368 , THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



till the danger is past ; and however desirous the cat, the weasel, 

 the ferret, and the martin may be to taste its tender flesh, they 

 soon find out the uselessness of tooth or claw to force the strong- 

 hold ; and though a well-trained terrier or a fox may now and 

 then be found to overcome the resistance of a hedgehog, it 

 generally remains secure scarcely anything but a cold-water 

 bath obliging it to unfold itself. 



Kolling itself in like manner into a perfect sphere, the arma- 

 dillo completely conceals its head and tail under its tesselated 

 armour, so that no dog can force it to unfold itself; and the 

 African long-tailed manis, hiding every vulnerable part under 

 a rampart of trenchant scales, repels the assaults even of the 

 panther. 



Though unable to roll itself up so completely as the hedge- 

 hog, the 6 fretful ' porcupine makes up for this want by the 

 greater power and length of its sharp quills, which, when at- 

 tacked, it raises on every side like so many chevaux-de-frise; 

 so that a beast of prey is hardly ever able to force the bristling 

 phalanx, and man is almost the only enemy it has to fear. 

 When driven to extremities, it is not satisfied with a passive 

 resistance, but rushes upon its adversary, and always sideways, 

 thus bringing into action the longest and sharpest of its quills. 

 Notwithstanding its vigorous defence, it is frequently hunted 

 in the sandy districts of Barbary. Well-beaten paths, and here 

 and there a quill it may have lost, direct attention to its burrow 

 among the prickly shrubs. The huntsmen widen the entrance 

 with their swords, until a hoarse prolonged growl and the peculiar 

 noise which the enraged porcupine makes on raising its quills 

 warn them to be on their guard. Suddenly the creature rushes 

 forth, but the well-aimed . blow of a .poniard stretches it into 

 the dust. A fire is then kindled, and the animal buried under 

 the embers; the quills are then easily separated from the 

 roasted and excellently-flavoured meat. 



In several quadrupeds the emission of scents or fluids of an 

 offensive character constitutes an important means of defence. 

 Thus, most of the members of the weasel tribe as, for instance, 

 the ferret or the polecat emit, when irritated, a very disagree- 

 a,ble odour, which no doubt cools the warlike impetus of many 

 an enemy ; but the most highly-gifted animals in this respect 

 are the skunks, which do full justice to their Latin generic 



