Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

HEDGEHOG, or URCHIN

Online Encyclopedia

Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 196 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.

Encyclopedia Home :: HAN-HEG

Spread the word:

del.icio.us it!

See also:

HEDGEHOG, or URCHIN

HEDGEHOG, or URCHIN , a member of the mammalian See also:

order Insectivora, remarkable for its dentition, its See also:

ARMATURE (from Lat. armatura, armour)

armature of spines and its See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short tail. The upper See also:

JAW (Mid. Eng. jawe, jowe and geowe, O. Eng. cheowan, connected with " chaw " and " chew," and in form with " jowl ")

jaw is longer than the See also:

LOWER

lower, the snout is See also:

long and flexible, with the nostrils narrow, and the claws are long but weak. The See also:

animal is about 10 in. long, its eyes are small, and the lower See also:

SURFACE

surface covered with hairs of the See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character. The See also:

BRAIN (A.S. braegen)

brain is remarkable for its See also:

low development, the cerebral hemispheres being small, and marked with but one groove, and that a shallow one, on each See also:

side. The hedgehog has the See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of See also:

ROLLING

rolling itself up into a See also:

ball, from which the spines stand out in every direction. The spines are See also:

sharp, hard and elastic, and See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form so efficient a See also:

defence that there are few animals able to effect a successful attack on this creature. The moment it is touched, or even hears the See also:

REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report of a See also:

gun, it rolls itself up by the See also:

ACTION

action of the muscles beneath the skin, while this contraction effects the erection of the spines. The most important muscle is the See also:

ORBICULARIS

orbicularis panniculi, which extends over the anterior region of the See also:

SKULL

skull, as far down the See also:

BODY

body \\ i .SY The Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). as the ventral hairy region, and on to the tail, but three other muscles aid in the contraction. Though insectivorous, the hedgehog is reported to have a liking for mice, while frogs and toads, as well as See also:

PLANTS

plants and fruits, all seem to be acceptable. It will also eat See also:

SNAKES

snakes, and its fondness for eggs has caused it to meet with the enmity of See also:

GAME

game-preservers; and there is no doubt it occasionally attacks leverets and game-chicks. In a See also:

state of nature it does not emerge from its See also:

RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat during daylight, unless urged by See also:

HUNGER

hunger or by the necessities of its See also:

young.

During See also:

winter it passes into a state of See also:

HIBERNATION (winter sleep)

hibernation, when its temperature falls considerably; having provided itself with a See also:

NEST

nest of dry leaves, it is well protected from the influences of the See also:

RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain, and rolling itself up, remains undisturbed till warmer See also:

WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather returns. In See also:

JULY

July or See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August the See also:

FEMALE

female brings forth four to eight young, or, according to others, two to four at a somewhat earlier See also:

period; at See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth the spines, which in the adult are See also:

black in the See also:

MIDDLE

middle, are See also:

white and soft, but soon harden, though they do not attain their full See also:

SIZE

size until the succeeding See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring. The hedgehog, which is known scientifically as Erinaceus europaeus, and is the type of the See also:

FAMILY

family Erinaceidae, is found in See also:

woods and gardens, and extends over nearly the whole of See also:

EUROPE

Europe; and has been found at 6000 to 8000 ft. above the level of the See also:

sea. The adult is provided with See also:

THIRTY

thirty-six See also:

TEETH (O.E. Eel); plural of tooth, O.E. top)

teeth; in the upper jaw are 6 incisors, 2 canines and 12 cheek-teeth, and in the lower jaw 4 incisors, 2 canines and to cheek-teeth. The genus is represented by about a See also:

SCORE (O.E. scor, from sceran, to cut, notch, cf. " shear ")

score of See also:

SPECIES

species, ranging over Europe, See also:

ASIA

Asia, except the See also:

MALAY

Malay countries, and See also:

Africa. (R.

End of Article: HEDGEHOG, or URCHIN

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
HEDDLE, MATTHEW FORSTER (1828-1897)

[next]
HEDGES AND FENCES