68 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PAKK. 



40 to 50 pounds, and I think they were not far from correct. My 

 own estimate was 35 pounds as the lowest possible limit, but we had 

 no scales or am' convenient means of accurate determination of the 

 weight. It was unusually large, however, and showed some intei-est- 

 ing features. Although a male the four abdominal mammse were 

 almost as conspicuous and well developed as in the females and were 

 arranged as usiuil in a large quadrangle in the middle of a very large 

 abdomen. The man apologized for killing the porcupine, which he 

 had driven awa^- from the camp several times on two successive 

 evenings, but it insisted on returning and had climbed into his wagon 

 and eaten pieces oiit of his harness, bridles, and halters until he was 

 afraid there would be no harness with which to return to the ranch. 

 To protect his pro])erty he had finally taken an ax and smashed the 

 skull of INIr. Porcupine so badly that there was not enough left to 

 make a good specimen. 



Fortunately dogs are not allowed in the park, so the principal 

 objection to porcupines, the unpleasant misunderstanding between 

 rodents and canines, is avoided. Apparently the wild carnivores that 

 have had a longer acquaintance with tlieni have a better understand- 

 ing of the nature of their defense and do not often get into trouble. 



The erroneous inq:)ression that porcupines can throw their quills 

 is surprisingly connnon among those unacquainted with animals, 

 and often the first question asked is how far can they throw their 

 quills and make them stick. The tradition is perhaps an important 

 protection for the uninitiated, for the porcupine is not a safe animal 

 to play with unless the mode of defense is understood. The power- 

 ful muscular tail is heavily armed above and on the sides with quills 

 set at all angles, and an upward or sidewise blow from this tail will 

 drive the quills deeply through clothing or shoe leather with very 

 painful residts. The- porcuinne's method of defense is to keep its 

 back to tJie enemy, with quills erect all over the body and with quick, 

 powerful strokes of the tail to inflict as much injury as possible. 

 AVith its short legs an effort to escape is useless and rarely attempted. 

 When aj^proached at close quarters porcupines will often climb a tree 

 if one is convenient and take refuge among its branches or sit on the 

 side of the trunk, resting wood])eckerlike on the stiff', bristly coat of 

 the under surface of the tail, which is held pressed against the bark. 



In sununer the principal food of the porcupines is green vegeta- 

 tion, of which they eat practically everything that comes their way, 

 until their enormous stomachs are filled. In winter their principal 

 food is the inner bark of pine trees. Occasionally the Douglas and 

 Engelmann spruces also are gnawed, but their favorite food trees 

 seem to l)e the lodgepole, limber, and white-barked pines. Laro-e 

 patches of bark are gnawed from these trees, sometimes at the sur- 

 face of the snow anywhere from 1 to 6 feet from the ground or on 



