Verso: inscribed by the artist in pen and ink: "The Porchapin from Hudsons bay. it is of the bignes of a Rackune / the Shape of the body Seems Much like a beavers the head is like a Rabits / it hath a flat nose quite Coverd with hair 4 Strong broad Yellow teeth before [?] in the / uper and [?] in the under Jaw a Small round Ear Which hardly Appears through the furr / it hath Short legs and long Claws four on Each foot forward and five on Each of the / hinder feet the Claws on the under Side are hollow like Scoops. the tail is of a / Midling lengts and pretty thick. it is Cloathed all over the body with pretty Soft / furr about 4 Inches long tho Shorter About the head and paws of a Sable or Dark brown Colour / under the hare on the upper part of the head body and tail it is thick Set with Sharp / [stiff?] Quills the longest being hardly 3 Inches long which gradually Shorten / to ward the nose and on the Sides near the belly the Quill Could not be Seen / through the hare Except a little on the rump whare was then set. it had beside / the Soft furr befor Said Sum long stuff Stragling hairs thinly Set 3 Inches longer then / the under furr the Ends of Which being of a Durty White Made its Coat Seem Grisled / in Sum places. The under Side of the tail to Wards the End is white, the Quills are very Sharp Several of them having Stuck so fast in My fingers as to lave the Skin the grew on / they are bearded and not Easey to draw out when [Enlevd?] the Skinn thare was brought with this / a Young one about the bignes of a rat it had a blacker furr then the Old one and the Quills ware plaingly Seen and felt among the furr it was brought brought by Capt Coles from Hudson bay Anno 1740 this Creature hath not that I know of been Yet described and I / believe this is the firs that hath been brought in to Europe one of the Quill are drawn of the full bignes on the Other Sid the Other figure is the point of a Quill magnified to Shew the beards / Geo Edwards / June 1741” (after BM website)