H Y S 
HYSTRIX, f. [from vr, Gr. a hog, and §pi|, hair.] The 
Porcupine ; a genus of quadrupeds of the clafs mamma¬ 
lia, order glires ; dillinguifhed by the following characters : 
Two cutting teeth, obliquely divided, both in the upper 
and under jaw, befides eight grinders ; toes four or live 
on each foot; body covered with long, hard* fharp quills, 
or l'pines and hair. There are five fpecies : 
1. Hyftrix criftata, the crefted porcupine: fore feet 
four-toed, hind feet five-toed ; head crefted, tail fliort. 
This fpecies, which is Ihown at the upper part of the an¬ 
nexed Plate, derives its name from a long creft of ftiff 
briftles on the top of its head, reclining backwards. The 
quills on the hind part of the body are nine inches in 
length, very fharp at the ends, and varied with black, 
brown, and white. Between the quills there are a few 
hairs. Its head, belly, and legs, are covered with ftrong 
briftles, terminated with ftrong hair of a dufky colour. 
It has long whilkers, and ears like thofe of the human 
body; its length is about two feet; its tail, which alfo is 
covered with quills, meafures four inches only. It inha¬ 
bits India, the fand-hills to the fouth-weft of the Cafpian 
fea, Southern Tartary, Perfia, Paleitine, and all parts of 
Africa. It is found wild in Italy ; but at the fame time it 
is thought not to have been originally a native of Europe ; 
it is fold in the markets of Rome for the table; but the 
Italian porcupines have fiiorter quills, and a lei's creft, thah 
thofe of Afia and Africa. It is harmlefs; lives on fruits, 
roots, and vegetables; fleeps by day, and feeds by night. 
The ftory of its darting its quills when irritated, is fa¬ 
bulous; when attacked, it retires and runs its nofe into 
a corner; erefts its fpines, and oppofes them to an aflail- 
ant; its makes a kind of fnorting noife. Some of thefe 
animals produce a fort of bezoar, which is extrafted from 
the gall bladder. Befides the Italian variety, with Ihort 
l'pines and creft, there is another with longer fpines and a 
very ample creft. 
2. Hyftrix prehenfilis, the Brafilian porcupine: feet 
four-toed; tail long, prehenfile, naked beneath at the end. 
The Bralilian porcupine has a Ihort blunt nofe, long white 
■whilkerS, and a bed of fmall fpines beneath the nofe ; the 
top of the head, its back, its fides, and the bafe of its tail, 
are alfo covered with fpines ; the longeft of thefe on the 
lower part of the back and tail are about three inches 
long, very lharp, and white, barred near the points with 
black ; they adhere dole to thelkin, which is quite naked 
between them ; and are fiiorter and weaker as they ap¬ 
proach the belly ; on the breaft, belly, and lower parts of the 
legs, they are converted into dark brown briftles. Its feet 
are divided into four toes each, with very long claws, and 
a great protuberance on the place of the thumb ; its tail is 
feven inches long, flender and taper towards the end ; for 
the laft three or four inches it is alinoft naked, having 
only-a few hairs upon it; but, for that Ipace, it has a 
ftrong prehenfile quality. It inhabits Brafil, Guinea, and 
New Spain ; lives'in the woods, and feeds not only on 
fruits, but on poultry; it fleeps by day, and preys by 
night; and generally makes a noife with its noftrils, as if 
out of breach ; it grunts alfo like a few. It climbs trees, 
but very flowly ; in defcending, for fear of falling, it twifts 
its tail round the.branches ; it grows very fat, and its 
fiefii is faid to be very white and good. They may be 
tamed. 
3. Hyftrix Mexicana, the Mexican porcupine. This, 
which is noted only as a variety by Gmelin, is by Turton 
made a diftintt- fpecies, the taij being longer, and the 
fpines fhorter; he gives the fpecific characters'as follows: 
Vol. X. No. 696. 
H Y T 6J7 
tail long, prehenfile ; hind feet four-toed ; fpines mixdd, 
and almoft hidden in downy hair.and long briftles. The 
Mexican porcupine is of a dulky colour; its fpines are 
flender, and varied with white and yellow ; but they are 
fcarcely apparent, except on the tail, which is nine inches 
long ; from the middle to the end it is free from fpines. 
It grows to the bulk of a middle-fized dog. It inhabits 
the mountains of Mexico, lives on fummer-fruits, and 
may eafily be made tame. The Indians pulverize the 
quills, and, fay they are very efficacious as a remedy for 
the gravel; and that, applied whole to the forehead, they 
will relieve the mod violent head-ach. They adhere till 
filled with blood, and then drop off. 
4. Hyftrix dorfata, the Canadian porcupine: tail not 
prehenfile ; hind feet five-toed ; fpines on the upper part 
of the head, back, and tail, only. The porcupine met with 
in Canada, and tlie other parts of North America, as high 
as Hudfon’s Bay, has fliort ears hid in its fur. Its head, 
body, legs, and the upper part of its tail, are covered with 
loft, long, dark-brown, hair; on the upper part of the 
head, back, body, and tail, there are numbers of fharp 
ftrong quills ; the longeft, meafuring about three inches, 
are on the back, the leaft towards the head and fides; but 
they are all hid in the hair. There are fome ftiff drag¬ 
gling hairs intermixed, three inches longer than the reft, 
and tipt with a dirty white; the under fide of its tail is 
white. It has four toes on the fore feet, five behind, each 
armed with long claws, hollowed on their under fide. 
The form of the body is exactly that of a beaver; but it 
is not half the fize. One brought from Newfoundland 
was about the fize of a hare, but more compaftly made. 
Its tail was about fix inches long. They make their nefts 
under the roots of great trees, and will alfo climb among 
the boughs. The Indians kill them by ftriking them 
over the nofe. They are very plentiful near Hudfon’s 
Bay, and many of the trading Indians depend on them 
for food, efteeming them both wholefome and pleafant; 
they feed on wild fruits and the bark of trees, efpecially 
the juniper; they eat fnow in winter, and drink water in 
funjmer; but avoid going into it. When they cannot 
fiiun their purfuer, they will fidle towards him, in order to 
touch him with their quills, which feem but w'eak wea¬ 
pons of defence; for, on ftroking the hair, they will come 
out of the fkin, flicking to the hand. The Indians apply 
them to various purpofes ; for piercing their nofes and 
ears, to make holes for their ear-rings and other finery; 
they alfo trim their deer-lkin habits with fringes made of 
the quills, or cover with them their bark boxes. They 
vary occafionally in colour: there was one in the Leve- 
rian Mufeum entirely w'hite. 
5. Hyftrix macroura, the long-tailed porcupine: feet 
five-toed ; tail very long, prickles clubbed, or jointed. 
This fpecies is ftibwn at the lower part of the annexed Plate. 
It has long whilkers, large bright eyes, and fliort naked ears. 
The body is fliort and thick, and covered with long ftiff 
hairs, as fharp as needles, of different colours as the rays 
of light fall on them. The feet are divided into five toes; 
that which ferves as a thumb turns backwards. The tail 
is its long as the body,, very flender at the end, which con- 
fifts of a thick tuft. The briftles are thick in the middle, 
‘appear as if jointed, and rife one out of the other like 
grains of rice. They are tranfparent, and of a filvery ap¬ 
pearance. It inhabits the ifles of the Indian Archipelago, 
. and lives in the forefts. 
KYTHE. See Hithe. 
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