HUNTING THE PORCUPINE. 469 



fierce wild beasts, consists, in their prickly covering ; but this 

 is quite sufficient, for it is said, that when a porcupine has 

 bristled up his spines, even the lion does not dare to attack it. 

 Bingly states in his pleasing and instructive " Animal Biogra- 

 phy," that "the late Sir Ashton Lever had a porcupine 

 which he frequently turned out on the grass behind his house, 

 to play with a tame leopard, and a large Newfoundland dog. 

 As soon as they were let loose, the leopard and dog began to 

 pursue the porcupine, which always at first endeavored to 

 escape by flight ; but on finding this ineffectual, he would 

 thrust his head into a corner, making a snorting noise,, and 

 raising his spines. With these, his pursuers pricked their 

 noses till they quarelled between themselves, and thus gave 

 him an opportunity to escape." 



Hunting the porcupine with dogs is a ticklish affair as an 

 attempt to bite the animal fills the dog's mouth with the quills. 

 Mr. Gumming frequently shot porcupines in his South African 

 expeditions and he says that the flesh when roasted is very 

 palateable. 



BRAZILIAN PORCUPINE. 

 40 



