162 



FOUR-FOOTED AMEBICANS 



weave their quills into belts and other ornaments and 

 use them to trim tlieir rol)es. In fact, Porcupines, 

 though gentle and harmless personally, are rather mis- 

 chievous animals belonging to the Gnawers, and eating 

 vegetable food. In winter they gnaw the tAvigs and 



bark of trees, 

 and as they do 

 not sleep the 

 Avinter sleep 

 they destroy 

 a great deal 

 of valuable 

 wood. People 

 can tell how 

 deep the snow 

 lias been by 

 tlie naked 

 l)an(ls on the 

 e \' e r g r e e n 

 trees Avhere 

 the Porcupine 

 lias gnawed 

 a w a y the 

 l)ark, for they 

 are very hun- 

 gry beasts." 

 " How big are they," asked Rap, '' and do they live in 

 dens like Foxes or in the earth ? " 



"They sometimes grow to be twice the size of a 

 Woodchuck, and the}" look larger 3'et when their quills 

 stick up. They live in dens, in the crevices between 

 rocks and in tree holes. If you should look in one of 



Canada V 



