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habits some highly ei roueous ideas are prevalent. The 

 Opossum is abuudaiU in the South, where it is greatly 

 esteemed for table use. The long shaggy coat of the 

 Opossum is considerably used by furriers in the manu- 

 facture of different articles of wearing apparel. Tlii.s 

 animal subsists on both animal and vegetable food. 



THE PORCUriNE. 



The Porcupine whose head, back, and tail are abund 

 antly furnished with hard spines, hidden in a thick 

 coat of fur and straggly long hairs, is still to be fre- 

 quently found in the hemlock forests of the mountain- 

 ous regions. This animal, some believe, seems to have 

 been made for one purpose and that is to add misery 

 to the lives of hunters, who take dogs in hemlock 

 districts where this dark-coated and yellow-toothed 

 animal goes, so that he can visit, in the still night 

 hours, lumber camps for salty food, or browse on the 

 tender evergreen boughs. The Porcupine does not, 

 when defending himself, discharge his spines or quills 

 as some people say he does. 



THE MUSKR.-\T. 



The Muskrat is common and generally dispersed 

 throughout the Oommonwealth. Many thousands of 

 these animals are every year killed along water 

 courses, and mill ponds. Their fur. which is marketed 

 at a low price — at least in a raw state — is made into 

 different articles of wearing apparel and sold under 

 various names. This amphibious rat eats the fanner's 

 corn, if a field with this growing cereal is near the 

 stream or pond which he and his relatives inhabit : he 

 also feeds on mussels and fish. Several persons have 



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