THE STORY OF THE TENREC. 
There lives in Madagascar an insect-eating animal which has many of 
the characteristics of the hedgehog. The name tenrec is given the group 1 , 
which comprises several species. They are defended with spines, and can 
roll themselves into a ball as the hedgehog does. I have watched the creature 
defend itself against the attack of a dog and do it so successfully that the 
dog retired howling with pain. , 
These animals are a great pest to the agriculturists of Madagascar, owing 
to the damage they inflict on the rice crops by burrowing in the earth beneath 
the young plants in search of worms and insects. 
They pass one-half of the year is a state of torpidity. About May or June 
they dig themselves holes, in which they sleep until December, with their 
heads comfortably tucked away between the hind legs. Their burrows are 
generally betrayed by the presence of a small heap of earth or moss thrown 
up at the entrance. The animals at this time are very fat, and are regarded 
as great delicacies by the natives of Madagascar. The inhabitants hunt the 
tenrecs with dogs, trained expressly for the purpose. They live chiefly in 
the mountains, in places Covered with mosses, ferns and bushes. Their food 
consists principally of earthworms, which they rout out by means of their 
feet and pointed snouts, using the latter after the fashion of a pig. Insects 
also form a part of their diet; and like the hedgehogs, they feed upon certain 
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