THE SPINY RAT FAMILY. 



165 



ribly slow. By day they remain cowering 

 on the branch of a tree to which they attach 

 themselves by means of their tail, and they 

 go out in search of their food only at night. 

 They feed on the leaves of trees. The 

 spines have only a very thin root, but they 

 are somewhat thicker in the middle, and at 

 the end they are as sharp as a needle, and 

 are provided with a barb, which easily breaks 

 off. These tree-porcupines are more detested 



by hunters than any other animals; they are, 

 perhaps, even more dreaded than the rattle- 

 snake. A dog which attacks a cuy at once 

 gets its mouth full of spines, which break off 

 when one attempts to pull them out, and in 

 consequence of their barbs penetrate more 

 and more deeply into the flesh. The tail of 

 the allied North American genus of the 

 Ursons (Erethizon dorsatnni) does not serve 

 for grasping, but the animal is large and 



-~- 



Fig. 225. The Coypu (Mj/ofotanms coypu). 



thickly covered with those dangerous spines. 

 In defending itself against attack the animal 

 deals vigorous blows with its broad tail. 



THE SPINY RAT FAMILY 



(ECHIMYIDA). 



Beside the porcupines we place the spiny 

 rats, which are chiefly met with in South 

 America, but have a few representatives also 

 in tropical Africa. They have four cheek- 

 teeth, which are sometimes simple, sometimes 

 composed of a series of enamel folds like 

 those of the beaver, and mostly have roots. 

 The collar-bones are complete, and the feet 

 usually have five toes. The hair is mostly 

 coarse, interspersed with glossy bristles, and 



often also with a few real spines, which are 

 sharp but short. Some of these animals are 

 climbers for example, the capromys of the 

 Antilles but the majority of them are terres- 

 trial animals living like the rats and mice. 

 The type selected by us is an inhabitant of 

 the water. 



The Coypu of the Indians (Myopotamus 

 coypu\ fig. 225, is a native of South America, 

 and inhabits more particularly the marshes 

 bordering on the Rio de la Plata and its 

 tributaries. Its fine fur consists of soft woolly 

 hair and glossy bristles, is of a beautiful brown 

 colour, and is known to the fur-dealers by 

 the name of the " Plate beaver." The ani- 

 mal exceeds 3 feet in length including the 

 tail, which is about equal in length to the 



