GNAWERS. Hi 



It to penetrate and fix itself into the felt which forms the body 

 of a hat. In making the hat, the only method required to fasten 

 the fur into the felt is to knead fur and felt together. The hair 

 is toothed on its surfaces, and makes its way Into the felt, just as 

 an awn of barley will travel all over the body if placed up the 

 sleeve. The length of the Beaver is about three feet and a half. 



When in captivity the Beaver soon becomes tame, and will 

 industriously build dams across the corner of a room with brushes, 

 boots, fire-irons, books, or anything it can find. When its edifice 

 is finished it sits in the centre, apparently satisfied that it has made 

 a beautiful structure to dam up the river — a proof that the inge- 

 nuity of the Beaver is not caused by reason, but by instinct. 



The Common Porcupine is found in Africa, Tartary, 

 Persia, India, and some parts of Europe. It lives in holes which 

 it digs in the ground, and only comes 



forth at night in order to feed. It ' ^ '- '''C-^ 



eats vegetable substances only, such ^,,'.fvi ^'^g'-i^^z 



as roots, bark, etc. The array of ^^^^^^^^^^^~ 

 spines or quills with which this ani- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 mal is covered forms its principal ''^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^ 

 means of defence. If it cannot es- 'v^^^^Z^\ ^^^^^- 

 cape, it suddenly stops, erects all its porcupine 



quills, and runs backwards against 



its adversary, striking the quills against him by the weight of its 

 body. Occasionally-a looser quill than usual remains in the wound 

 or falls on the ground, which evidently gave rise to the foolish 

 error that the Porcupine could dart its weapons at its adversary 

 from a distance. There are two kinds of these quills, — one kind 

 long and curved, the other short, thick, and pointed. These last 

 are the weapons of defence, as the former are too slender to do 

 much service. When the Porcupine walks, its quills make a kind 

 of rustling sound, caused principally by those arranged on the 

 tail, which are large, hollow, and supported on long slender stalks. 

 The American Indians use the quills extracted from the Canada 

 Porcupine, a species living on trees, for ornamenting various parts' 

 of their dress, especially their mocassins or skin shoes. In Eng- 



