THE SCIENTIST. 
89 
Who lias not heaid the backwoods hunter 
entertain his open-mouthed and equally as 
ignorant audience, with stories of our ' "gentle 
and inoffensive" Porcupine, who "threw 
his quills until the dogs were covered and 
left in disgust, hovvling with pa'n'' or some 
other "bosh" to the same effect. How posi- 
tively he makes the asset tion. There can 
be no doubt that hunters of this i k frequent- 
ly say "bear" whea they have seen nothing 
more formidable than a harmless "ground- 
hogs." Nature armoured cur Porcupine in 
a manner, that, when excited and with spines 
raised, woe to the quadruped, or biped either 
for that matter, who comes in contact witli 
thi.s baadle of prickers. "Porky' s" body is 
covered with a thick lay r of fat, in which 
the quills f)r sp nes are rather insecurely 
fastened. Each spine has a set of minute 
barbs at the outer end. But touch a spine 
aad ii sticks, and can only be removed by 
i)r:e A do, j or fox that lacks experience 
and undertakes a meal at the Porcupine's 
ex[)ens3, usually ends by filling with spines 
not only his mouth, but his head and paws 
as well, and n )t unfrequently death tesults 
from his temerity. 
The quick eye of a frohcking school boy 
detects a moving thread-like object in a 
roadside puddle left by a recent shower. 
Lo! He has discovered a horsehair possess- 
ing life. The hair-snake is captured and 
critically examined by all the school child- 
ren; teachers as well. Even if the teach- 
ers have given Zoology some attention and 
know better, many of them do not take suf- 
ficient interest in the matter ti contradict the 
old lime nonsense, and the boys go home, 
procure a number of horsehairs which are 
put afloat in the "rain-water" barrel or £ome 
other receptacle, and patiently watched for a 
number of days. Of course they never come 
to life but the boys having posi lively seen o?ie 
"live horsehair" grow up and tell the same 
ridiculous tale to their children. Like the 
Glass-snake this tiny worm is not a snake at 
all, being placed by Naturalists among the 
Vermes. They are closely allied to the fatal 
trichina, though they develope in much 
lower forms of animal life, leaving them on 
arriving at maturity. 
Another exploded old time notion is that 
owls see only during the night, whereas they 
are now credited with seeing equally as well 
during the day as by night. That Owls turn 
their heads round and round until twisted 
off, in their efforts to watch an enemy, who 
"knowing his bird" is repeatedly walking 
around his prey, impatiently awaiting the 
fall of the head that he may enjoy a dainty 
meal, is equally as rank rubbish. 
Notwithstanding the assertion in Wood's 
Natural History, that Rattlesnakes and Bur- 
rowing Owls live in Prairie Dogs'* burrows 
"find ng an easy subsistence off the young 
dogs," It is known to a certainty that the 
rattlers and owls "in all cases occupy the 
deserted burrows of these quadrupeds, not 
living in common with them as usually sup- 
posed." * 
The emblem of our countiy, the Bald 
Eig1e, is no longer considered a noble bird 
but is known as an ignominious thief. 
Years ago the natives in preparing skins of 
the Birds of Paradise, for foreign markets, 
fjr some reason, best known to themselves, 
always removed the legs, and in such a man- 
ner that an examination of the skins support- 
ed the deception, so that for many years 
these birds were supposed to be legless. 
That the wishbone of a goose can in any 
way indicate the future condition of the 
■weather, is as hopelessly untrue as that, if 
the Woodchuck sees his shadow on the 
2nd day of February we may expect a cold 
and backward spring. Likewise we may ac- 
cept the "charm" theory of snakes with con- 
siderable doubt and it is now the belief of 
Naturalists that the Opossum does not "play 
'possum" but is simply paralyzed with fear. 
Our Atlantic Seals possess large and in- 
telligent eyes and as some species have manes 
it is not to be wondered at, that ignorant 
Eskimo and superstitious sailors, on seeing 
these animals unexpectedly emerge from the 
sea, with their manes dripping with water and 
uttering sounds strangely human, should mis- 
* Cnics. 
