Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1895 — CURIOUS CREATURES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CURIOUS CREATURES.

The Hedgehog of Great Britain and: the Mataco of South America. A very interesting creature, which,' however, is not found in America, is the hedgehog, which is very common in

Great Britain and Ireland and' on the European . continent. Its body is covered with sharp spines so that when the animal rolls itself into a ball, which

it does when alarmed or threatened, they present an almost insuperable obstacle to any predaceous enemy that might at-

tack it. The hedgehog is very readily tamed and not infrequently may It be found in kitchens in England, where It destroys cockroaches and other ougs. It readily kills snakes and eats them, commencing with the tail end first. Its spines are very elastic and rolling Itself into a ball the creature often throws itself down steep precipices without sustaining any injury. Allied to the hedgehog in the sense of being capable of rolling into a ball is the mataco, an armadillo found everywhere in South America. This creature is covered with a bony coat of mail, hard yet flexible, and when attacked it curls into a ball, thereby resisting the attacks of its enemies. Unlike other species of armadillos, it does not burrow and has little powers of

speed. Most of the armadillos in South America can outrun a man and are rapid and deep burrowers.

MATACO BOLLED UP.

THE MATACO.

THE HEDGEHOG.