Order HYEACOIDEA. 



This small order comprises the Rock Rabbits or Coneys 

 — small rodent-like animals with hoof-like nails to the 

 feet (excepting the second digit of the fore feet, which is 

 furnished with a curved claw). These little animals 

 have been classified with the rodents and also with the 

 ungulata (or hoofed animals). They are certainly not 

 rodents according to their dentition, and have not much 

 in common with the ungulata, so we prefer to follow 

 Huxley in his separation of them into a different order. 



The number of teeth are : incisors 1-2, canines 1-0, 

 premolars 4-4, molars 3-3 — the milk teeth differing in 

 that there are 3 incisors above and 2 below. There are 

 no clavicles. Certain other important internal anatomical 

 characters need not concern us in a work of this nature. 

 The ears are small, the fur is thick and the snout is 

 '' split." Tail reduced. 



There is only one living family, Procavidce, with one 

 genus, Procavia {Hy rax of Hermann), containing three 

 South African species. 



Procavia capensis. Bock Babbit. Dassie, or Klip Das. 



Colour a warm, speckly grey-brown, darker in the 

 centre of the back, with pale yellowish eyebrows. The 

 soles of the feet are naked and black in colour. Length 

 of head and body 18 inches. 



This little animal inhabits the rocky krantzes or cliff's 

 and hills, where it lives in colonies amongst the cracks 

 or crevices, basking in the sun during the heat of the day 

 and feeding upon vegetable matter, such as leaves, roots, 



