ERETHIZON DORSATUS. 303 



His familiarity at such times is surprising, for, while not aggres- 

 sive, he is by no means timorous, and explores the camp with cool- 

 ness and determination. 



Porcupines have a curious habit of girdling trees, at a height of 

 from six to thirty feet. The zone from which the bark is removed 

 varies from a few inches to a foot or more in breadth. The spruce 

 is more frequently girdled than any other tree, and those of small 

 diameter more commonly than those of large size. 



When feeding on lily-pads along the borders of water-courses 

 they sometimes utter extraordinary noises, and occasionally quar- 

 rels arise for the possession of some log which affords them easy 

 access to the coveted plants. At Beaver Lake, in Lewis County, 

 Mr. John Constable once witnessed an encounter during which one 

 of the combatants was tumbled into the water. The animals did 

 not attempt to bite, but growled and snarled and pushed. 



Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, while encamped on the summit of Slide 

 Mountain in the Catskills, in June, 1882, was favored by a visit 

 from a number of these curious animals, and his account of their 

 actions well illustrates some of their prominent characteristics. 

 Mr. Bicknell says : " From evening till morning dusk our cabin on 

 the extreme summit of the mountain was virtually besieged by 

 them, and through the chinks their dark forms could be seen mov- 

 ing about among the shadows in the moonlight, while their sharp 

 cries, and often low conversational chatter, singularly like the 

 voices of infants, were weird interruptions of the midnight silence, 

 or later, of the moaning wind. 



" The seeming nocturnal temerity of these creatures appeared to 

 be simply an exhibition of excessive stupidity. It was found 

 impossible to drive them from the camp for any length of time ; 

 they seemed to be destitute of the faculty of memory, and even a 

 light charge of shot sent among them was only for the moment 

 effectual. Even when one particularly stupid individual had been 

 shot dead in the doorway trying to effect an entrance by gnawing 



