254 FAMILIAR LIFE IN FIELD AND POEEST. 



the porcupine {Erethizon dorsatus)* nevertheless 

 strongly resembles this meadow burrower in one par- 

 ticular, he is unqualifiedly stupid, 

 far more ^/^^^^^te^_ stupid than any 

 other dl^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ beast of the 



1^¥'A'^^^ 



Porcupine on the march. 



field. But he can afford to be, for he has few ene- 

 mies ; all creatures except the fisher and the panther 

 let him alone. His fearful quills, which have an 

 awkward way of sticking fast in everything they 

 touch (excepting his own hide), are formidable things 



to deal with when 

 one wants to seize 

 him by the back. 



The quills. •' 



There it is ! his 

 back is simply prohibitive ; he can carry it with un- 

 concern as slowly as he pleases, for a more effective 

 armor is not to be found outside of the navy ! 



The porcupine can not even boast of a pleasing 

 countenance. To look one square in the face is to 



* Anotlier significant name, from cpfflifiM, erethizo, to irritate 

 or provoke, and from dorsum, a back. Very wrongly the animal 

 is often called a hedgehog. 



