132 



NATURAL HISTORY 



the turf, that beetles are no inconsiderable 

 part of their food. In June last I procured 

 a litter of four or five young hedge-hogs, 

 which appeared to be about five or six days 

 old : they, I find, like puppies, are born 

 blind, and could not see v^hen they 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 parturi- 

 tion : 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 hand- 

 led with caution. Their spines are quite 

 white at this age ; and they have little hang- 

 ing 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 it- 

 self up in a ball was not then arrived at its 



