CATALOGUE. 137 



naked, of a sooty-black colour throughout. Throat, neck to the region 

 of the ears, breast and abdomen, covered with a naked skin of a dirty 

 chestnut-brown colour, passing into blackish on the abdomen, and into 

 dirty yellowish at the sides. 



The uniform sooty colour of the head and ears, with the absence of 

 any hairy covering, and the nakedness of the lower neck, breast, and 

 abdomen, constitute the chief distinguishing character of the specimen 

 described. Its form is also more elongate than that of E. collaris , and 

 the rings of the spines are of a darker colour. 



The description, however, is from a single specimen, and the com- 

 parison of other subjects is required, to determine its title to a specific 

 rank. 



In the fifteenth volume of the Journ. As. Soc. Beng. p. 170, Mr. E. 

 Blyth enumerates the Indian species of Erinaceus hitherto indicated by 

 authors ; namely, E. collaris, Gray ; E. spatangus, Bennett ; E. Grayi, 

 Bennett ; and E. mentalis, Gray ; with reference also to the species which 

 Captain Hutton observed in Candahar. (J. A. S. B. XIV. p. 351, &c.) 

 For one of these, No. 18 of Captain Button's list, which is still doubt- 

 ful, Mr. Blyth proposes provisionally the name of E. micropus. 



In the Rough Notes on the Zoology of Candahar (Journ. As. Soc. 

 Beng. Vol. XIV. p. 352), Captain Hutton communicates the following 

 remarks on the habits of the species of Erinaceus which he found in 

 that district : " The habits of all three species are the same. They 

 are nocturnal, and during the day conceal themselves in holes, or in 

 the tufts of high jungle grass. Their food consists of insects, chiefly of 

 a small beetle which is abundant on the sandy tracts of Bhawulpore, 

 and belongs to the genus Blaps. They also feed on lizards and snails. 

 When touched, they have the habit of suddenly jerking up the back 

 with some force, so as to prick the fingers or mouth of the assailant, 

 and at the same time emitting a blowing sound, not unlike the noise 

 produced when blowing upon a flame with a pair of bellows. When 

 alarmed, they have the power of rolling themselves up into a complete 

 ball, concealing the head and limbs, as does the European hedgehog." 

 Respecting E. collaris, he observes, " On hearing any noise, it jerks the 

 skin and quills of the neck completely over its head, leaving only the tip 

 of the nose free, which is turned quickly in every direction, to ascertain 

 the nature of the approaching danger. If a foe in reality come nigh it, 

 the head is doubled under the belly towards the tail, and the legs being 

 withdrawn at the same time, it presents nothing but a prickly ball to its 

 assailant, and which is in most cases a sufficient protection. In this 

 state it remains for some time perfectly motionless, until all being 



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