Lect. v.] PLASTIC TYPES. 135 



herbs of the field escape the violence of the storm, when 

 the forest-king is hurled from his throne, so these 

 exquisite little creatures inherit the earth because of 

 their humility and meekness. It is a fact that they, 

 and forms like them, have kept their ground during the 

 ages that have witnessed the extinction of numbers 

 without number of the strong burly-boned giants of the 

 Class. Yet the small Shrew has numerous enemies ; the 

 Cat mistakes it for a Mouse — a mistake common enough 

 amongst us — but does not eat it ; that feathered cat, the 

 Mousing Owl, swallows large numbers of both the land 

 and water Shrew ; she has been my Falcon, for through 

 her I have obtained my best specimens. Both the 

 Shrew and the Hedgehog are considered uncanny by the 

 country people ; have they an instinctive sense that 

 these are ancient, and even degraded, types ? To the 

 biologist there is no form in the group of greater 

 interest than the common Hedgehog, which, specialised 

 highly enough as to its outer skin, is found to be very 

 generalised when studied in its development. Taking the 

 skeleton of the Hedgehog, merely, it is a good example 

 of what is general, rather than special. Free from all 

 violent modifications, it is very useful for comparison 

 both with the old forms of the early Tertiaries, 

 and the new forms of the present period. I have 

 worked much at its skull. It serves as a kind of 

 epitome for the rest ; when once you have mastered 

 this you easily see the meaning of any other kind of 



