RODENTS: PORCUPINES. 53 



six inches in length ; and the color yellowish-brown, 

 lined with black, the lower parts white. It moves 



Fig. 94. American Jumping Mouse. 



by very long and rapid- leaps. It is found in the mead- 

 ows and grain-fields. 



The Muskrat, mentioned above, is very common about 

 ponds, rivers, and brooks in North America. It is a 

 foot long, besides the tail, which is about as long as the 

 body, and the color is dark brown above and rusty brown 

 below. The fur is now sold under the name of River 

 Sable, and is much used for collars and muffs. Musk- 

 rats build winter hquses of mud, sticks, and grass, the 

 entrance being beneath the water, and leading to a dry 

 apartment above. 



PORCUPINES. 



Porcupines are distinguished from all other Rodents 

 by their spines, or quills, which are very sharp. The 

 North American Porcupine is about two feet long, the 

 color brown with long white-tipped hairs, and the tail 

 and upper parts are covered with white spines. It lives 

 in hollow trees and in holes among the rocks, and read- 

 ily climbs trees. It eats bark, leaves, and green corn. 

 It is often called the Hedgehog. See Figure 95. The 

 Crested Porcupine, of Southern Europe, has quills 

 nearly a foot long. These ouills are used for pen- 

 holders. 



