Individual Variation of the Common Iledgehoj. 5l.'i 



" In size and colour similar to E. e. occidentalism but the skull 

 may l)e distini^uisli.-d by the fn^ital processes of the pre- 

 maxiihe, which, althourijli extendiiij^ backward half the len^^th 

 of the nasals, end in a shar|)ly defined point." In " E. e. occi- 

 dentalis " the same processes aro stateil to 1)0 provided " with 

 a blunt or nearly square posterior termination, and seldom 

 showing a sharply defined point or angle." The difference 

 is consequently of little importance ; but as the " type 

 locality " of " K. e. ti/picus " is given as " Upsala, 

 Sweden," I felt interested, and considered it the duty of an 

 U[)sala zoologist to examine the skulls of hedgehogs from the 

 nearest vicinity of Ui)sala. I found then at once that the 

 processes in question are subject to so much variation, that 

 it is inqjossible to use tliem for the distinction of even local 

 varieties; subspecifie value cannot on any account be attri- 

 buted to them. The dificrenees arc merely individual, as 

 may be seen from the accompanying three figures. Ij'ig. a, 



Figures of front part nf three .skulls oi Erinaceus europfpiiti, Linn., 

 from the viciuity of Upsala, Sweden. 



drawn, as are also tlie others, with the help of a camera 

 lucida, of the natural size, is taken from the skull of an animal 

 caught in the parish just outside the town of Upsala, but 

 .'ijiould, I su|)|)Ose, be regarded as belonging to tlie " sub- 

 species "" OfCjVA'«/«//.s-." Fig. c, from the same neighbour- 

 hood, is a " tj/jticus,^' and fig. b intermediate. The series 



