THE LAGOTIS, 587 
The Chinchilla is an inhabitant of Southern America, living chiefly among the higher 
mountainous districts, where its thick silken fur is of infinite service in protecting it from 
the cold. It is a burrowing animal, digeing its subterranean homes in the valleys which 
intersect the hilly country in which it lives, and banding together in great numbers in 
certain favoured localities. The food of the Chinchilla is exclusively of a vegetable nature, 
and consists chiefly of various bulbous roots, which it disinters by means of its powerful 
fossorial paws. While feeding, it sits upon its hinder feet, and conveys the food to its mouth 
with its fore-feet, which it uses with singular adroitness. It is a most exquisitely cleanly 
animal, as might be supposed from the beautiful delicacy of its fur, for we may always 
remark, that whenever an animal is remarkable for the colouring or the texture of its 
natural robes, it is always most assiduous in preserving them from any substance 
that might stain their purity or 
clog their fibres. 
The fur of the Chinchilla is 
of a delicate clear grey upon the 
back, softening into a ereyish- 
white on the under portions, and 
its texture is marvellously soft 
and fine. As the fur seems to 
be of two different qualities in 
animals that are brought from 
different parts of South America, 
it is supposed that there may be 
either two distinct species of this 
animal, or at least two permanent 
varieties, the hair of one being very 
much more delicate than that of 
the other. Besides being dressed 
and employed as a fur, the hair 
of the Chinchilla is so long and 
soft that it is well adapted for the 
loom, and has been manufactured CHINCHILLA.—Chinchilla laniger. 
into various fabrics where warmth 
and lightness are equally required. 
As the animal is very small, only measuring fourteen or fifteen inches in total length, 
the tail occupying nearly one-third of the measurement, many skins are employed in the 
manufacture of one article of ordinary dress, and the destruction of the Chinchilla is 
necessarily very considerable in order to supply the constant demand for this deservedly 
popular fur. 
As far as is known, the Chinchilla is not a very intelligent animal, seeming to be 
hardly superior to the guinea pig in intellect, and appearing scarcely to recognise even the 
hand that supphes it with food. 
The Laaérts is distinguishable from the preceding animal by the structure of the 
fore-feet, which are only furnished with four toes, while those of the chinchilla possess 
five. The ears are very long in proportion to the head, and being somewhat similar to 
those of the hare, have gained for the animal the generic name of Lagotis, or Hare- 
eared. 
The hinder limbs are long, and very much resemble those of the hare or rabbit; and 
the whole aspect of the creature partakes greatly of the leporine character. The coat is 
very like that of the hare in colour and texture, and is soft, long, and rather woolly, but as 
it is only slightly attached to the skin is valueless as a fur. The long ears are rounded at 
their extremities, and their margins are rolled inwards. The tail is so long that it forms 
a ready means of separating the Lagotis from the hares or rabbits, being quite as long as 
the body, and thickly covered with stiff hairs. 
It is an inhabitant of Peru, and takes up its residence in the crevices of the rocky 
