1348 



THE RODENTS 



SKELETON AND SKULL OF AGUTI. 



Agutis 



THE AGUTIS AND PACAS 

 Family DA S TPR O c TID^E 



The South- American Rodents, respectively known by the names of aguti and 

 paca, constitute a small family with the following characteristics. The limbs are 



of nearly equal length and, 

 furnished 

 claws; the 



with hoof-like 

 tail is short or 

 wanting; the molar teeth 

 have imperfect roots, and 

 enamel folds on both sides of 

 the crowns, and the incisor 

 teeth are long. In the skele- 

 ton the collar bones are 

 rudimentary, the palate is 

 broad, and the lower jaw 

 lacks the distinct ridge on the outer side characteristic of the preceding families. 



The agutis are elegantly-formed Rodents, with a superficial resem- 

 blance to the chevrotains among the Ungulates, and are characterized 

 by their long and slender limbs, and the presence of only three toes on the hind- 

 feet; the fore-feet, however, having the full number of digits. The hair is coarse, 

 more especially on the hind-quarters, where it becomes longer than else\vhere. 

 The crowns of the molar teeth are rounded, and when worn exhibit a single lateral 

 fold of enamel, with several islands of the same on their summits. There are sev- 

 eral species of aguti inhabiting the greater part of Central and South America as 

 far as Paraguay, and there is one species in the West Indies. The common aguti 

 {Dasyprocta aguti) may be taken as the chief example of the genus, all the mem- 

 bers of which are very similar to one another in form and habits. This species, 

 which occurs abundantly in the dense forests of Guiana, Brazil, and Northern Peru, 

 attains a length of from eighteen to twenty inches, and is of general olive- brown 

 color. The middle line of the under surface of the body is, however, yellow or 

 whitish; while the long hairs of the hind-quarters are mostly of a bright orange 

 tint. The feet are penciled with black and yellow, and the toes dusky. The large 

 ears are pinkish, except on their margins, and the small fleshy tail is naked, and of 

 a dusky hue. 



Although essentially forest-dwelling animals, agutis are sometimes seen in the 

 early morning or evening on the open spaces. They are mainly nocturnal, remain- 

 ing concealed during the day in hollow trees or in cavities or burrows among their 

 roots; such burrows, according to Bates, being in some cases tw-o or three feet in 

 depth. Their movements are extremely active and graceful. When going slowly 

 they advance at a kind of trot; but when running their pace takes the form of a 

 series of rapid springs, which succeed each other so quickly as to give the appear- 

 ance of- a gallop. Cutias, as these animals are called on the Amazon, can swim 

 well, but are unable to dive. Their food consists of the foliage and roots of ferns 



