THE PORCUPINE 
HERE are some of her creatures 
that Mother Nature has clad 
in armor, notably the turtle, 
the armadillo and the oyster; 
f} but the porcupine has an ar- 
‘ mor of defense, which is made 
up of weapons of offense, con- 
sisting of bristling spears; and 
ISN SAS 2S each of these spears, is, near 
ae ip. beset with backward curving barbs, so that 
when it is once imbedded in flesh, it works farther 
in at every movement. The pain the hedgehog’s 
quills inflict is severe, and many an animal has 
died from these imbedded spears. 
When attacked, the porcupine curls up so as to 
protect its nose and the under part of its body; mean- 
while, it lashes the enemy in the face with its short 
club-like tail, and leaves a mass of quills with every 
stroke. Old hunters tell us that the best way to ex- 
tract quills from the flesh is by twisting them around; 
“screw them out’, instead of extracting them by a 
straight pull. 
The porcupine is not a very intelligent animal, and 
therefore its chief interest as a pet lies in watching 
its queer habits. It has been protected from its 
enemies so long and so well, that it is not afraid of any- 
thing. Because its quills are so sharp, its wits have 
not needed to be sharpened in order to avoid 
danger. 
The natural home of the porcupine is a nest of dry 
leaves in a hollow log, or beneath a pile of rocks. It 
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