362 Extracts from the 



the bird-fauna here is the predominance of Icteridse, Tyran- 

 nidse, and Dendrocolaptidse, three of the most distinctive of 

 South- American bird types. Owing to the predominance of 

 these forms, one does not hear the fine singing one has at 

 home ; its place is taken by a variety of harsh screams and 

 chirps. 



I am afraid I must have wearied out all your patience with 

 this long-winded screed anent birds, so I will try to tell you 

 of the other departments more concisely. Of mammals, the 

 three prominent orders are Edentata, Rodentia, and Car- 

 nivora. Insectivores are, of course, entirely absent. Of 

 Edentates, two types of armadillo are common, the peludo 

 (Dasypus villosus) and the mulito (Praopus hybridus). Of 

 these two species the peludo is the larger, and is covered with 

 long coarse hair, while the mulito has a smooth coat, without 

 hair, except on the belly. Both are eaten by the natives, 

 and the mulito is esteemed a great delicacy. In habits both 

 are the same, burrowing in the ground in search of food. Of 

 Rodents, I have come across three species : the biscacha 

 (Lagostomus trichodactylus) , the "nutria" (Myopotamus 

 coypus), and the couejo (Cavia leucopyga). Of these the 

 biscacha is by far the most conspicuous and most numerous ; 

 its burrows are similar to those of the rabbit, but several 

 times as large. They are collected in colonies called " bisca- 

 cheras/' and around these is generally an expanse of beauti- 

 fully closely cropped turf. Growing on the biscachera itself 

 is frequently an extremely harsh and sharp grass, growing 

 in spiky tufts, called by the natives " paja brava." This 

 grass grows occasionally separate from biscacheras, but much 

 more frequently it denotes the position of a biscachera. The 

 biscacha is a big rodent, about three times the size of a 

 rabbit. It has a stiff rigid tail of about six inches in length. 

 When the animal is running this is carried projecting right 

 backwards, and the hind quarters being on a much larger 

 scale and higher in the air than the fore quarters, the whole 

 animal has a curious resemblance to a wheelbarrow trund- 

 ling along of its own accord. The biscachas are very bold 

 and inquisitive. If one quietly approaches them when they 



