Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-01-13
WHOLE NUMBER 2e3
Naturai History. Dii s"a z
By PROFESSOR BnoNzEPHrz, N. N.
Suhiect- TIE PnnctrpiNr

:
! he could a tale unfold, about ten feet long.
that would make your hair stand He was
originally called the Porksr inc, on PC,
count of his ferocous brislles; but, disddin-
ing the cognomen, and showing that he
had the guilds he made application 10 tho
world at large to have it changed to Por-
cupine, winch was iDoontinen,ly granted
to the snt tsfnction of ali parties; aud now =,
he holds his head a barley-corli higher, he.
lieving with myself thot there IS sou ethisg,
lin name invisible, incomprehsns.b bic ,Lui !
all-imporlan. er--Ei zfs t.rs5., +,
His Porcupineship, ladies and gentlemen,
is n trlfie hey oud foot and half in, dura. !
lion, or length. as ,hs vulgar wou term,
it. He resides in large burroughs Of his,
own making. (show ng that ne is not
ashamed TO work. which have o single 90.
trance, and are divided into. meat and COM.
Portable apartments as advertisers of
boardin g-houses say. lie goes sbeut! in
the night 10 search Of 'roo,s nni yarb9,' 10
doctor himself with. and do damage 10 M
body else He believes, with the ". D,
in Macbeth, that all raduxes, Tor is il 7ad-
ishes?) to retain their virtues, should be
dig -ged in the dark AS he is fond Of box.
wood, yau might suppose him to bs on en-.
graver; but can assure you that he Is
nothing less than quill,diver, as shall
now pre- cceed to show. ..t.-...t .-.,...,.,
When the PorcupiRe is wantonly al.
tacked by an editor, be presents bis side
and compliments TO his enemy, erects all
his darts with menncing mir, and plunges
them so deep into the daslnrdly creature by
whom he has been as>ailed, that they ran,
kle in his bosom ill Death pulls them out.
Most other dogs that mo;esl him gel served
the same way. However, snone are SO
great but there is a grsater:'' a big r,astif
comes along. afeur.sssly grabs him by the
nose, where the prckers are few and un-
formidable, and shakes living princiP out
of his earcase in 'ihe shortes, lims upon 10.
cord.' Then hooking disdainfully down
upon the fallen foo. he merely remarks
Lie still, thou heap that vert king"
and-passes on. - r. go
The story ladies and gen,lemsn, about
the Porcupine possessing the power tn
S boot his quills a. distance, ! am happy
!. ,.rt.,,,v true true s<aag1uq Itasy
Give the devil his dus.' a'~f's
And the Porcupine toe, N ~ 'f--s8
-t- AS be will to you is1. ss.t
if you meddlsd with him. Ihnve. MYSELF
seen him fire them. when excessively On.
ragged, AT nothing twenty yards distance,
and hit il. But have nothing to do with
the creatures skill as marksmaD; the
only serves 10 show that he
has the ability to project his osseous arrows
a leetle beyond the reach OF all human
Suspicion. He never does it, remeinbsry
except when Usry highly excited You
have heard about lhe qutls that were found
in a dead VOLTS mouth. Well, these were
'lef there by force of feelings wrought up
to the highest pinnacls efindignation. zss,ii
The Porcupine survives but short time
after he has made up his mind 10 dis-
which is about fifteen years from the time
he comes into the world. The tenaleare-
tires into private life for seven months, aud
brings out 'only one at attne'---it you
please. She affords it lucteous nourish.
ment for month. and teaches it to live,
like herself, upon its wits and green's
While under her maternal guardianship.
she is awfully, subliaely fierce in its Dc.
fenre; but, at other times, is as ieariub
tmid and harmless as the most delicate
lady in existence. 7r' 1 r. sac
When the Porcupine is hunted by tho
wolf. and is no, too suddenly a.tonished,hs
climbs up the nearest tree, and there waits
till the patience oil his adversary lsno lon
ger fiji tor use. The wolf, knowing show
bard it is to climb and being conscious
that he is only wasting his valuable time,
leaves the Porcupne 'alone in his glory,
and SETS out for game as is game. But
It is fun of the most dallghtiul cruel kind
10 see this animal fix off q serl ent-sgalnst
whom, by tho by, he has carried on per.
petual war for thousand of years, and no
prospect Of a treaty Of peace at present.
He congomerates himself into a terrestrial
spheroid, puts his head in his pocket and
his feet under his jacket; md Then with
his horns stiff and erect, he rolls over and
over his enemy till there is not nn lola ielt
of him but the tip end of q still wriggllng
tail be sts-s fl' So - b
Ladies and gsrtlemen-lhe Poreupine 10
grey. but not with years, s,sorrows,no cares;
and it is great consolation for him 10
knew that he would never be Rny greyer
were he TO live 10 be as old ns Tantabogqs.
He enjoys himself ra,ionaly and almly,
Notwithstanding he has been written down
the fretful porcupine True, be- some.
times troubled by wolves nnd dogs;n but
where, ask,is there living lump ol flesh
in this sublunary world that has not its
share of troubles, trials and disappolnt-
ments? lis native places are Persia India,
Tartary, all parts Of Africa, "nd hacksn'
sack for ought know; but it matters not
as to what country he may belong, a Po:.
cupine is Porcupine throughon, the land.
The hedgehog. ladies and gent emen, is
different kind Of prickly vegetable Alto
gether. shall take it pon some odd oc-
casion; but sufficient for this evening 70
the evil, and go forth. ''e.s eiran
E seE - - -.---...--------... sie 5al
xtyTY 15y ank0d