138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



cost of the work was about <£1000. What also have been tried — 

 with perfect success — on this estancia, are traps, similar to the 

 fox-traps used at home, tliough not quite so large or strong. 

 These are inspected once or twice every night and once again in 

 the morning. At first, some nights will give a biscacha for every 

 trap, but as they diminish all except two or three of the runs are 

 closed, and the superfluous traps carried on to the next biscachero. 



The number of burrows in a biscachero rarely exceeds forty or 

 fifty, and one of that size occupies about three or four hundred 

 square yards; but their usual dimensions are about one-third of 

 that area. On averaging twenty biscacheros in one locality, I 

 found they contained thirty -five denizens each; and yet of these 

 twenty only four were large ones, while some two or three 

 consisted of only one or two burrows each. But as for giving an 

 idea of the ramifications of an old biscachero, it can only be done 

 by comparing it to a labyrinth, — such are the number and extent 

 of its excavations. Where the ground permits of it (i.e., where 

 the elevation of the land above the sea exceeds six feet), there are 

 sometimes three tiers of burrows in the subterranean colony. 

 It is said they always dig down to water, but as yet I have failed 

 to verify the statement. Where three or four passages meet, there 

 is generally a large excavation, known as a "sala" (Spanish hall), 

 and in these " salas " the biscachas congregate in event of any 

 drowning or digging out. 



Their most curious habit is the collection of sticks, bones, dry 

 thistle stalks, bois de vaclie, etc., etc.; which debris is scattered over 

 the biscachero, never taken into the burrows. Naturally, there 

 are many stories extant of lost watches, pocket-books, and other 

 valuable articles having been recovered by examining all the 

 biscacheros in the vicinity; but practically speaking, such cases 

 can but be unusual, for it is only when the loss occurs in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of a biscachero that it is worth while 

 looking for it there. An old native who had watched their method 

 of collecting all this rubbish, described it as being done in a very 

 desultory manner. A biscacha would find a stick or a bone at 

 some yards distance, and after dragging it a short way towards 

 the biscachero would tire of it and leave it, till another repeated 

 the operation — gambolling and jumping about with it; so 

 sometimes two or three nights would elapse before the article 

 reached its destination. 



