THE AGOUTIS. 139 



has displeased it, and then makes a kind of grumbling, 

 which at length breaks out into a sort of bark. The 

 greater part of the day it passes in repose, delighting in 

 a soft bed, which it forms of straw, hay, and similar ma- 

 terials, collecting the materials with its mouth, and 

 making a little heap, in the centre of which it lies down. 

 M. Biiffon gives a detailed account of one of these ani- 

 mals, which he kept alive in his house for some time, 

 and which was gentle and very familiar. 



The flesh of these animals is in great estimation and 

 in some districts is in ordinary consumption, but as it is 

 fat and rich it is apt to cloy. It is prepared for cooking 

 by being scalded like a sucking-pig and roasted. The 

 fur is of no value, but the skin might be useful if con- 

 verted into leather. M. F. Cuvier thinks that it would 

 be possible to introduce tliis animal into our European 

 rural establishments, and that once naturalised it would 

 form no despicable acquisition in the department of do- 

 mestic economy. 



THE AGOUTIS 



(^Dasyprocta, Illig. ; Clilormys, F. Cuv.). 



These aniinals differ from the pacas in the formation 

 of the skull i.m(\ the conformation of the feet and toes. 

 "With respect to the former, the zygomatic arch presents 

 nothing of that strange development so remarkable in 

 the pacas. The toes are distinctly four on each of the 

 anterior feet : of these the outermost toe on each side is 

 small and seated high, while the two middle are long, 

 and armed with stout claws. The hind-feet are divided 

 into three toes, furnished with claws of a hoof-like cha- 

 racter, and of considerable strength. The limbs are 

 slender, and the hinder pair considerably exceed in length 

 the anterior : hence the pace of these animals is tolerably 

 rapid for a short distance, though they seldom trust to 

 speed for safety, but seek shelter and security in the first 

 hollow tree they meet with, or under a rock. Here 

 they allow themselves to be captured without offering 

 any resistance, only uttering a siiarp plaintive note of 



