82 NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Water Shrew frequents brooks and clear running ditch- 

 es, in the banks of which it lives. It swims and dives with 

 great ease, and when under water appears as if it had been 



WATER SHREW. 



speckled over its entire surface with silver, from the bubbles 

 of air which adhere to its fur. It eats the grubs of various 

 aquatic insects, digging them out of the muddy banks with its 

 snout. It is not very common, but I have seen numbers of 

 them inhabiting a brook near Little Hinton in Wiltshire, and 

 often watched their elegant movements and gambols through 

 the water. 



One or two genera are omitted. 



ERINACEUS. (Lat. a Hedgehog.} 



Europseus (Lat. belonging to Europe}, the Hedgehog. 



The HEDGEHOG is remarkable as being our only English 

 animal that is guarded with spikes. These spikes are fixed 

 into the skin in a very beautiful and simple manner. When 

 the Hedgehog is annoyed it rolls itself up, and the tightness 

 of the skin causes all its spikes to stand firm and erect, bidding 



