The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
THE PoncuPIXk,s QUILLs.
Popular Error Reesrdips Their Supposed
Flisbt and Reversal in the Air.


QUEBEC, cansds, Nov. IA party Of Amer
lean hunters had an unusual experience few
days ago near Lake ST Anne In this province
and came near losing a valuable dog as the re-
suit Of a vicious battle between the dog and
Canadian porcuplne The dog had scented the
porcupino from afar and had dashed on along
the portage path through the woods considerably
In advance Of his party. BY the change In the
sound Of the dogs barks from notes Of loud de-
hance 70 those Of evident distress II was apparent
that something very unusual had occurred Wien
the hunters came up 70 the dog he could only
whino with palm His mouth was wide open and
no was evidently unable 70 close IL He writhed
In agony. and Tho foam hung about bis Jaws
and dropped from his mouth In large patches
az In cases Of acute hydropbobla Once or twice
he started 10 roll on the ground, but this--far
from afiording him any rcllof-smply Increased
his pain, and be was speedily upon his feet again
though when no placed them 10 the ground
seemed as II ho wcro uoading upon plate OF
red hot metal The cause Of the poor beasts
suferngs stood but a few feet away In the sh'p
OF porcupino eurlcd up In battle array. It's quilts
erect as mass Of bayoneta
The dog had not needed the defiant attitude Of
the foo and was paying the rennlty Of bis rnfh-
ncss With the approach Of the bunting party
drawn from the attack the porcupine undertook
70 withdraw himself 70 the reccsses Of the thick
wood when dose Of buckfhot put a sreedy end
70 his existence Meanwhile the intense tuGer-
ings Of the dog were engaging the attention Of
his master and fricnds Almost every ran Of his
body had boon pierced by the porcupines quilts.
which remained firmly fl1cds In the flesh. IL
was tho pain Of them that caused the poor beast
70 roll upon the ground. only TO suffer the moro
by driving the cruel spnos further into the body
Even IN feet Of the roor beast had rot tsCaI,d.
As for lis mouth. the whole Of Its interior was
stuck full Of the phekly quilts 20 that II could
not DO closed II was evident that II must sue
cumb unless something could 30 done for It's
speedy rclict.
II the dog had not been a valuable one and a
great favorito TO boot II would have been nme-
diatel y killed az the simplest means Of putting Il
out Of m sory. II was found impossible 10 do
anything for the poor animal until II had been
securely bound. with piece Of wood through
tho back Of tho mouth. and this strapped back
70 board from either end Even when thus
secured II was found extremely difficult to eH-
tract tho quills In almost every case the effort
70 withdraw hem ly main force proved a failure
Tasy seemed 70 have entered the 1csb splrally
and had 70 be extracted by revolving motion
as II they wero so many screws The longer
they remained In the fesh the farther they ap-
pcarcd 70 penetrate
One Of the guides who assisted In the operation
started an animated discussion by insisting that
the porcupine shoots out 1 quilts in selfdeicnce:
and that Tho spincs arc reversed IN the course of
their flight. and the flesh Of their foe at which
they arc buried BY the extremity By hich they
were originally held " the body OF the purcupine
This Is common belief among many Canadians
accustomed 70 tho woods, and Is not very surpris-
ing when u In remembered that Pliny,. Aristotle
nd tha 90 10 nd
Barbot. Bosnian and the anhtomists Of the French
Academy Of Sciences in modern times have fallen
into the same error Northern hunters are, many
of them. still unwilling 10 nccep, the dictum Of
Button and Cuyer 49, 10 the inability OF potcupinos
10 throw tbeir quills and arguments on the point
arc OF frequent occurrence
The parcupne Is very commSn In Canadian
woods II Is sometimes trapped by hunters, and
often chased and killed with sticks The lnlians
Of abrador prize its flesh very highly as an article
Of food, and y is iavorite morse too, with many
stew and /. exquisite when su Tn With
Is er OF clay and baked In the hot cmhcrs
Of hard v d firc in the woods When with.
drawn from the ashes, the skin pccls oil with the
clay.
The quilts Of the porcupine are much employed
by Canadian indians in cmbrnldcrinR their moc-
casins One OF the Indian tribes OF Canada, the
Pore Epics or PoIcupines, have taken their name
latin po1sus sWin. and ip,Sns a thorn %ns eyi e
IDENTIFY applied by misconception To the porcupn".
which has no resemblance whatever TO the liz,
general conformation Of Its body II much more
closely resembles the beaver but It's possession
OF euls, which arc simply the stems Of feathers
without down. seems to place II midway between
birds and qundrupcds
The spines that surround the tail and that cover
the entire hinder part Of tho body rattle together
with juggling sound when the animal Is walking
quietly along, but when agitated or attacked II
promptly sets them up in battle array BY the con
traction Of a single muscle. much ~ the peacock
succeeds in spreading out the feathers of his tail
When touched these quilts become easily detached,
and adhere 10 foreign substances and hence no
doubt, has arisen tho error tha, the porcupne
hurts them at his foes Death IL very often the
penalty paid by q dog for an attack upon one of
these animals The porcupine roll. himself into
a ball with his head and feet inside when pre-
paring himself for defence and dog or other foe
has nothing but quilts TO face and 10 take into his
mouth in tho course OF his attack
The food OF the porcupine in Canadian woods
II chiefly confined 10 roots and berries