I held still, but apparently the porky had no plans of running away. On the contrary, he was as much interested in me as I was in him, and as I stood there he navigated a slow and winding but determined course across the yard, across the gully and right to my feet, where he stood peering obliquely and intently up at me. I stood peering intently back at him and for an instant, communication occurred. I won't reveal what was said, but visions of a leg full of quills and porcupine tooth incisions vanished at that moment from my thoughts. Having decided I passed inspection, the porky about-faced and wandered back across the lawn, and with frequent pauses for apples, eventually vanished beneath the deck and around the corner of the house.
Porcupines are in the rodent family.
They are famous for their quills, which are actually specialized hairs. They can be up to four inches long, cream colored, and have a hollow main shaft. The base is constricted and the tip, usually dark brown or black, is needlelike and covered with hundreds of tiny, diamond-shaped scales which act as barbs. The quills are loosely attached to the skin and so are easily dislodged, but they cannot be thrown. However, an irate porcupine can swing its heavy tail with surprising quickness and if the tail makes contact with the adversary it will leave behind a dose of quills.