thers. The animal has the power of elevating or depressing them at pleasure; and when he walks, they (but those in particular about the tail) make a rattling noise, by striking against each other.* The head, belly, and legs, are covered with strong dusky bristles, intermixed with softer hairs on the top of the head, these are very long, and curved backwards, somewhat like a ruff or crest.

This animal is a native of Africa, India, and the Indian Islands; and is said sometimes to be found even in Italy and Sicily. It inhabits subterraneous retreats, which it is said to form into several compartments, leaving two holes, one for an entrance, and the other, in case of necessity, to retreat at. It sleeps during the day time, and makes its excursions for food, which consists principally of fruits, roots, and vegetables, in the night. Although able to support hunger for a long time, and apparently without inconvenience, it always eats with a very voracious appetite. In the gardens, near the Cape of Good Hope, these creatures do much damage. When they have once made a path through a fence, they always enter by it, so long as it continues open; and this gives the inhabitants an opWhen a breach is

them.

portunity of destroying them.

discovered, they place a loaded gun, in such a manner, that the muzzle will be near the animal's breast, at the time he is devouring a carrot or turnip, that pulls the string of the trigger.t-The teeth are very sharp and strong. M. Bosman, when on the Coast

*Buff. Quad. vii. 75.

+ Kolben ii. 119.

of Guinea, put one of them into a strong tub, in order to secure him, but, in the course of one night, he eat his way through the staves, even in a place where they were considerably bent outwards, and escaped.*

In its manners, it is very harmless and inoffensive, never itself becoming the aggressor; and, when pursued, it climbs the first tree it can reach, where it remains, till the patience of its adversary is exhausted: when, however, he is roused to selfdefence, it is not even the Lion, that dare venture to attack him.t

The late Sir Ashton Lever, had a live Porcupine, which he frequently turned out on the grass behind his house, to play with a tame Hunting Leopard, and a large Newfoundland Dog. As soon as they were let loose, the Leopard and Dog began to pursue the Porcupine, who always at first endeavoured to escape by flight; but, on finding that ineffectual, he would thrust his nose into some corner, making a snorting noise, and erecting his spines, with which his pursuers pricked their noses, till they quarrelled between themselves, and thus gave him an opportunity to escape.

It has been asserted by many credulous travellers, that the Porcupines, when much provoked, dart their quills at the object by which they are enraged. This opinion, however, has been fully

* Bosman, 237.

+ Church. Kolben.

↑ Church.

refuted by many accurate naturalists, who have taken the pains to inquire into the matter. Their usual method of defence, is to recline themselves on one side, and, upon the enemies approach, to rise up quickly, and gore him with the erected prickles of the other. It is also said, that when this animal meets with serpents, against whom he carries on a perpetual war, he closes himself up like a ball, concealing his head and feet, and then rolls upon and kills them with his bristles, without running any risk of being wounded himself.*-M. Le Vaillant says, that, owing to some pernicious quality in the quills, one of his Hottentots, who had received a wound in the leg from a Porcupine, was ill for more than six months. He also informs us, that a Gentleman, at the Cape, in teasing one of these animals, received a wound in the leg, which nearly occasioned his loss of the limb; and notwithstanding every possible care, he suffered cruelly from it for above four months, during one of which he was confined to his bed.†

When the animal is moulting or casting its quills, a circumstance that may have given rise to the report of its darting them at its enemies, it sometimes shakes them off with so much force, that they will fly to the distance of a few yards, and even bend their points against any hard substance they may happen to strike.-Claudian is the most ancient

writer, that has been cited for the above strange opinion. The following is a translation of his lines;

Arm'd at all points, in Nature's guardian mail,
See the stout Porcupine his foes assail;

And, urg'd to fight, the ready weapons throw,
Himself at once the quiver, dart, and bow.

The female goes with young about seven months, and produces one or two at a birth, which she suckles about a month. These she defends with the utmost resolution against invaders, and will rather be killed than suffer herself to be deprived of them. If taken early, it is said, that Porcupines may be easily tamed.

In their stomachs Bezoar stones are frequently found. These are composed of a very fine hair, which has concreted with the juices of the stomach, and have one layer over another, so that they consist of several rings of different colours, Professor Thunberg says, he has seen them as large as a hen's egg, and that they are generally blunt at one end: but one that he saw was as big as a goose's egg, of a brown colour, and perfectly globular.*

The quills are used by the Indians, to adorn many curious articles that they make; the neatness and elegance of which would not disgrace more enlightened artists. They die them of various beautiful colours, cut them into slips, and embroider

with them their baskets, belts, &c. in a great variety of ornamental figures.*

The flesh is said to be excellent eating, and is frequently introduced at the politest tables at the Cape. According to Kolben, it is the better for hanging a day or two in the chimney.

THE CAVY TRIBE.

THESE animals have two wedge-shaped front teeth, and eight grinders; four or five toes on the fore-feet, and from three to five on the hind ones; the tail, either very short, or altogether wanting; and no collar bones. They were arranged by Linnæus along with the mice; but that genus having been thought much too extensive, and to comprehend many animals that differed very much from them, both in form and habit, it was at length thought necessary to arrange these under a separate head; distinguishing them by the structure of the feet, the proportion of the limbs, &c. the teeth being nearly the same in all. They seem to hold a middle place between the murine quadrupeds and the Hares.

Nearly all the species of Cavy, which are seven in number, have a slow, and some of them a leaping

* Church. + Vaillant, i. 321.

Linn. Gmel. i. 120.