132 NATURAL HISTORY 



the turf", that beetles are no inconsiderable 

 part of their food. In Jtnie last I procured 

 a litter of four or five young hedge-hogs, 

 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 parturi- 

 tion : but it is plain that 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 hand- 

 led with caution. Their spines are quite 

 white at this age ; and they have little hang- 

 ing 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 it- 

 self up in a ball was not then arrived at its 



