THE PORCUPINE. 149 



By the end of the " fall," the animal becomes loaded with 

 fat, from feeding on the berries found in the " barrens." Its 

 cry is a plaintive, whining sound, not very dissimilar to that 

 of a calf moose. The female produces two at a birth early in 

 the spring. The porcupine can easily be tamed ; and Audu- 

 bon mentions one which was so entirely domesticated, that it 

 would come voluntarily to its master, and take fruit or vege- 

 tables out of his hand, rubbing against him as does an affec- 

 tionate cat. The same animal, however, showed considerable 

 courage. On one occasion it was attacked by a ferocious 

 mastiff. One morning the dog was seen making a dash at 

 some object in the corner of the fence. This proved to be the 

 tame porcupine, which had escaped from its cage. The dog 

 seemed regardless of all its threats, and probably supposing 

 it to be an animal not more formidable than a cat, sprang at 

 it with open mouth. The porcupine seemed to swell up, in 

 an instant, to nearly double its size ; and as the dog sprang 

 upon it, dealt him such a sidewise blow with the tail, as to 

 cause the mastiff to relinquish his hold instantly, and set up 

 a howl of pain. His mouth and nose were full of quills. He 

 could not close his jaws, but hurried, open-mouthed, off the 

 premises. Although the servants instantly extracted the 

 spines from the mouth of the dog, his head was terribly 

 pierced, and it was several weeks before he recovered. The 

 porcupine, however, suffered severely from the combat ; and 

 as the hot weather came on, showed great signs of distress, 

 and finally died of heat. 



The quills of the porcupine are brilliantly stained by the 

 Indians with a variety of colours, and are extensively used by 

 their squaws in ornamenting with fanciful patterns the birch- 

 bark ware which they sell to the white settlers. 



