[Illustration: HEDGEHOGS.]
The Hedgehogs owe their name to the singular texture of their hair,
which consists of real spines, capable of being thrown erect at the will
of the animal. They frequent the woods and hedgerows, living in a burrow
excavated in some bank, wherein it passes the winter in a lethargic
condition. It lives principally upon insects, but does not refuse fruits
and other vegetable substances. Hedgehogs do not stir out during the
day, but they run or walk about the whole night long. They rarely
approach dwellings, and prefer elevated and dry places, although they
are sometimes found in meadows. If laid hold of, they do not try to
escape or defend themselves, either with their mouth or feet, but they
roll themselves up into a ball as soon as touched.
As they sleep during winter, the provisions which they are said by some
to accumulate during the summer would be useless to them. They do not
eat much, and pass a considerable time without food.
Their flesh is sometimes eaten by the gipsy race, who envelope the
carcass in soft clay, and then roast it among the heaped fuel of their
camp-fire.