CHAPTER XL 



THE PORCUPINE ITS METHOD OF SELF-DEFENCE DESTRUCTIVE TO TREES- 

 JAKE'S OPINION OF PORCUPINE THE TUFT-TAIL PIERRE'S ACCOUNT OF 

 THE BEAVER HERNE's ACCOUNT JAKE'S PET BEAVER AND WHAT IT DID 

 THE OLD HUNTER'S ADVENTURE NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 



" WE will take the porcupines first," resumed Pierre, "as 

 they occur next in my manuscript, although properly 

 they hold an inferior place to the beavers. Both they 

 and the beavers, indeed, belong to the same order as the 

 squirrels, being all classed among the Rodentia" 



" What d'ye call 'em ? " asked Jake. " I hev been, 

 man an' boy, fifty year carryin' a rifle, an' niver heerd 

 tell o' them critters till now. They must be scarce, I 

 reckon, or this child 'ud a run agin some o' them in 

 his time." 



Pierre laughed outright. "That is merely a Latin 

 word, Jake," he explained, "to designate a class or 

 order of animals which gnaw their food. You will 

 perceive that the teeth of the squirrel, for instance, 

 are singularly well formed for the purpose of gnaw- 

 ing; so are those of the beavers, and also of the 

 others." 



"Wai, go ahead, young fellur," said the trapper; 



