed " urchin," " furzepig," and " hedgepig," in 

 reference probably to its prickly shield or to its favourite 

 haunts. 



The hedgepig is fairly plentiful all over the country, 



