58 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



A youth, looking at a Snake protruding its tongue, exclaimed : 

 "Oh, look at its stinging nettle ! " — A navvy and family were look- 

 ing at a Lion, and the former was heard to exclaim : "Fancy him 

 being able to kill a man with a blow of his tail ! " — Old lady (to 

 keeper of Eagles) : "What do you feed them on, keeper ? " Keeper : 

 "Flesh, madam." Old lady: "Oh, how savage!" — Party in 

 Antelope house, observing the Mice running about : "Are they put 

 there on purpose ? " 



SPIX'S CAVY. — In view of the domesticated Cavies, or Guinea 

 Pigs, which were dealt with in the last chapter, it is as well to find 

 a place in our present section for a further representative of this 

 interesting family of animals. Spix's Cavy (Fig. 48) is an inhabitant 

 of Brazil, whilst the whole of its wild congeners are resident through- 

 out South America. These true Cavies, as we may call them, are 

 uniformly coloured, and, with the exception of the Carpincho — which 

 is the largest of living rodents, and belongs to a different genus — 

 they are small creatures whose tails, as is so well known, are very 

 insignificant. 



As to the ancestor of the domestic Guinea Pig some speculation 

 still exists, but the nearest present solution of the problem is that 

 it is descended from Cutler's Cavy, which is a Peruvian species 

 having black fur, with the flanks and underneath parts brownish. 

 Another well-known wild species is the Restless Cavy, which hails 

 from Uruguay and Brazil, and is fond of inhabiting damp places. 

 Its fur is greyish-brown in colour. 



CARPINCHO. — The Carpincho Cavy (Fig. 49) attains a length of 

 about four feet, and is thoroughly aquatic in its habits. It has bristly 

 reddish-brown hair and a grunting voice. It is a splendid swimmer 

 and diver, is gregarious in disposition, and, in a wild state, is very 

 conscious of protection. It is, like its congeners the true Cavies, a 

 vegetarian in diet, and the two individuals in the photograph are 

 busily engaged feeding upon cabbage. 



Young Cavies born in captivity are remarkably well advanced at 

 birth, for their eyes are open, their milk-teeth have been lost, and in 

 a few hours' time the fresh arrivals are well able to take care of 

 themselves. 



Although lacking in intelligence, the small Cavies are really 

 good pets for young children, as they are easy to keep — if a nice 

 dry, warm place is given to them — and are perfectly harmless. 



COMMON SEAL. — Leaving these small pets, we come to a much 



