THE STORY OF THE HEDGEHOG. 
377 
they possess of rolling* themselves up into a ball-like form, presenting an array 
of spines, impenetrable to the great majority of other animals. This rolling- 
up process is effected by the aid of an extraordinary development of a layer 
of muscles found beneath the skin. When rolled up, the head and feet are 
tucked inwards, so that only the spines are exposed; and it requires a bold 
dog or fox to attack a hedgehog when in this condition. Under the micro¬ 
scope the spine is seen to be marked by a number of parallel grooves. 
Hedgehogs are represented by five distinct varieties in India. It is re¬ 
markable that while one of these hedgehogs is found in Madras, no repre- 
EUROPEAN HEDGEHOGS. 
sentative is recorded from, the Central Provinces and Bengal, the other species 
not occurring till we reach the North-West Provinces, the Punjab, etc. But 
little is known of the habits of these Indian species, and nothing as to their 
breeding; although it is probable that in both these respects they conform 
closely to their European cousin. The long-eared Afghan hedgehog common 
in the neighborhood of Kandahar and Quetta, hibernates, but the species from 
the Punjab and Southern India are active at all seasons of the year, thus 
showing how absolutely dependent is- the habit of hibernation upon climate. 
The collared hedgehog found in the plains of North-Western India, inhabits 
