648 
E R 1 
E R U 
hog, differing chiefly, according to Seba, in 
having the spines on the upper parts of the 
body shorter, thicker, and stronger; the 
head, however, is somewhat shorter, and the 
snout blunter than in the common hedgehog, 
and there is no appearance of external ears; 
tii e whole animal is also of a white or very 
pale colour. Its length from nose to tail is 
about eight inches; the tail scarcely an inch 
; long ; the claws long and crooked. 
3. Erinaceusauritus. Long-eared hedgehog. 
1 his species resembles the common hedge- 
hog in form, and is found about the river 
^ °iga, and in the eastern parts beyond lake 
. Baikal. In size it is said to vary, being in 
some places smaller, and in others larger, 
than the common species ; but may be imme- 
diately distinguished by its ears, which are 
large, oval, open, and naked, with soft whit- 
ish hair on the inside, and edged with brown: 
the legs and teet are longer and thinner than 
those of the common hedgehog, and the tail 
shorter and almost naked ; the upper part of 
the animal is covered with slender brown 
spines, with a whitish ring near the base, and 
another towards the tip ; the legs and belly 
arc covered with soft white fur. In its ge- 
neral manner ot life this species is said to re- 
semble the common hedgehog. The female 
produces six or seven young at a time, and is 
said sometimes to breed twice a year. 
4. Lrinaceus Madagascariensis. Striped 
hedgehog. This animal, which is a native of 
■ Madagascar, was first described by the count 
de Buffon, under the name of le tanrec ; it 
should seem, however, that the specimen 
described had not attained its full growth, 
, snd consequently did not exhibit with suffi- 
cient clearness all the characters of the ani- 
mal. it is of a black colour, with five longi- 
tudinal bands on the body ; all the black parts 
arc covered with hard hair; the white bands 
with small prickles, analogous to those of a 
porcupine. From the black bands on the 
back, spring long scattered hairs which reach 
to the ground ; the head is covered with short 
black hairs or prickles; the snout is white; 
the eye surrounded by a white circle, and the 
feet are reddish. The tandreks move slowly, 
and grunt like pigs, for which reason they are 
called ground-hogs, or pig-porcupines, by the 
Europeans. 1 hey burrow under ground, 
and remain torpid three months in the year; 
they hide themselves in the day-time, and 
only appear after sunset in order to seek 
their food: they live chiefly on fruits and 
herbs; their body is a mere lump of fat: the 
natives of Madagascar eat them, but consider 
them as but an indifferent food. Madagascar 
is the only country in which the tandreks are 
found: See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 188. 
5. Lrinaceus Malaccensis. Malacca hedge- 
bog. i’his species has so completely the 
appearance of a porcupine, that nothing but 
a severe adherence to systematic arrange- 
ment from the teeth could justify its being 
•placed in the present genus; yet even this 
particular seems' not yet distinctly known, 
the animal being rarely imported’ into Eu- 
rope. Mr. Pennant supposes that Limnvus 
might have been induced to consider it as 
belonging to the present genus, on account 
„ <d the number of its toes ; which are said to 
be live on the fore feet, instead of four, as in 
the porcupine. 'File accurate Brisson, how- 
wet, considered it as a species of hedgehog j 
and Liunasus, in compliance with his opinion | 
-E it O 
transferred it from the genus hystrix to that 
of erinaceus. The particular size is not men- 
tioned by Seba, but it appears to be a large 
species, since the length of its quills is said to 
be from an inch to a toot and a halfi on differ- 
ent parts of the animal, it is therefore pro- 
bably about the size of the common porcu- 
pine, and they are variegated in a similar 
manner; the ears are large and pendulous ; 
and there is no crest or ruff of longer bristles 
than the rest on the back of the head, as in 
the common porcupine. 
ERM1N. SeeMusTELA. 
Ermin, in heraldry, is always argent and 
sable, that is, a white held, or fur, with black 
spots. These spots are not of any determi- 
nate number, but may be more or less, at the 
pleasure of the , painter, as the skins are 
thought not to be naturally so spotted; but 
serving for lining the garments of great per- 
sons, the furriers were wont, in order to add 
to their beauty, to sow bits of the black tails 
of the creatures that produced them, upon 
the white of their skin, to render them the 
more conspicuous, which alteration was intro- 
duced into armory. 
Ermin, or ears of corn, an order of knights 
in France, instituted by Francis, the last of 
that name, duke ol'Britany. 
This order was so called on account that 
the collar ot it was made up of ears of corn, 
lying athwart one another in saltier, bound 
together, both above and below, each ear 
being crossed twice, the whole of gold. To 
this collar there hung a litte white beast, call- 
ed an ermin, running over a bank of grass, 
diversified with flowers. 
ERMINE', or Cross Ermine', is one 
composed of four ermine spots. It is to be 
observed, that the colours in these arms are 
not to be expressed, because neither this cross 
nor these arms can be of any other colour 
than white and black. 
Ermines are, by some English writers, 
held to he the reverse ot ermine, that is, 
white spots on a black field ; and yet the 
French use no such word, but call this black 
powdered with white contre-ermin, which is 
very proper, as it denotes the reverse of 
ermin. 
ERMINITES should signify little ermines, 
but it is otherwise, for it expresses a white 
field powdered with black, only that every 
such spot has a little red hair on’ it. 
ERNODIA, a genus of the class and order 
tetrandria monogynia. The calyx is four- 
parted ; corolla one-petalled, salver-shaped ; 
berry two-celled ; seeds solitary. There is 
one species, a creeping plant of Jamaica. 
EllODIUM, crane’s bill, a genus of the 
class and order monadelphia pentandria, and 
in the natural method of the order gruinales. 
The calyx is live-parted ; the corolla flve- 
petalled; neus five scales, alternate with the 
filaments, and glands at the base of the sta- 
mina; fruit five-grained, with a spiral beak, 
bearded in the inside. '"This genus is vul- 
garly confounded with the geranium: indeed 
there are three genera, which have the same 
habits, but differing in the number of stami- 
na. 1 his plant has five, the geranium seven, 
and the pelasconium, or African geranium, 
ten. Of the erodium there are 28 species, 
including at least three which are natives of 
Britain, and several naturalized here : some 
are annual, and some perennial. 
ERODIUS, a genus of insects of the order 
ot coleoptera. The antenna: are moniliform ; 
feelers filiform ; body roundish, gibbous, im- 
marginate.; thorax transverse; shells closely 
united, longer than the abdomen ; jaw horny, 
bifid ; lip horny, emarginate. There are four 
species. 
EROTEUM, a genus of the class and order 
pentandria monogynia, 1 he calyx is five- 
leaved; the corolla five-petalied ; the style 
trifid; berry juiceless, three-celled, many- 
seeded. There are two species, natives of 
Jamaica. 
ElvRHINES, in pharmacy, medicines 
which, when snuffed up the nose, promote a I 
discharge of mucus from that part. See Ma- 
teria Medic a. 
ERROR, in law, signifies an error in plead- 
ing, or in the process; and the writ which is 
brought for remedy thereof, is called a writ i 
ot error. A writ ot error ;s a commission to 
judges of a superior court, by which they are 
autnorized to examine the record upon which 
a judgment was given in an inferior court, j 
and on such examination, to affirm or reverse j 
the same according to law. Jenk. Rep. 25. 
For particulars as to the practice of writs of ■ 
error, see Impey’s K. B. & C. P. 
ERUCA, in general, denotes caterpillars of I 
all kinds. r l lie caterpillar state is that through I 
which every butterfly must pass before it 
arrives at its perfection and beauty : and in : 
the same manner, all the known winged ani- ! 
mals, except only the puceron, pass through 
a reptile state; ifone of them, except this, i 
being produced in their winged form. The 
change from caterpillar to butterfly w as long ; 
esteemed a sort of metamorphosis, a real 
change of one animal into another ; but this 
is by no means the case. The egg of a but- | 
terfly produces a butterfly, with all the linea- 
ments of its parent; only these are not dis- j 
closed at first, but for the greater part of the j 
animal’s life they are covered with a sort of 
case or muscular coat, in which are legs for I 
walking: these only suit it in this state; but > 
its mouth takes in nourishment, which is con- 
veyed to the included animal; and after a j 
proper time this covering is thrown off, and 
the butterfly, which all the while might be \ 
discovered in it by an accurate observer 
with the help ot a microscope, appears in its i 
proper form. Before it passes into this state, j 
however, there requires a state of rest for the 
wings to harden, and the several other parts 
to acquire their proper firmness: this is trails- : 
acted in a time of perfect rest, when the ani- 
mal lies in what is called the nvmph or chry- 
salis state, in appearance only a lump of in- 
animate matter. There is a settled and de- ■ 
termined time for each of these changes in 
every species; but in the several ditierent 
kinds, the periods are very different. 
There is no sign of sex in the animal w hile 
in the caterpillar state: the propagation of 
the species is the business ot the creature in 
its ultimate perfection ; and till that, these 
parts are never excluded: one female butter- ] 
fly, when she has " been impregnated bv the ; 
male, w ill produce 300 or 400 eggs, or "even ■ 
more. 1 here is no way^of knowing the ; 
sexes of these little creatures by viewing the \ 
parts ; but the whole figure and manner of 
the animal makes the difference. Theft*- j 
males are always larger than the males; thev 
are also more slow in their motions ; and j 
some ot them have no wings, or at the most 1 
