proach of an enemy, the porcupine will lie down on one side, and then suddenly rising, wound him with its quills.

The female goes with young seven months, and produces but one at a time; this she suckles about a month, and accustoms it betimes to live, like herself, upon vegetables, and the bark of trees. The quills in the tail are said to be hollow, and to have a hole at the extremity; these the animal can bend in such a manner, as that they can be filled with water, which is afterwards discharged in the nest.

THE Couando is much less than the porcupine; its quills are four times shorter, its snout more unlike that of a hare, and its tail of a sufficient length to catch by the branches of trees, and hold by them. It is principally found in the southern parts of America; and is capable of being rendered tolerably tame.

There is another animal in America of this species, called the urson, which is not so round as the former, and somewhat resembles the shape of a pig; it is covered with long bristly hair, with a shorter hair underneath, and under this the quills lie concealed very thick; they are white, with a brown point, and the longest do not exceed four inches: they stick to the hand when the animal is stroked on the back; and when the hand is removed, they adhere so fast, as to follow it. These quadrupeds form their nests under the roots of large trees, sleep very much, and chiefly feed upon the bark of the juniper. winter, the snow serves them for drink, and in summer they lap water like a dog. They inhabit the country lying to the east of Hudson's Bay; and many of the trading Americans depend on them for food at certain seasons of the year.

In

THIS animal, at first sight, seems to bear a strong resemblance to the porcupine; but, on examination, it is found to differ materially, both in the structure of its teeth, and the shortness of its spines, or quills. The length of the animal varies from six to ten inches; the head, back, and sides are covered with spines; but the nose, breast, and belly, are covered with fine soft hair. The legs are short, and almost bare; the toes on each foot are five in number, long, and separated; and the tail, which is about an inch long, is so concealed by the spines, as to be scarcely visible. They generally reside in small thickets, and feed on fallen fruits, roots, and insects; they are also very fond of flesh, either raw or roasted. They chiefly wander about by night, and during the day lie concealed in their holes.

The hedge-hog defends itself from the attacks of other animals, by rolling itself up like a ball, exposing no part of its body, that is not covered with these sharp weapons; thus tiring out the patience of its adversaries. During the winter, this animal wraps itself up in a warm nest of moss, dried grass, and leaves; and sleeps out the rigour of that season. It is sometimes found so completely enveloped with herbage, that it resembles a ball of dried leaves; but when taken out, and placed before a fire, it soon recovers from its state of torpidity. It produces from three to five young at a birth; which at first are white, and exhibit only the marks of this species, with which, however, they are soon covered, like the parent animal.

The hedge-hog may be in some degree domesticated, and has frequently been introduced into houses, for the purpose of expelling those troublesome insects, the cockroaches, which it pursues with avidity.

THE TANREC.

THIS animal is much less than the hedge-hog, being about the size of a mole, and covered with prickles mixed with hair. Its legs are very short; its voice resembles the grunting of a hog, and, like that animal, it is fond of wallowing in the mire. It is generally found near creeks and harbours of salt water, and is said to be in a state of torpidity several months, during which its hair falls off, and is renewed upon its revival.

THERE are several animals distinguished by the common name of ant-eaters, which differ greatly in form; the largest is nearly four feet in length, exclusive of its tail, which is two and a half. It is remarkable for the great length of its snout, which is of a cylindrical form, and serves as a sheath to its long and slender tongue, which always lies folded double in its mouth, and is the chief instrument by which it finds its subsistence.

This creature is a native of Brazil and Guiana, runs slowly, and frequently swims over rivers; it lives wholly on ants, which it collects by thrusting its tongue into their holes, and having penetrated every part of the nest, withdraws it into its mouth loaded with prey.-Its legs are so strong, that few animals can extricate themselves from its gripe. It is said to be formidable even to the panthers of America; and sometimes fixes itself upon them in such a manner, that both of them fall and perish together; for its obstinacy is so great, that it will not extricate itself from its adversary, even after he is dead.-The flesh has a strong disagreeable taste, but is eaten by the Indians.

ANIMALS of the ape, baboon, and monkey kind, are furnished with hands, instead of paws; their ears, eyes, eye-lids, lips, and breasts, resemble those of mankind; and they altogether present a picture well calculated to mortify the pride of such as make their persons the chief object of their admiration.-These approaches, however, are gradual, and some bear the marks of our boasted form more strongly than others. In the ape kind, for instance, we see the whole external machine strongly impressed with the human likeness, and capable of the same exertions; in the baboon kind, we perceive a more distant approach to the human form, the quadruped mixing in every part of the figure; the monkey kind are removed a step further: and lastly, the lemur and oppossum kinds, which we have already mentioned, seem to lose all resemblance of man, except in having hands.

The ourang-outang, we class first, being the largest of the ape specie, and, from the near resemblance of its external appearance to the human form, it has sometimes obtained the appellation of the "wild man of the woods." It has, however, a flatter nose, a more oblique forehead, and the chin without the elevation at the base. The eyes are likewise too near each other; and the distance between the nose and mouth, much too great. A variety of essential differences have also been discovered in the internal conformation; which sufficiently evince, that notwithstanding the apparent affinity to man, the interval which separates the two species is immense; the resemblance in figure and organization, and the imitative move

ments which seem to result from these similarities, neither make him approach the nature of man, nor elevate him above that of the brute.

The specimens hitherto brought into Europe, have seldom exceeded three feet in height; but the largest are said to be about six feet high, very active, and of such prodigious strength, that one of them is able with ease to overpower the most muscular man. They are also exceedingly swift, and cannot be taken without much difficulty. Their colour is generally a kind of dusky brown; their feet are bare; and their ears, hands, and feet, nearly resemble those of mankind. These animals inhabit the woods in the interior of Africa, and the island of Borneo; and in the gloomy forests where they are found, they seem to hold undisputed dominion. They go together in companies, and if they happen to meet one of the human species remote from succour, they shew him no mercy. They even attack the elephant with clubs, and compel him to leave that part of the forest which they claim as their own. They feed on fruits, and, when they happen to approach the shore, will eat fish or crabs.

THIS animal is distinguished by the extraordinary length of its arms, which reach to the ground, when its body is upright, and give it a disgusting appearance. Its face is flat, and of a tawney colour, surrounded with a circle of grey hairs, which add to the singularity of its aspect;