162 



FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



weave tlieir quills into belts and other ornaments and 

 use them to trim their rohes. In fact. Porcupines, 

 tliough gentle and harmless personally, are rather mis- 

 chievous animals belonging to the Gnawers, and eating 

 vegetable food. In winter they gnaw the twigs and 



bark of trees, 

 and as they do 

 not sleep the 

 winter sleep 

 the)' destroy 

 a great deal 

 of valual)l6 

 wood. People 

 can tell how 

 deep the snow 

 has been by 

 the naked 

 bands on the 

 evergreen 

 trees where 

 the Porcupine 

 has gnawed 

 a w a 3' the 

 Ijark, for they 

 are very hun- 

 gry beasts." 

 "How V)ig are they," asked Rap, " and do they live in 

 dens like Foxes or in the earth ? " 



"They sometimes grow to be twice the size of a 

 Woodcliuck, and tliey look larger yet when their quills 

 stick up. They live in dens, in the crevices between 

 rocks and in tree holes. If you should look in one of 



OaXA1>A POKriTiNK. 



