NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 75 



untouched. In this respect they are serviceable, as they 

 destroy a very troublesome weed ; but they deface the 

 walks in some measure by digging little round holes. It 

 appears, by the dung that they drop upon the turf, that 

 beetles are no inconsiderable part of their food. In June 

 last I procured a litter of four or five young hedgehogs, 

 which appeared to be about five or six days old : they, I 

 find, like puppies, are born blind, and could not see when 

 they came to my hands. No doubt their spines are soft 

 and flexible at the time of their birth, or else the poor dam 

 would have but a bad time of it in the critical moment of 

 parturition, but it is plain they soon harden ; for these 

 little pigs had such stiff prickles on their backs and sides as 

 would easily have fetched blood, had they not been handled 

 with caution. Their spines are quite white at this age ; 

 and they have little hanging ears, which I do not remember 

 to be discernible in the old ones. They can, in part, at this 

 age draw their skin down over their faces ; but are not able 

 to contract themselves into a ball, as they do, for the sake 

 of defence, when full grown. The reason, I suppose, is, 

 because the curious muscle that enables the creature to roll 

 itself up in a ball was not then arrived at its full tone and 

 firmness. Hedgehogs make a deep and warm hybernaculum 

 with leaves and moss, in which they conceal themselves for 

 the winter : but I never could find that they stored in any 

 winter provision, as some quadrupeds certainly do. 



I have discovered an anecdote with respect to the field- 

 fare (T urdus pilaris), which I think is particular enough ; 

 this bird, though it sits on trees in the day-time, and 

 procures the greatest part of its food from white-thorn 

 hedges ; yea, moreover, builds on very high trees, as may 

 be seen by the Fauna Suecica ; yet always appears with us 

 to roost oi? the ground. They are seen to come in flocks 



