VOL. I.] Yellow-Haired Porcupine.. 235 



and the lock being useless, the only way he could explode it was to 

 pull back the hammer by a wire, and then when a bead was made, 

 to let go the wire and let the hammer strike the cap. These great 

 birds lived chiefly on the banks of the little stream previously men- 

 tioned. On the margin of that stream I one day found a fine plant 

 ( Hymenocallis adnata) in blossom, and was greatly elated at my 

 discovery. It has a cup-shaped blossom, with six long, white 

 streamers on its margin — a most lovely thing. Some of the bulbs 

 I brought away, and a couple of them were given to the Golden 

 Gate conservatory. Others, taken to my own home, blossomed 

 freely at Christmas time. One other thing of interest was also 

 found upon the sands of this stream, the red-spotted Cicindela 

 Sommeri, It was very wild, however, and as the places it favored 

 were strewn with large stones, it generally escaped capture, even 

 ' when carefully approached, I think it was the most difficult to take 



of any of its kind that I ever met. 



One day toward the close of my stay one of the boys called me 

 to go out and see *' muy bonita pajaro; " I went, and he carefully 

 led me into a little ravine and pointed out a beautiful crimson bird 

 as large as a dove. It was hidden in a bush that was covered over 

 with a vine of Aristolochia, or ** Dutchman's pipe," in full blossom. 

 Truly, the bird and its framing formed a most lovely picture. It 

 certainly was one of the most brilliant and lovely things that I saw 

 in all my journey, and I think it may well stand as the closing note 

 of my Mexican experiences. 



A FEW NOTES ON THE YELLOW- HAIRED PORCU- 

 PINE ^ ( Erethizoii epixantJms Brandt). 



BY L. E. RICKSECKER. 



Every species of animal is surrounded by other species that are 

 its foes, and eternal vigilance is the price of life; however, vigilance 

 only serves to detect the danger — the foe itself must either be met, 

 distanced or deceived. To avoid destruction is the first law of na- 

 ture with all animals, but the methods of accomplishing this are 

 nearly as numerous as the species themselves. As the aggressor is 

 almost invariably superior in size and strength, it stands to reason 



* The observations given in this paper were chien 

 an enthusiastic old hunter, well known to the writer. 



