234 THE POltCVPlNE AND THE LYNX. 



beast had uttered the cries which had drawn my atten- 

 tion. 



" I would have been glad to add the lynx to my bag, 

 but I feared to fire lest the shot should disturb the 

 neighbourhood. I therefore kept myself well hidden 

 from the sharp-eyed beast, and permitted him to get 

 somewhat in advance. This precaution was not thrown 

 away ; for in a few moments he had scrambled over the 

 prostrate trees, and I could see him arching himself to 

 spring. In an instant he had disappeared, and I could 

 hear him battling with some animal on the other side 

 of the wind-row. Hastily climbing over the encum- 

 bered ground, I soon got a view of the contest. 



" The creature whose strange cries had at first at- 

 tracted me was the Canadian porcupine; and it now 

 occurred to me that here was the opportunity for pro- 

 viding a stew in case nothing better turned up. I was 

 about to sight at the ' fretful ' one, when I reflected that 

 I might just as well allow the lynx to deal with him, 

 and reserve my shot for the latter when he had 

 despatched his victim. This was, however, no easy 

 task. The porcupine presented his phalanx of spines 

 to every assault of his adversary, whose jaws soon 

 showed signs of the severity of the encounter. Blood 

 dropped fast from his mouth, while many of the quills 

 had become detached from the porcupine, and penetrat- 

 ing the lynx's flesh, projected like whiskers from round 

 the sides of his mouth. 



" For a little while the issue of the contest seemed 



