S MEXICAN PORCUPINE. 



and a tubercle in place of a fifth toe : the tail is 

 covered with spines for about a third part of its 

 length ; the remainder being nearly naked, and 

 strongly prehensile. In the Leverian Museum is 

 a very fine specimen of this animal. 



MEXICAN POKCUPINE. 



Hystrix Mexicana. H. pedibus tetradactylis, cauda mediocri, 

 Short-spincd Porcupipe, with tetradactylous feet, and tail of mo- 

 derate length. 



Hystrix Novae Hispaniae. aculeis apparentibus, canda breti, 



et crassa. Briss.Quadr, 127. 

 Le Coendou. Bieff", 12 p. 418. jjZ. 54. 

 Mexican Porcupine. Pejinant Qmdr. 2, p. 12^. 



The Mexican Porcupine, which is placed as a 

 variety of the Hystrix prehensilis in the Gmeli- 

 nian edition of the Systema Naturae, seems to be 

 justly considered by Mr. Pennant as a distinct 

 species. It is as large, according to Hernandes, 

 as a middle-sized dog, and is of a dusky brown 

 colour, with very long bristles intermixed with 

 the fur : the spines, with which the upper parts 

 are covered, are about three inches long, slender, 

 and varied with white and yellow, and are not 

 very apparent through the hairs, except on the 

 tail, which is much thicker and shorter in pro- 

 portion than in the Brasilian Porcupine, and, 

 like that, is naked, or without spines from the 

 middle to the end. This animal inhabits the hilly 

 parts of Mexico, residing in woods, and feeding. 



