155 
27 (in part).—Baird, Mam. N. Amer., 1858, 568.— Allen, Bull. 
Mus. Comp. Zool., i, 1869, 285; Mon. N. A Rodentia, 1877, 388. 
—Jordan, Man. Vertebrates, 1878, 34, 2d ed. 
1771. Canada Porcupine, Pennant, “Syn., 1771, 266; Hist. Quad., 1781, 
No. 257;” Artic Zoology, i, 1784, 109.—Gilpin, Proc. and Trans. 
Nova Scotia Inst. Nat. Scei., ii, 1870, 89. 
Descraption.—General color brownish-black, varied above with yellowish- 
white. Body above densely clothed with long, soft, rather woolly hair, 
intermixed with straight, coarse hair and bristles. The latter are four 
to six inches long, usually tipped with yellowish white, the light tip 
from one-fourth to seven-eighths the length of the hair—rarely obsolete 
or extending to the base. Beneath this, and usually concealed by the 
pelage proper, on the dorsal surface, are erectile barbed quills, from one | 
to four inches in length. These are usuaily white at the base and black 
at the tip, the black varying from one-tenth to one-fourth the length of 
the quill; a few are entirely black, and others occur entirely white. The 
quills begin on the nose as short, stiffened, pointed hairs, pass into short 
spines between the eyes, and so continue to increase in size posteriorly, 
becoming longest over the hips, on the lower part of the back, and upper 
side of base of tail; toward the end of the tail they pass again into long, 
thick bristles and stiff hairs. The young are born without quills, and of 
a uniform black color. Adults average thirty-five to forty inches in total 
length ; the head is about six inches, and tail vertebra about the same. 
Distribution —The Eastern Porcupine formerly ranged through most ot 
New England and New York, and over most of the region south of the 
Great Lakes and north of the Ohio. Northward it extends to the lmit 
of trees, and to the westward probably to the great Saskatchewan Plains 
where it merges into the western form. Being a forest animal, it has 
disappeared with the forests. In 1840, Dr. Emmons gave it as common 
near Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is found on Mount Monadnock, 
southern New Hampshire, central and northern Maine, and in portions 
of Pennsylvania. Godman (Amer. Nat. History, 1826) states, on the 
authority of Dr. Best, that the “ Porcupine is seldom found in Ohio south 
of Dayton ;” but that they were still numerous on St. Mary’s River (1826). 
Mr. Allen states (Monographs of North American Rodentia, page 393), 
on the authority of Dr. J. M. Wheaton, that a few still survive in Clarke, 
Champaign, and Ross counties, and that it was common ten years ago in 
Putnam county. Dr. Wheaton informs me that one was killed in No- 
vember, 1875, on the lineof Wood and Hancock counties, by Mr. H. L. Dunn, 
of Columbus, and that in that locality they were not uncommon, though 
less numerous than formerly. Mr. EK. W. Nelson, of Chicago, informs Mr. Al- 
