THE SEA PORCUPINE. 
146 
a piece of fea crab : The animal approaches the hook 
■with its fpines flattened ; but when hooked and flopped 
by the line, all its fpears are inftantly erected, and the 
whole body is armed fo completely at all points, that it 
is impoffible any where to lay hold of it ; it is therefore 
dragged to feme diftance from the water, and there it 
quickly expires. 
The body of this fpecies is about twenty inches long, 
and twenty-nine in circumference round the thickeft part. 
The mouth is a little prominent, and when opened, about 
three inches in diameter ; the eyes are pretty large, and 
rendered horrible in their afpeft, by four fpines rifing 
immediately above each of them. The two pe&otal Jins 
are about three inches long, and five btoad ; the dorfal 
and anal fins are nearly of the fame dimenfions f. 
* Vide Clufium apud Will. p. 140. 
