

A Trip to Mar del Plata 195 



by the waving of the grasses among which they swiftly 



made off. The vizcacha in its habits is not unlike our 



woodchuck, or the prairie-dog (Arctomys) of our Western 



plains. It is, however, a much larger animal, approxi- 



mating a large hare in size. The eyes are lustrous 



and relatively very large. It has, like our prairie-dogs, 



the habit of living in colonies, and digs deep burrows in 



the ground. These 



burrows when disused 



are sometimes tenanted 



by the burrowing-owl 



(Speotyto cunicularia) ; 



and I saw a couple of Fig l6 ._ vizcacha . 



these birds alighting on 



the prairies as we went along. 



We reached Mar del Plata early in the morning. 

 Scores of cabmen and long lines of omnibuses were 

 ranged about the entrance to the railway-station. 

 Dr. Roth selected a Jehu, who drove us to the hotel 

 of his choice, the oldest establishment of its kind in 

 the place, covering a whole block. It is only one 

 story in height. There are a great many inner courts 

 in the middle of which are planted palms and 

 flowers. Surrounding the courts are tiled pavements, 

 from which entrance is given to the rooms, which 

 have tall ceilings and latticed windows. The dining- 

 room is very large, airy, and rather imposingly 

 decorated. There are many other hotels in the 

 place, some of which have been built quite recently, 

 and all have an air of luxury and magnificence 

 which is consonant with the traditions of the lo- 

 cality. Mar del Plata is in fact the Newport of 

 Argentina. A number of years ago a few of the 

 older and wealthier families of Buenos Aires selected 



