HEDGEHOG KIND. 211 



animal's skin, in the same manner as feathers are 

 found to grow upon birds. It is within side 

 spongy, like the top of a goose-quill ; and of dif- 

 ferent colours, being white and black alternately, 

 from one end to the other. The biggest are often 

 found fifteen inches long, and a quarter of an 

 inch in diameter ; extremely sharp, and capable 

 of inflicting a mortal wound. They seem harder 

 than common quills, being difficult to be cut, and 

 solid at that end which is not fixed in the skin. 

 If we examine them in common, as they grow 

 upon the animal, they appear of two kinds ; the 

 one such as I have already described, the other 

 long, flexible, and slender, growing here and 

 there among the former. There is still another 

 sort of quills, that grow near the tail, white and 

 transparent, like writing quills, and that seem to 

 be cut short at the end. All these quills, of what- 

 ever kind, incline backwards, like the bristles of 

 a hog ; but when the animal is irritated, they rise 

 and stand upright, as bristles are seen to do. 



Such is the formation, of this quadruped in 

 those parts in which it differs from most others : 

 as to the rest of its figure, the muzzle bears some 

 resemblance to that of a hare, but black ; the legs 

 are very short, and the feet have five toes, both 

 before and behind; and these, as well as the 

 belly, the head, and all other parts of the body, 

 are covered with a sort of short hair, like prickles, 

 there being no part, except the ears and the sole 

 of the foot, that is free from them ; the ears are 

 thinly covered with very fine hair, and are in 

 shape like those of mankind ; the eyes are small* 



