MAMMALL 



* i g 



noise. The accounts of their spqjpj|i}gQ|m are 

 fabulous.* The Brazilian porcupine VllniUs 1 urees and 

 clings to them by its prehensile* tail. The young, genera) 

 ly two, are produced in the latter part of spring. 



VALUE. Quills are used in commerce, as pen-holders, etc. 



FIG. 345. A group of rodsnts : i, harvest-mousa ; 2, porcupine ; 3, 



rat. 



Allied are the Chinchillas (Chinchillidcz), that live upon 

 the Andes of Chili and Peru, at an elevation of twelve 

 thousand feet. Their fur is exceedingly valuable. 



NOTE. The allied Viscachas inhabit the lofty plateaus of the 

 Andes, sixteen thousand feet above the sea. They burrow, and have a 

 remarkable habit of collecting about their holes every curious object, so 



* In experiments witnessed by the author, a rabbit was pierced by 

 quills so quickly that it was easy to see how the illusion of their being 

 thrown first originated. The blows were struck entirely by the tail, 

 and so rapidly that the eye at first could not follow the movement. 



