PORCUPINE WEAPONS. 
49 
of only one thing — to be able to come down 
tail first. 
This method of retreat was not so absurd as it 
appears. He possessed a remarkably fine nerv- 
ous organization, and was susceptible of feeling 
the faintest touch given his longest hair. He 
would slide down anything a little distance, and 
then begin to feel around, with the end of his 
tail, for a landing-place ; the first hint of which, 
the long, sensitive hairs in that appendage always 
brought. Then, too, there was another reason : 
if an enemy was encountered, his tail was his 
defensive weapon, and it was but prudent to pre- 
sent it first. When vexed or threatened with 
danger, he would whirl around as rapidly as his 
clumsy body would permit, and deal his offender 
swift blows with the back of that appendage, one 
stroke of which, few animals would care to have 
repeated. 
■ As the spines, with which it and his body gen- 
erally were so well armed, came out very easily 
and were barbed at the end, so that wherever 
they struck there they stuck, it is not at all sur- 
prising that careless and terrified observers should 
have supposed he was capable of throwing them. 
Mrs. Maxwell found he had but one spot upon 
which she could administer discipline. That was 
the end of his broad, peculiarly-shaped nose. 
A few snaps of the finger on that was suffi- 
4 
