CANADA PORCUPINE. 
1 
violent head-ach. They adhere till filled with 
blood, and then drop off. It is said to be a fetid 
animal. 
Canada porcupine. 
The porcupine met with in Canada, and the 
other parts of North America, as high as Hudson’s 
Bay, has short ears hid in its fur. Its head, body, 
legs, and the upper part of its tail, are covered 
with soft, long, dark brown hair ; on the upper 
part of the head, back, body, and tail, there are 
numbers of sharp strong quills. The longest, mea- 
suring about three inches, are on the back, the 
least towards the head and sides ; but they are all 
hid in the hair. There are some stiff straggling 
hairs intermixed, three inches longer than the rest, 
and tipt with a dirty white. The under side of its 
tail is white. It has four toes on the fore feet, 
five behind, each armed with long claws, hollowed 
on their under side. The form of its body is ex- 
actly like that of a beaver ; but it is not half the 
size. One brought from Newfoundland was 
about the size of a bare, but more compactly 
made. Its tail was about six inches long. They 
vary in colour. One in the Leverean museum was 
entirely white. It is about the size of a fox, but 
a very differently formed animal, as it is very short 
and thick. 
They make their nests under the roots of great 
trees, and will also climb among the boughs. 
The Indians kill them by striking them over the 
nose. They are very plentiful near Hudson’s 
Bay ; and many of the trading Indians depend on 
them for food, esteeming them both wholesome 
and pleasant. They feed on wild fruits and the 
bark of trees, especially the juniper. They eat 
snow in winter, and drink water in summer ; - but 
