472 



THE CANADIAN PORCUPINE, OR URSON. 



"A large, ferocious, and exceedingly troublesome mastiff, belonging to the neighborhood, 

 had been in the habit of digging a hole under the fence, and entering our garden. Early one 

 morning we saw him making a dash at some object in the corner of the fence, which proved to 

 be our Porcupine, which had, during the night, made its escape from the cage. 



"The dog seemed regardless of all its threats, and probably supposing it to be an animal 

 not more formidable than a cat, sprang upon it with open mouth. The Porcupine seemed to 

 swell up in an instant to nearly double its size, and as the dog pounced upon it, it dealt him 

 such a sidewise blow with its tail, as to cause the mastiff to relinquish his hold instantly, and 

 set up a loud howl in an agony of pain. His mouth, tongue, and nose were full of Porcupine 

 quills. He could not close his jaws, but hurried, open-mouthed, off the premises. It proved 

 to him a lesson for life, as nothing could ever afterwards induce him to revisit a place where 

 he had met with such an unneighborly reception. Although the servants immediately 



life: 



CANADIAN PORCUPINE, OR URSON.— Erethizon dorsatum. 



extracted the spines from the mouth of the dog, we observed that his head was terribly swelled 

 for several weeks afterwards, and it was months before he finally recovered." ^ 



The victorious Urson did not long survive the affray, for as the summer weather 

 approached, it betrayed unmistakable signs of distress, and finally died of heat. A similar 

 anecdote is recorded of an Urson, which took a sudden umbrage at the attentions of a person 

 who was attempting to caress it, and unexpectedly dealt him such a blow with its tail that his 

 offending right hand was instantly covered with wounds. 



The Urson is not so fully defended with spines as the two preceding animals, but is covered 

 with long, coarse, blackish-brown hair, among which the short pointed quills are so deeply 

 set, that, except in the head, tail, and hinder quarters, they are scarcely perceptible. These 

 spines are largely used by the American Indians in the decoration of their hunting-pouches, 

 moccasins, and other articles, and after the quills are extracted, the remainder of the fur is 

 sufficiently soft to be used for clothing. The flesh of the Urson is considered eatable, and is 

 said to bear some resemblance to flabby pork. 



The length of the Urson is not quite four feet, the head and body measuring rather more 

 than three feet, and the tail about nine inches. The teeth are of a bright orange. 



The Canada Porcupine is, probably, much less known than the African species, which is 

 figured very commonly in books. It is known as Hedgehog in the country, but the true 

 Hedgehog is an European species of animal, entirely different ; belonging to another order, 

 the Insectivora. The Canada Porcupine has been kept alive in Central Park. The tales con- 

 cerning the throwing of the quills are fabulous. "We had an opportunity to observe the 



