226 THE PORCUPINE 



measure of good fortune, these will be the only 

 indications of this interesting animal that he will 

 see. Porcupines occur sparingly all over the 

 country, and are, to the extent of their limited 

 capacity, rather a nuisance in the damage they 

 cause to native pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and 

 other produce. 



The porcupine is a solitary type which passes 

 the daylight hours in ant-bear holes, in hollow 

 tree-trunks, and in the shelter afforded by the in- 

 terior of a hospitable ant-heap. At night it steps 

 meditatively forth in search of provisions, and 

 takes its contemplative way along the deserted 

 native paths, its coming heralded by the ceaseless 

 rattling of its quills. To all intents and purposes 

 the porcupine is neither more nor less than a 

 glorified hedgehog, with the exception that where- 

 as the latter, even while rolled up into its familiar 

 ball, may be handled with care, the former has a 

 disagreeable habit of leaving its quills sticking 

 deeply in the flesh of the person or animal by 

 whom it is molested. 



To no members of the game families is this 

 power more deadly than to the great flesh-eaters 

 who have passed the grand climacteric. There 

 comes a time when, owing to the lapse of the fast- 

 fleeting years, the lion and the leopard, finding 

 their usual prey becoming more and more difficult 

 to capture, are compelled to have recourse for a 

 living to forms which cost them a minimum of 

 effort to obtain. Foremost among these is the 

 porcupine, but he proves a terrible meal. His 

 quills are designed like the blades of certain 



