20 
The African Porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ), the Malaccan 
Porcupine (H . longicauda), the Javan Porcupine ( H.jav - 
anica ), the White-haired Porcupine (. Erethizon dorsatus ), 
and the Yellow-haired Porcupine ( E . dorsatus epixanthus ) 
—the two last from North America—are all quiet, retiring 
rodents, living on roots and vegetables or the bark of trees. 
The spines which take, in part, the place of hair in the por¬ 
cupine, are loosely rooted in the skin, and readily come off 
in the mouths of such animals as may attack them, thus form¬ 
ing a terrible means of defense to the animal. The ease with 
which these spines are detached has, without doubt, given 
rise to the fable that the porcupine is able to shoot forth its 
quills, like arrows, against its foes. 
The African Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherura afticana ) 
and the Brazilian Tree Porcupine ( Coendu prehensilis) are 
also kept here. 
The Viscacha ( Lagostomus trichodactylus ), a burrowing 
rodent from La Plata, closely related to the chinchilla, is 
stated by Mr. Darwin to have the curious habit of piling up 
around the mouth of its burrow all objects of a hard charac¬ 
ter which may be found in the neighborhood. So marked is 
this peculiarity that travelers, losing some small article upon 
the road, retrace their steps and examine every viscacha hole 
in the vicinity, generally with the result of finding the miss¬ 
ing object. 
The Capybara ( Hydrochczrus capybara ) and Coypus ( Myop - 
tamus coypus ) are natives of South America, and are of some¬ 
what similar habits to the beaver and muskrat,—like them 
belonging to the order of rodents. The capybara is much 
prized by the natives for its white, delicate flesh, while from 
the coypu is obtained the fur known as “nutria,” formerly 
much used in the manufacture of beaver hats. A small colony 
of coypus is maintained in the creek behind the deer park. 
The Vulpine Phalanger (Phalangista vulpecula ) and the 
Yellow-bellied Phalanger (Petaurus australis') are small 
vegetable-eating marsupials (see page 44) from Australia; 
they live almost entirely among the trees and are strictly 
nocturnal, being found in the daytime with heads bent down 
and noses stowed away between their forefeet. The burrowing 
marsupials are represented by the Rabbit-eared Bandicoot 
( Thy la co mys lagotis.) 
