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246 BULLETIN NO. VII. 
Genus Erethizon F. CuvIER. 
This genus may be distinguished from other American por- 
cupines at once by its having five toes armed with strong claws 
behind. The body is thick and bulky, the limbs being short and 
oddly shaped, adapted for climbing and hanging. The tail is 
short and covered all over with spines and bristles. The ana-~ 
tomical details are given beyond and it may be simply noticed 
that the facial partof the skullis greatly elevated and the malars 
are expanded anteriorly. The.molars converge anteriorly; the 
bulle are very large and inflated, the infraorbital foramina 
are of great size, The palate is ridged and ends opposite the 
third molar. Although there is but a single species, two 
marked geographical varieties are known, the first of these, 
the Canada porcupine, once ranged over all suitable woody 
districts from the Atlantic westward to the Saskatchewan and 
southward into Virginia. Northward it is restricted by food 
supply rather than the rigors of the climate and seems to be 
co-extensive in its range with the timber belt. Toward the 
west it does not extend so far south as eastwardly and occurred 
in Ohio, Northern Michigan and Wisconsin and Northern Min- 
nesota. Although well protected from the attacks of wild 
animals, the porcupine falls an easy victim to man and has 
neither the skill nor means to evade him. Thus it is that the 
species is rapidly becoming extinct in settled parts of the 
country. The western variety extends from the Pacific to 
meet the Canada porcupine and southward along the moun- 
tains to the Mexican line. 
Erethizon dorsatus L. 
CANADA PORCUPINE. 
This animal seems to be less common within the limits of 
our state than in portions of Wisconsin. Lumbermen of ex- 
perience state that upon the Chippewa river it is a frequentand 
annoying visitor to the lumber camps, where its swine-like 
inquisitiveness leads it to break open and destroy provisions 
which it can not eat. In Minnesota its distribution may 
roughly correspond with that of the pine forests, yet nowhere 
does it become more than locally frequent and, even where 
measureably common, it is less frequently encountered than 
