The spines are not firmly attached in the skin and when 

 their free ends penetrate the skin of a foe, they pull out 

 and remain firmly imbedded in the victim, being held 

 fast through the barbs at the tips. The porcupine does 

 not "shoot" its quills as many people believe. 



However, porcupines are not immune to all at- 

 tacks and many of them fall victims to eagles, owls and 

 wild cats. The porcupine is a solitary animal and is 

 chiefly nocturnal in its habits. Being a true rodent, it 

 is capable of doing considerable damage and it fre- 

 quently gnaw^s through doors and wooded walls. Camp- 

 ers who carelessly leave their axes within reach often 

 discover the handles gnawed the next morning. Most 

 any wooded object that is handled by humans is subject 

 to the workings of the porcupine. The creatures ap- 

 parently do this for the salt left by perspiration. 



The usual food of the animal is various in charac- 

 ter. It devours most anything, and in its woodland 

 haunts it feeds chiefly upon bark, twigs and fruits. It 

 climbs trees readily. The porcupine is a sluggish ani- 

 mal and seldom attempts to make haste, depending 

 upon its array of spines for protection. 



The young, numbering from one to four, are born 

 in May and are larger than the young of many mam- 

 mals many times their size. 



The favorite haunts of porcupines are evergreen 

 forests, and they seem to prefer hemlock trees for food. 



The Snow Shoe Rabbit or Varying Hare 



Lepus amer'icanus 'vire/inianus 



This is a rather large species, attaining a length of 

 19 inches, and it gets its name from its large broad feet 

 which seem well adapted to snow travel. The hind 



-.•:>f 149 ><*■- 



