68 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



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 

 parturition : 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 handled with caution. Their spines are quite white 

 at this age ; and they have little hanging 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 itself up into a ball was not 

 then arrived at its full tone and firmness. Hedge-hogs 

 make a deep and warm hybemaculum with leaves and moss, 

 in which they conceal themselves for the winter : but I 

 never could find that they stored in any winter provision, 

 as some quadrupeds certainly do. 



I have discovered an anecdote with respect to the field- 

 fare {tardus pilaris), which I think is particular enough : 

 this bird, though it sits on trees in the day-time, and pro- 

 cures the greatest part of its food from white-thorn hedges ; 

 yea, moreover, builds on very high trees ; as may be seen 

 by the fauna suecica ; yet always appears with us to roost 

 on the ground. They are seen to come in flocks just before 

 it is dark, and to settle and nestle among the heath on our 

 forest. And besides, the larkers, in dragging their nets by 

 night, frequently catch them in the wheat-stubbles ; while 

 the bat-fowlers, who take many red-wings in the hedges, 

 never entangle any of this species. Why these birds, in 

 the matter of roosting, should differ from all their con- 

 geners, and from themselves also with respect to their 

 proceedings by day, is a fact for which I am by no means 

 able to account. 



I have somewhat to inform you of concerning the moose- 

 deer ; but in general foreign animals fall seldom in my 

 way ; my little intelligence is confined to the narrow sphere 

 of my own observations at home. 



