A TASMANIAN HEDGEHOG. 
31 
The pedestrian encountered on this particular afternoon was 
quite unable to refuge under ground in the orthodox echidna 
fashion, for the simple reason that the road on which he had 
ventured was nearly as hard as rock, and beyond the scratching 
powers of even his long, powerful nails, so he simply trudged 
along steadily, keeping a sharp look out on both sides with his 
inquisitive little pig-like eyes. Now and again, as he caught 
sight of us in his wake, he would stop, tuck his head in under 
his body, and fold his fore legs tightly over it for protection ; as 
we also stopped and remained quiet, in a very few seconds he 
would unpack and proceed on his journey, to repeat the same 
caper again after a little. 
From our notes made at the time, we find that he has an 
awkward, waddling gait, the hind feet having the flat part 
uppermost, with the back of the wrist, so to speak, resting on 
the ground. It was ludicrous to see him try to walk along a 
small spar which was lying in his track, as the hind feet, quite 
unadapted for such work, kept slipping and hanging down, one 
on each side the spar, bringing his portly person flat on the 
wood at each mishap. Altogether it reminded one strongly of 
a competitor at the greasy pole. When he came to a spot in 
the ground that was rather softer than usual, he would poke 
his nose into it, as if searching for insects, and would also smell 
about under the stones and bits of wood which he passed. The 
eyes are small, black and elongated like a Chinaman’s, giving 
the face a comical aspect when coupled with the very long 
straight nose. The fur is dark brown, and studded all over 
with short, sharp quills, which stand out erect and bristling 
when the animal is in its danger attitude. In soft ground this 
consists in scratching the soil from under itself until the under 
surface of the body, which is devoid of fur or spines, is quite 
concealed, and then tucking in the head and legs very snugly 
so that nothing is visible to the foe but a rounded surface of 
stiff spikes. Dogs get nearly frantic when attacking a porcu- 
pine, as every pounce they make causes them to get severely 
pricked in the nose, and they return again and again to the 
charge, each time with increased fury. We were fortunate 
enough to make an observation, which proves that these quills 
are useful in other ways besides protection. 
Our friend on the Silver Cliff Road at last came to a place 
which he thought he could ascend, and make a short cut into 
the bush. When partly up, he came to a small branch lying 
along the bank, and a few inches above it ; he pushed his head 
through this aperture between the stick and the bank, and then 
set up the quills on the back of the neck to get a purchase 
against the stick until he got a fresh grip with the legs. By 
this simple device he got triumphantly through the narrow 
opening, reached the top of the bank, and was soon lost to 
sight in the undergrowth. 
Our friend Echidna, prickly and plain-looking though he is. 
