| Throughout our period various breeds of birds were used to supply different quills, including duck, goose, swan and pheasant. |
| For example, the porcupine is defenseless except for its quills, the deer vulnerable except for its speed. |
| We were especially careful in excluding specimens in molt by checking all specimens for the presence of feather quills. |
| The quills are so lightly fixed to the porcupine's body that they are easily detached and left imbedded in the attacker. |
| And there it was, in plain sight by the door, with a small knife, the kind used to sharpen quills, hanging next to it. |
| When the quills begin to loosen, the bird removes them and is then ready to care for the new feathers. |
