THE H EDO EH 00. 355 



There are several species of this curious animal, which are remarkable for two or three pecu- 

 liarities of form and habit. 



The external characteristic which immediately strikes the attention of the beholder is the 

 formidable array of bristling spines with which the back is more or less covered, and which 

 offers a chevaitx-de-frise of sharp spikes towards any animal that may present itself as an 

 enemy. Another peculiarity is the power possessed by these creatures of rolling themselves 

 into a round ball, by placing the head on the breast, drawing up the legs, and curling the body 

 firmly round these members. By this posture, the Hedgehogs render themselves invulnerable 

 to almost every animal that may attack them, and defend the legs, abdomen, and other por- 

 tions of the body that are left unprotected by nature. When in this curious attitude, the 

 Hedgehog cannot be unrolled by main force, as long as any life remains in the body, for there 

 is an enormously developed muscle, with a very thick margin, which spreads over the back 

 and round the sides, and which, when contracted, holds the creature in so firm an embrace 

 that it will be torn in pieces rather than yield its point. 



The technical name of this muscle is panniculus carnosus, and it is by means of this 

 muscle that bears and other animals are able to shake their skins when they are irritated by 

 any substance that clings to the hair, and which they cannot reach with their teeth. 



The Hedgehogs are plantigrade in their gait, and, like the generality of plantigrade ani- 

 mals, are not particularly active or rapid in their movements. Although they generally prefer 

 a deliberate pace when they are not alarmed or hurried, they can get over the ground with no 

 small speed when they feel themselves called upon to make such an exertion. 



The feet of the Hedgehog are furnished with five toes, those of the fore-feet terminated 

 with tolerably strong claws, which, although not so evidently fossorial as those of the moles 

 and other insectivorous animals, are yet very capable of digging, and are used effectually for 

 that purpose. The soles of the feet are naked. The limbs and the entire under surface of the 

 body are undefended by the stiff prickles which are so thickly set upon the back, and are 

 clothed with hair of a more or less dense character, according to the particular species. In 

 every species, however, the hair is of a peculiar character, and is intermixed with a goodly 

 number of tolerably stiff hairs of a bristly character. 



The food of the Hedgehog consists chiefly of insects, worms, snails, and similar creatures, 

 but it is of essentially carnivorous taste, and is in no wise particular what the kind of food 

 which it eats, provided that it be of an animal character. 



These details of form and habit are common to all the Hedgehogs ; and the other pecu- 

 liarities of the Erinacea, as these animals are learnedly named, will be mentioned in connection 

 with the two species that will be figured and described in these pages. 



The Long-eared Hedgehog derives its name from the exceeding dimensions of its ears, 

 which project from its head in such a manner as to give to the animal a very porcine aspect. 

 This species is found in Siberia and in all the eastern regions of Asiatic Russia, and has also 

 been captured in Egypt. It is a smaller animal than the common Hedgehog of Europe, but is 

 very variable in its dimensions, according to the locality in which it is found. The Hmbs are 

 comparatively long and slender, and the long hair that clothes the lower portions of the body 

 is extremely fine in its texture. The array of prickly spines that guard its back does not 

 extend so far as in the European species, and are of a rather peculiar coloring. At the base, 

 each spine is marked with a whitish ring, the centre is brown, and the tip is tinted with yellow. 

 The color of the eye is bluish-gray. 



The common Hedgehog, Hedge pig, or Urchin, is one of the most familiar of mam- 

 malia, being found wherever the country is capable of affording food and shelter to him. 



The hard, round spines which cover the upper part of its body are about an inch in 

 length, and of a rather peculiar shape. This • form is wonderfully adapted to meet the 

 peculiar objects which the spine is intended to fulfil, as will be seen in the following 

 account. 



The spines lie nearly horizontally upon the back of the animal, a position which they 



