282 CANADA PORCUPINE. 



of the rind,) that I have frequently known one Porcupine ruin nearly a 

 hundred trees in a winter. 



" A man who is acquainted with the nature of these animals will sel- 

 dom miss finding them when the snow is on the ground. If he can but 

 hit upon the rinding of that winter, by making a circuit around the bark- 

 ed trees, he will soon come on his track unless a very deep snow should 

 have chanced to fall after his last ascent. Having discovered that, he 

 will not be long ere he find the animal." 



In reference to the manner in which the Porcupine defends itself with 

 its quills, he makes the following observations : " It is a received opinion 

 that a Porcupine can dart his quills at pleasure into a distant object, 

 but I venture to affirm that this species cannot, (whatever any other may 

 do,) for I have taken much pains to discover this fact. On the approach 

 of danger he retreats into a hole, if possible, but where he cannot find 

 one he seizes upon the best shelter that offers, sinks his nose between his 

 fore-legs, and defends himself by a sharp stroke of his tail, or a sudden 

 jerk of his back. As the quills are bearded at their points and not deeply 

 rooted in the skin, they stick firmly into whatever they penetrate ; great 

 care should be taken to extract them immediately, otherwise by the mus- 

 cular motion of the animal into which they are stuck, enforced by the 

 beards of the quills, they soon work themselves quite through the part, 

 but I never perceived the puncture to be attended with any worse symp- 

 toms than that of a chirurgical instrument." 



We had on three occasions in the northern and western parts of New 

 York opportunities of witnessing the effects produced by the persevering 

 efforts of this species in search after its simple food. In travelling 

 through the forest from Niagara to Louisville a few years ago, we passed 

 through two or three acres of ground where nearly all the young trees, 

 had on the previous winter been deprived of their bark, and were as per- 

 fectly killed as if a fire had passed through them. We were informed by 

 our coachman that in driving through this place during the winter he 

 had on several occasions seen the Porcupine on one of these trees, and 

 that he believed all the mischief had been done by a 'single animal. We 

 perceived that it had stripped every slippery elm {Ulmus fulvd) in the 

 neighbourhood, left not a tree of the bass wood (Tilia glabra) alive, but 

 had principally feasted on the hemlock, (Abies Canadensis.) 



Mr. J. G. Bell, one of our companions in our recent journey to the 

 West, met with some Porcupines that resorted to a ravine, in which about 

 a hundred cotton-wood trees {Populus angulatus) were standing, that 

 had been denuded of both the bark and leaves. They had remained in 

 this locality until they had eaten not only the tender branches, but had 



