278 CANADA PORCUPINE. 



SYNONTMES. 



Htstbix Piloses Amebicanus, Catesby, Cuv., App., p. 30, 1740. 

 The Porcupine from Hudson's Bat, Edwards' Birds, p. 52. 

 HvsTRix HuDSONius, Brlsson, Re^e Animal, p. 128. 

 Hystrix Dorsata, Linn., Syst., Edwards, xii., p. 57. 



" " Erxleben, p. 345. 



" " Schreber, Saugethiere, p. 605. 



L'Ubson, Buffon, toI. xii., p. 426. 

 Canada Porcupine, Forst., Phil. Trans., vol. Ixii., p. 374, 



" " Penn., Quadrupeds, toI. ii., p. 126. 



" " Arctic Zoology, vol. i., p. 109. 



The Porcupine, Hearne's Journal, p. 381. 

 Erethizon Dobsatcm, F. Cuv., in Mem. du Mus., ix., t. 20. 

 PoBC-Epic Velu, Cuv., Regno Animal, i., p. 209. 

 HrsTRix Dorsata, Sabine, Franklin's Journ., p. 664. 



" " Harlan, Fauna, p. 109. 



" " Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii., p. 160. 



" PiLosus, Rich., Fauna Boreali Americana, p. 214. 



" HuDSONins, Dekay, Nat. Hist. New York, p. 77. 



DESCRIPTION. 



The body of this species is thick, very broad, cylindrical, and to a high 

 degree clumsy. The back is much arched in a ciu've from the nose to 

 the buttocks, when it declines in an angle to the tail. 



The whole upper surface of the body from the nose to the extremity of 

 the tail is covered by long and rather coarse hair, intermixed with a 

 dense mass of spines or quills. These are of a cylindrical shape, very 

 sharp at the extremity and pointed at the roots. The animal is capable 

 of erecting them at pleasure, and they are detached by the slightest 

 touch ; they are barbed with numerous small reversed points or prickles, 

 which, when once inserted in the flesh, will by the mere movement of the 

 limbs work themselves deeper into the body. There seems to be in cer- 

 tain parts of the body of this species a regular gradation from hair to 

 spines ; on the nose for instance, the hair is rather soft, a little higher up 

 it is succeeded by bristles intermixed ■with small spines. These spines 

 continue to lengthen on the hinder parts of the head, to increase in size 

 on the shoulders, and are longer and more rigid on the buttocks and 

 thighs. In specimens of old animals, the whole upper surface of the 

 body is covered by a mass of quills, with thin tufts of long hairs, six 

 inches in length, on the forehead, shoulders, and along the sides. 



Head, rather small for the size of the animal, and very short ; nose, 

 truncated, broad, flattish above, and terminating abruptly. The eyes are 



