XV SOCIAL HABITS OF THE VIZCACHA 497 
The Vizcacha lives in societies of twenty to thirty members, 
in-a “village” (“ Vizeachera”), a dozen or so of burrows, which 
intercommunicate. They lie at home during the day and come 
out in the evening. Their burrows, like those of the Prairie 
Marmot, harbour other creatures, which apparently live on ami- 
cable terms with the Vizcachas; such are the burrowing owl, a 
small swallow, and a Geositta. The Fox also affects these burrows, 
but then he ejects the rightful owner of the particular burrow 
Fic. 243.—Vizcacha. Lagostomus trichodactylus. x 335. 
which he selects. When the young Foxes are born the vixen 
hunts the Vizcachas for food. The Vizcacha has a most varied 
voice, producing “ guttural, sighing, shrill, and deep tones,” and 
Mr. Hudson doubts if there is “any other four-footed beast so 
loquacious or with a dialect so extensive.” These animals are 
very friendly, and pay visits from village to village; they will 
attempt to rescue their friends if attacked by a Weasel or a 
Peccary, and to disinter those covered up in their burrows 
by man. 
Fam. 7. Cercolabidae.— A number of the characters which 
differentiate this family from the Hystricidae or Ground Por- 
cupines of the Old World are given under the description of the 
latter. The. principal external characters are the prehensile tail, 
the admixture of spines with hairs, and the nature of the sole of 
the foot. In these points the New-World Cercolabidae differ 
from the Old-World Hystricidae. It is interesting to notice that 
1 Hudson, ‘‘ On the Habits of the Vizcacha,”’ Proc. Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 822. 
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