Descriptions of East Asiatic Mammals 303 
**»-i »^, 
Fig. 63. Brush-tailed Porcupine, Atherurus macrourus. 
forests of Malaysia, Assam, and India to southern China, in- 
cluding Hainan. They are reputed to eat roots, tubers, and green 
plants. 
The Long-tailed Porcupine, Trichys lipura, with headquar- 
ters in Sumatra and Borneo, is also recorded from Malacca and 
Perak in the lower part of the Malay Peninsula. Like Atherurus, 
the size is relatively small, and the spines are less specialized. 
Thick quills are not developed on the back as in Hystrix. The 
tail is long and scaly, its tip 'provided with a cluster of simple 
bristles. The animal is reputed to be destructive to pineapples. 
The Crested or Short-tailed Old World Porcupines, 
Hystrix, are the only Porcupines to extend to Europe. In conse- 
quence, the genus is perhaps the most studied of all. It is called 
"crested" on account of the long quills of the nape of the neck, 
shoulders, and back, which can be raised and vibrated to make 
a rustling noise. Those of the oriental regions that have this 
characteristic somewhat less developed have been separated 
under the name Acanthion. There is some question regarding 
the number of species contained in Acanthion, but several geo- 
graphical races have received recognition. Possibly the oldest 
known specific name, brachyurus, should be employed for all. In 
