HEDGEHOG KIND. 205 



it perceives itself attacked, it withdraws all its 

 vulnerable parts, rolls itself into a ball, and pre- 

 sents nothing but its defensive thorns to the ene- 

 my : thus, while it attempts to injure no other 

 quadruped, they are equally incapable of injuring 

 it; like those knights we have somewhere read 

 of, who were armed in such a manner, that they 

 could neither conquer others, nor be themselves 

 overcome. 



This animal is of two kinds ; one with a nose 

 like the snout of a hog ; the other more short 

 and blunt, like that of a dog. That with the 

 muzzle of a dog is the most common, being about 

 six inches in length from the tip of the nose to 

 the insertion of the tail. The tail is little more 

 than an inch long ; and so concealed by the 

 spines as to be scarcely visible : the head, back, 

 and sides, are covered with prickles ; the nose, 

 breast, and belly, are covered with fine soft 

 hair ;* the legs are short, of a dusky colour, 

 and almost bare ; the toes on each foot are five 

 in number, long and separated ; the prickles are 

 about an inch in length, and very sharp pointed ; 

 their lower part is white, the middle black, and 

 the points white : the eyes are small, and placed 

 high in the head ; the ears are round, pretty 

 large, and naked ; the mouth is small, but well 

 furnished with teeth ; these, however, it only 

 uses in chewing its food, but neither in attacking 

 or defending itself against other animals. Its 

 only reliance, in cases of danger, is on its spines : 



* Praeputium propendens. Linnrei Syst. 75. And of the female he might 

 have said, resupina copulatur. 



