542 



of Natural ^t 



by the number of joints of their lateral an- 

 tennas, which are only seven. They are 



PORCEJVL1O QRANUT.ATUS. 



found under stones, old logs of wood, &c. 

 Their food consists of decayed vegetable and | 

 animal substances ; they move slowly when 

 in danger ; and they seldom come forth from 

 their retreats except in damp weather. 



PORCUPINE. (Hystrix.) A genus of 

 Rodent quadrupeds, characterized by having 

 the clavicles imperfect, two incisor teeth in ] 

 each jaw, and four molars, both above and 

 below, on each side : these have flat crowns, j 

 surrounded by a line of enamel, which enters I 

 into both edges, and appears to divide the : 

 tooth into two portions ; the muzzle is thick | 

 and truncated ; the lip divided ; the tongue I 

 furnished with spiny scales ; the ears short 

 and rounded ; the fore feet furnished with 

 four toes ; and the hind ones with five, all 

 armed with thick nails. Many of them live 

 in burrows, and have much the habits of 

 rabbits ; but their grunting voice, joined to 

 their large and truncated muzzle, has caused 

 them to be compared to the hog. The sin- 

 gular appearance of this animal, so different 

 from that of the generality of quadrupeds, j 

 must in the earliest ages have attracted the 

 attention of even the most iiicurious ; the 

 variegated spines or quills with which it is 

 covered naturally suggesting the idea of a 

 fierce and formidable animal : it is, however, 

 of a harmless nature, and the quills are 

 merely defensive weapons, which, when dis- j 

 turbed or attacked, the animal erects, and j 

 thus endeavours to repel his adversary. 



The COMMON PORCUPINE (ffystrix crista- \ 

 to) is a native of Africa, India, and the In- j 

 dian islands ; and is also found in some of j 

 the warmer parts of Europe. When full 

 grown, it measures about two feet in length, 

 independent of the tail, which is five or six 

 inches. The upper parts of the animal are 

 covered with long, hard, and sharp quills ; 

 those towards the middle and hind part of 

 the body being longer than the rest, very 



sharp-pointed, and measuring from ten to 

 twelve or fifteen inches in length : they are 

 variegated with several alternate black and 

 white rings ; and their root, or point of at- 



tachment, is small. In their usual position 

 they lie nearly flat upon the body, with their 

 points directed backwards : but when the 

 animal is excited, they are capable of being 

 raised. The head, belly, and legs are covered 

 with strong dusky bristles, intermixed with 

 softer hairs ; and on the top of the head the j 

 hair is very long, and curved backwards. 

 The Common Porcupine, though known from | 

 the earliest ages, has given rise to numberless 

 fables, among which that most commonly 

 received is, that it possesses the power of 

 darting its quills with great violence to a 

 considerable distance when irritated or pur- 

 suc_d. Perhaps in shaking the general skin 

 of its body, like other quadrupeds, it may 

 sometimes c;ist off a few of its loose quills to 

 some distance, and thus slightly wound any 

 animal that may happen to stand in its 

 way : and this may have given rise to the 

 popular idea of its darting them at pleasure 

 against its enemies. In Bewick's Quadru- 

 peds, the subject is thus mentioned : " Upon 

 the smallest irritation it raises its quills, and 

 shakes them with great violence, directing 

 them to that quarter from whence it is in 

 danger of being attacked, and striking at 

 the object of its resentment with its quills 

 at the same time. We have observed, on an 

 occasion of this sort, at a time when the 

 animal was moulting or casting its quills, 

 that they would fly out to the distance of 

 a few yards, with such force as to bend the 

 points of them against the board where they 

 struck ; and it is not improbable that a cir- 

 cumstance of this kind may have given rise 

 to an opinion of its power to use them in a 

 more effectual manner." The use of this 

 armature does not appear even now to be 

 well understood : the most probable sup- 

 position, however, is, that it is merely for 

 defence, as, like the hedgehog, it has the 

 power of rolling itself up in a ball, and thus 

 presenting a phalanx of spears on every side, 

 that renders the attack of most animals 

 fruitless. The Porcupine feeds principally 

 on roots, fruit, bark, and other vegetable 

 substances: it inhabits holes or subterraneous 

 retreats, which it is said to form into several 

 compartments or divisions, leaving only a 

 single hole or entrance. It seldom leaves 

 its burrow during the day, but makes its 

 excursions for food by night. It is a solitary 

 animal, and becomes torpid during winter. 

 The female produces two young at a birth. 



The CANADA PORCUPINE. (Ilystrfjc dor- 

 sata.) This is a very unsightly and sluggish 

 animal, approaching somewhat to the form 

 of a Beaver, and principally found in the 

 Northern States of the Union and in Canada. 

 It is not provided with the long quills so 

 remarkable in the common species, its arma- 

 ture consisting of short, sharp spines, almost 

 concealed by the hair with which they arc 

 intermingled. It is about two feet long, and 

 is remarkable for the length and fulness of 

 its fur, which is soft, of a dusky brown colour, 

 and intermixed with longer and coarser 

 hairs with whitish tips : the head is short, 

 the nose blunt, the ears small and rounded, 

 the teeth very strong ; the limbs short ; the 

 feet armed with strong, crooked claws. 



