68 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
considerable part of their food. In June last I procured a litter 
of four or five young hedgehogs, which appeared to be about 
five or six days old: they, I find, like puppies, are born blind, 
and could not see when they came to my hands. No doubt 
their spines are soft and flexible at the time of their birth, but 
it is plain 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 handled with caution. ‘Their spines 
are quite white at this age: and they have little hanging 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 crea- 
ture to roll itself up in a ball was not then arrived at its full 
tone and firmness. Hedgehogs make a deep and warm hyber- 
naculum with leaves and moss, in which they conceal them- 
selves for the winter: but I never could find that they stored 
in any winter provision, as some quadrupeds certainly do. 
I have discovered an anecdote with respect to the fieldfare, 
which I think is particular enough ; this bird, though it sits on 
trees in the daytime, and procures the greatest part of its food 
from whitethorn hedges, yea, moreover, builds on very high 
trees, yet always appears with us to roost on the ground. 
They are seen to come in flocks just before it is dark, and to 
settle and nestle among the heath on our forest. And besides, 
the larkers in dragging their nets by night, frequently catch 
them in the wheat stubbles ; while the bat-fowlers, who take 
many redwings in the hedges, never entangle any of this 
species. Why these birds, in the matter of roosting, should 
differ from all their congeners, and from themselves also with 
respect to their proceedings by day, is a fact for which I am 
by no means able to account. 
I have somewhat to inform you of concerning the moose- 
