834 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



mild and docile." Its most singular trait, its habit of barter, is appar- 

 ently, if the same, unknown. He is not a thief like the monkey, who 

 steals and makes no reparation, but, with a strange kind of honesty, 

 whenever he helps himself he puts something (to his mind, perhaps, as 

 valuable) in its place ; he adapts himself to circumstances ; there being 

 neither corn nor shell-fish in the Northwest, he does very well without, 

 and maintains a plump appearance upon something else. The habit of 

 building here is in dry haunts, where it can find seclusion and secrecy. 

 Since beginning this article, I have met with an extract from 

 Father Joseph Acosta's " Natural and Moral History of the East and 

 West Indies," published at Barcelona, in Spain, in 1591, translated and 

 printed in London in 1604, which seems a fair description of this little 

 animal. Again, in " The Observations of Sir Richard Hawkins, Knight, 

 in his Voyage into the South Sea, 1593," published in London, 1622, 

 and still another published by a Spaniard, " History of Chili," pub- 

 lished at Rome, 1646. In all these accounts there is a queer confusion 

 of names. Sometimes these animals are spoken of as rats, again 

 squirrels, then chinchillas ; the covering of their skins is named indif- 

 ferently, as it happens, wool or fur ; color generally said to be gray. 



From a natural history of Chili, published at Bologna, in Italian, 

 1782, translated 1810, I give the following extracts : 



" The chinchilla is another species of field-rat, held in great esteem 

 for the extreme fineness of its wool, if a rich fur, as delicate as the 

 silken webs of the garden-spiders, may be so termed. It is of an ash- 

 gray, and sufficiently long for spinning. 



" The little animal which produces it is six inches long from the 

 nose to the root of the tail, with small, pointed ears, a short muzzle, 

 teeth like the house-rat, and a tail of moderate length, clothed with 

 delicate fur. 



"It lives in burrows underground, in the open country of the 

 northern provinces of Chili, and is very fond of being in company 

 with others of its species. 



" It feeds upon roots of various bulbous plants, which grow abun- 

 dantly in these parts. 



" It is so docile and mild in temper that, if taken into the hands, it 

 neither bites nor tries to escape, but seems to take pleasure in being 

 caressed. 



" If placed in the bosom it remains there, as still and quiet as if in 

 its own nest. As it is in itself peculiarly cleanly, there can he no fear 

 of its soiling the clothes of those who handle it, or of its communicat- 

 ing any bad smell to them, for it is entirely free from that ill odor 

 which characterizes the other species of rats." 



And he adds, which to us seems odd enough, about a little creature 

 six or more inches in length, " For this reason it might well be kept in 

 the houses, with no annoyance, and at a trifling expense, which would 

 be abundantly repaid by the profits on its icool." 



