192 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



theless, it is almost entirely arboreal in its habits, leaves 

 of trees forming the chief parts of its food, though it also 

 eats fruits and nuts, particularly beech mast. 



It is by far the largest of American porcupines, and 

 I suppose of those of the Old World too, the average 

 weight being eighteen pounds, though individuals have 

 been captured by me which weighed twenty-three. It 

 is an uncouth-looking creature, not at all like the 

 European porcupine, and when huddled up among the 

 branches of a tree resembles a huge bird's nest. It is 

 thickly covered with mingled hair and spines, the latter 

 being short, about three inches in length, on the most 

 exposed parts of the body. It is said that the animal 

 can make a formidable defence against such beasts of 

 prey as the fox and the wolf. I think this is extremely 

 doubtful, for I know that the pole-cat frequently preys 

 on it. It is also eaten by Indians and trappers, and I 

 myself think the flesh superior to that of the rabbit. It 

 is not a prolific animal, having but one at a birth, and 

 occasionally two. It feeds and moves about mostly at 

 night ; but during the day makes no attempt to conceal 

 itself, lying asleep in the fork of a branch of the tree 

 where it has been feeding, and may be easily discovered 

 by those who know how to look for it. Those that I 

 have handled while alive never made any attempt to 

 bite ; and it seems to me that their sole attempt at 

 defence is to erect their bristles, which makes it diffi- 

 cult for a four-footed animal to attack them. They 

 do, however, fall a prey to animals and the larger birds 

 of prey. 



The spring thaws began in April, and the men, 

 abandoning their axes, were busily engaged dragging the 

 logs to the banks of the stream and throwing them down 

 to be floated to Tadoussac by the current. Tens of 

 thousands of logs are thus sent down ; and are 

 generally sawn into planks at the mill before being 

 shipped. Indeed the mills are at work all the winter, 



