[MR] About hedgehogs (the land animal)

[oldstormcrow at aol.com]

 Actually, I could tell you far more than you would hope to know about hedgehogs. I used to play with them in the fields on the way to school when I lived in Germany as a child. They don't make great pets, primarily due to their very mixed diet, which causes a real mess from an animal that won't use a litter box. In medieval times people used them for pest control because they will eat almost any bug they can find. When a person's house would run out of tasty bugs, they would loan their hedgehog to their neighbors for a while to clean out their house. They will also eat birds and have actually been seen leaping from the ground to catch a pheasant by the leg and bringing it down. They are very territorial and sometimes will bring the hide, quills and all, of a vanquished opponent and keep it in their underground den....probably the only mammal known to do this besides exceptionally barbaric humans. One little known fact about these critters is that they are immune to all poisons in nature, both plant and animal delivered. There is a variety in southeast Asia that has tall rabbit-like ears, as well. If dropped from a 14 foot wall, they ball up protectively so as to bounce when they hit the ground. They cannot be pulled open from their balled up position easily, so predators in the know will roll them into a pool of water to make them unroll. The babies are little white, soft fluffballs until their spines harden. Had enough, or shall I tell you more?
 Baron Arkein Steinschleifer von Uberstein
    
 -----Original Message-----
 From: jbrmm266 at aol.com
 To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
 Sent: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 4:24 PM
 Subject: [MR] About hedgehogs (the land animal)
 
  Have you ever seen a hedgehog?  They're actually rather cute.  One will 
generally fit in the palm of your hand. Their spines are not like a porcupine's, 
but are quite thick and don't come out easily. They're essentially very thick, 
stiff hairs.  
 
When frightened, they curl up into a little ball, protecting their soft 
underparts and faces. The whole effect is that of a spiky little ball. That's 
probably what made someone name the aquatic creature a sea-hedgehog or 
sea-urchin.
 
Also, when they curl up, if anything touches them they jerk, which would make 
most inquisistive predators back off. Though the spines are thick, their ends 
taper to points sharp enough to inflict pain, and probably to draw blood.
 
Some friends of ours had one as a pet some years ago, which is where I got my 
first-hand experience about the animal.
 
Your servant aye
Donal 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: ysolt at nc.rr.com
To: jbrmm266 at aol.com
Sent: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: [MR] Why are mischeivous street children called "urchins"?


But my Webster's Collegiate dictionary says "a pert or roguish youngster." No 
reference to street living. Maybe roguish could in include the street kids, but 
not exclusively. 
 
One of the roots is Latin horrere meaning bristle or tremble. More apt for the 
hedgehog or sea variety. 
 
Ysolt, who is into words 
-- Maîtresse Ysolt la Bretonne, OP 
Barony of Windmasters' Hill 
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