CANADA PORCUPINE. 
HIST. QUAD. Genus XXVIII. 
Hift. Quad, N° 257.—Lev. Mus. 
ORCUPINE. With fhort ears, hid in the fur: hair on the- 
head, body, legs, and upper part of the tail, long, foft, and of a 
dark brown color; but fometimes found white: on the upper part 
of the head, body, and tail, are numbers of ftrong fharp quils; the 
longeft, which are thofe on the back, are three inches long; the 
fhorteft are towards. the head and on the fides, and concealed in the 
hair; mixed with them are certain ftiff ftraggling hairs, at left three 
inches longer than. the others, tipt with dirty white: the under fide 
of the tail is white. 
On: each fore foot are four toes; on the hind five; all armed with 
long claws,. hollowed on the under fide. 
Fhe fize of one, which Sir Joszpu Banks brought from Newfound- 
Jand, was about that of a Hare, but more compaétly made; the 
back arched; and the whole form refembling that of the Beaver: 
the tail is fix inches long, which,, in walking, is carried a little bent 
upwards. 
This fpecies inhabits dmerica, from Hud/on’s,Bay to Canada *, New- 
foundland, New England, and, but rarely, as far fouth as Virginia +. 
Law/fon makes.no mention of it among the animals of Carolina. Du 
Pratz  fays, it loves the cold, and is found on the banks of the 
Illinois, \t may therefore be ranked among the local northern ani- 
mals. 
They are found in great plenty about Hud/on’s Bay, where the trad- 
ing Indians depend much. on them for food. They are reckoned ex- 
cellent eating, even by the Europeans, tafting, when roafted, like fuck- 
* Charlevoix, Vs 198. + Catefby, App. Xxx. t ii. 68. ‘ 
5 ing~ 
109 
PORCUPINE, 
42, CANADA, 
