rrower. He is
marvellously protected by means of a coat of needles or spines which
inflict painful wounds on the dog or other enemy that ventures to attack
him. In case of danger, he curls himself up into a ball, and defies any
one to come near. Not only does he possess the coat of prickles with
which he defends himself, but he also has a large perforated claw or
spur on each hind foot through which pours an ill-smelling liquid, and
these also aid in protecting him. There are several varieties of
porcupines which inhabit Asia, Africa, Southern Europe and America.

When a porcupine wishes to attack an enemy, he rushes at it backwards,
and usually leaves the enemy literally covered, like a living
pin-cushion, with his spines. These animals have convex skulls, short
tails, and live chiefly in the warmer regions of the Old World. Those of
America are different in one particular--the soles of their feet are
covered with hard, bone-like tubercles, instead of being soft and
smooth; there are also a number of hairs that are intermingled with the
spines. The Canada porcupine has more hairs than the American, and a
shorter and stumpier tail.

Another animal whose methods of defence are by means of his spines, is
the hedgehog. His spines do not terminate in sharp points, like those of
the porcupine, but end in tiny knobs. These are placed beneath the skin,
and are like pins stuck through a cushion. The hedgehog, like the
porcupine, rolls himself into a ball when attacked by enemies, and he
has the additional ability of throwing himself down a hillside, like a
rolling ball, and thus escaping his enemies without injury to himself.
It would seem that the hedgehog, rolled into a ball and covered with
prickles, would be protected from all enemies. But this is not true, for
the clever fox knows just how to make him unroll. This one secret of the
hedgehog's weakness very often causes his loss of life. His weakness is
a terror of being wet or dropped into water; and when the fox finds him
all rolled up, he carefully rolls him into a pond of water and, when he
unrolls, quickly drowns him. Notwithstanding the shortness of the
hedgehog's spines, he is the most highly specialised of all
spine-bearing animals. In the lower order of animals there are spiny
mice and spiny rats, and even the horned toad uses his horns as a means
of protection against his enemies.

One of the most peculiarly armoured animals is the horned lizard,
commonly known