THE porcupine is a native of Africa, and is also found in 

 the south of Europe and the United States. The quills are 

 prettily marked with black and white alternately, and are 

 frequently used as holders for steel pens. It was formerly 

 believed that this animal had the power of shooting its quills 

 at its enemies, from a distance, but like many other things 

 reported of animals, this is quite untrue. Those which are 

 placed upon the body, are usually about a foot long, sharp at 

 the point, and thickest in the middle ; they commonly lie 

 nearly flat ; but if the porcupine be alarmed or irritated, it 

 will raise the spines suddenly, so as cause them to stand stiffly 

 up from the skin, and point in all directions. On the head 

 and neck, there is a crest of very stiff bristles, which arch 



(467) 



