MAMMALIA. 319 
noise. The accounts of their spines being thrown are 
fabulous.* The Brazilian porcupine climbs trees and 
clings to them by its prehensile tail. The young, general- 
ly two, are produced in the latter part of spring. 
VaLur.—Quills are used in commerce, as pen-holders, etc. 
Fic. 345.—A group of rodents: 1, harvest-mouse; 2, porcupine; 3, mole- 
rat. 
Allied are the Chinchillas (CAinchillide), that live upon 
the Andes of Chili and Peru, at an elevation of twelve 
thousand feet. Their fur is exceedingly valuable. 
Notr.—The allied Viscachas inhabit the lofty plateaus of the 
Andes, sixteen thousand feet above the sea. They burrow, and have a 
remarkable habit of collecting about their holes every curious object, so 
* In experiments witnessed by the author, a rabbit was pierced by 
quills so quickly that it was easy to see how the illusion of their being 
thrown first originated. The blows were struck entirely by the tail, 
and so rapidly that the eye at first could not follow the movement. 
