THE CAPYBARA. 



155 



the water during the day, and wander forth at night to feed. 

 When alarmed, the capybara utters a loud cry like the 

 vowel sounds a-pe, and immediately makes for the water, 

 into which it plunges, swimming with great ease and 

 quickness, little more than its nose appearing above the 

 surface. If hard pressed or wounded, it dives in order 

 to baffle its pursuers, and then endeavours to gain a more 

 secure place of concealment. It is eagerly hunted for 

 the sake of its flesh, which is accounted good, though of 

 a musky flavour : the hind quarters are made into hams. 

 Of its natural enemies the terrible jaguar is the most for- 



r^/-f\- 



9S. — Capybara. 



midable : this powerful beast steals upon the capybara 

 by surprise, and destroys numbers. The food of the 

 capybara consists exclusively of grass and vegetables, as 

 water-melons, gourds, &c. Azara does not believe that 

 these animals ever frequent salt-water : Mr. Darwin shot 

 one in the bay of Monte Video, an old female, measuring, 

 from the tip of the snout to the end of the stump-like 

 tail, three feet eight and a half inches, in girth three 

 feet two inches, and weighing 98 lbs. Several also were 

 seen by the officers of the Beagle on the island of Guritti, 



