HYIIAX. 



HYSTKICID.fi. 



, bo has also Men them among the rocks at 



i Prouoatorium. or Cape Mahommed, which divides the 

 _ja the Boroopolitic Oulf, or Gulf of Suet. They seemed 

 to Ira* U> be the same in all place* ; but, if there was any difference, 

 the** of the Mountain of the Sun were superior in six* and fatness. 

 He kept on* sou.* time, and give* an interesting account of iU habits 

 in eeoBMowot. This species is called //. Ahyainifu* in the ' British 

 XSSMUB Catelogoo.' 



The captive specimen noticed by F. Cuvier had the appearance 

 and somewhat of the habit* of the Rodent*, resembling the Xpermo- 

 fkili. It was quick, litelv, active, inquisitive, and tried to get into 

 opening, or holri for concealment It delighted in heat, 

 j alUroaUly different parts of its body to the sun. In cold 

 r H wrapped iUrlf up in its hay or litter. 



//. Cmftmrit. the Klipdaa. The following account of the habits of 

 this animal is given by \V. H. Ku l-L.n Read, Esq. : It is found at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, iuhabitim; Uie hollows and crevices of rocks, 

 both on the summits and aide* of hills, as well as near the sea-shore, 

 von a little above high-water mark. It appears to live in families, 

 and i* remarkably shy in its wild state. In winter it is fond of coming 

 out of it* hole and sunning itself on the lea-side of a rock, and in 

 summer of enjoying the breese on the top ; but in both instances, as 

 wrll M when it feeds, a sentinel is on the look-out (generally an old 

 male), which gives notice, usually by a shrill prolonged cry, of the 

 approach of danger, or even the least movement of any suspicious 

 object. It lives on the young shoots of shrubs, the tops of flowers, 

 herbs and crass, particularly of all those which are aromatic ; which 

 the necessity of paunching the animal as soon as killed, in 

 make it fit for eating. The stomachs of those shot by Mr. 

 _ wore always much distended with food scarcely masticated. 

 ~ A friend of mine," continues Mr. Read, " kept two young ones alive 

 for some time, which became very tame ; they would find him out 

 when lying on the sofa or in bed (for they were suffered to run about 

 the bouse), and, climbing up, shelter themselves on his breast within 

 bis waistcoat, or creep under the bed-clothes at his back, and, lying 

 quiet, enjoy the warmth. The one brought home by Mr. Henuah, 

 when allowed to run unconfined about the room, was inclined to be 

 sociable, but was restless and inquisitive, climbing up and examining 

 very person or thing in the cabin, and startling at any noise, which 

 nsjmfl it instantly to nm and hide itself. But from confinement it 

 became savage and snarling, and tried to bite when anything was put 

 it* cage. Both wild and in restraint it is remarkably clean jn its 



habits, always frequenting and depositing its dung in one place. From 

 iU faintly crying in its sleep we may conclude that it dreams. I hare 

 Ian heard it chewing its food by night, when everything has been 

 quiet, and after going into it* sleeping apartment In its food it was 

 pleased with variety, eating first a few leaves of one plant and then of 

 another, and greedily licking salt when given to it In its passage 

 borne it* food was Indian corn bruised, bread, raw potato, and onion, 

 with a small quantity of water, which in drinking it partly lapped and 

 partly sucked up. It was very sensible of cold ; for when a candle 

 was placed near the bars of it* cage it readily acknowledged the little 

 warmth given out by turning its side, and sitting still to receive the 

 full benefit of tl.e rays of heat I am inclined to think that the female 

 do** not produce more than two young ones st a time, from having 

 observed in several instances but two following the old ones. Its 

 name at the Cape is the Dasse. which is I believe the Dutch for a 

 badger." In Mr. Stoedman'* Wanderings,' the Dasse, or Jffyrar, is 

 stated to be sn extremely quick and active little animal, skipping along 

 the shelving ledge* of the overhanging cliffs, and darting with incredible 

 swifUMS* into the bole* and crevices of the rocks, by which it frequently 

 eludes the grasp of it* pursuer*. It is said to be prayed upon by the 

 lions, by snos, and some of the birds of prey of Africa. The ' Catalogue 

 of the African Museum* states that .4 ipti/a vii&ttrina resorts exclusively 

 to high ragged mountain*, whore it preys upon Hyrar Capentii, the 

 DMO* of the Cape colonist*. 



Mr. Road says that the flesh of the Cape Hyrax is very like that of 

 a rabbit in flavour. Hemprich states that both the natives of Arabia 

 and the boors of the Cape regard the urine of the //yrox a* medicinal. 



The term tr (Sbaphan or Baphan) is to be found in the following 

 parts of the Bible : Levit xi. 5. ; Deut xiv. 7 ; Psalm civ. 18 ; Prov. 

 1 1 1 26. In our Knglish translation now in use this word is rendered 

 'oooey,' and 'conic*' in all the passages quoted; and so it is in 

 Robert Barker's Bible (Klft). In the Tigurine version, as given by 

 Bilnsulmr, Sehapnen i* translated (Levit xi. S) 'cuniculus,' and in 

 the Vulgate, M given by the same author, ' choerogyllus.' In 

 Psalms civ. 18, the Tigurine version given is "celsos monies ibicibus, 

 et netns (dsdit) oonfnginm A Ipnut mmribut" (Alpine mice). In the 

 vnlgate it given " moots* rxorlai cervis : petra refugium hr.rmcuxu " 

 (Hedgehogs). In Prov. xxx. 26, the Tigurine version is printed 

 " CWouU, geos minim* poten*, attamen in petra domicilium suum 

 eoUooooV with the following note to Cuniculi : " Quidem murem 

 u*jln*j*in oas* potent, et videtnr hie quadrare." The vulgate is 

 printed " Z*ptttnJ*, pleb* invalids, qul collocat in petra cubile suum." 



We have MS* that the //jrrax -has been termed Daman by the 



Dr. Shaw speaks of the Daman Israel as" " an 

 of Mount Libmnus, though common in other place* of this 

 (Palestine). " It is a harmless creature, of the same size 



and quality with the rabbit, and with the like incurvating posture 

 and disposition of the fore teeth ; but it is of a browner colour, with 

 smaller eyes and a head more pointed. The fore feet likewise are 

 short, and the hinder are nearly as long in proportion as those of the 

 jerboa. Though this animal i* known to burrow sometimes in the 

 ground, yet, as its usual residence and refuge is in the boles and 

 clefts of the rocks, we have so far a more presumptive proof that this 

 creature may be the Saphan of the Scriptures than the jerboa. I 

 could not learn why it was called Daman Israel, that is Israel's Lamb, 

 as those words are interpreted." Though there is error in this 

 description such as might be easily made by a casual observer, th< iv 

 can be no doubt that Dr. Shaw, in the passage quoted, alluded to the 

 Jlyrajr : the words Daman Israel are probably mistaken for Ganain 

 or Cianuiin Israel, as we shall presently have occasion to notice; 

 " animal quoddam humile, cuniculo uon dissimila quod ayuu 

 JUiorum Iirael nuncupant" (' Prosp. Alp. .iEgypt') 



Dr. Harris states that Jerome, cited by Bochart, says that the 

 O'JEir are a kind of animal not larger than a hedgehog, resembling a 

 uiouse and a bear (the latter. Dr. Harris supposes, in the clumsiness 

 of its feet), whence in Palestine it is called Afrvropvf, the Bear-Mouse ; 

 that there is a great abundance of this genus in those countries, and 

 that they are wont to dwell in the caverns of the rocks and the oaves 

 of the earth. 



The 'Seventy' translate 'Saphan' by ' xoi/xrypvAAiot ' in all the 

 places quoted. This term, compounded of x'P s > a hog, and 

 7pwAAi), a grunting, points curiously enough to a pachydermatous form. 

 Bruce, in his travels, describes the Syrian Hyrax, as we have seen. 

 He odds: "In Amhara this animal is called Ashkoko, which, I 

 apprehend, is derived from the singularity of those long herinaceous 

 hairs, which, like small thorns, grow about his back, :m I which in 

 Amhara are called Ashok. In Arabia and Syria he is called Israel's 

 Sheep, or Gannim Israel ; for what reason 1 know not, unless it be 

 chieflyfrom his frequenting the rocks of Horeb and Sinai, where the 

 children of Israel made their forty years' peregrination : perhaps this 

 name obtains only among the Arabians. I apprehend he is known by 

 that of Saphan in the Hebrew, and is the animal erroneously called 

 by our translators Cuuiculus, the rabbit or coney." Of this opinion 

 are Pennant, Cuvier, and others among the zoologists ; aud though 

 M. Lesson, in the introduction to his ' Manuel,' speaks of the rabbit 

 (lapin), " which is supposed to be the Schaphan of the Hebrews, 

 although it is more probable that it was the Hat of Pharoah (Rat 

 de Pharaon)" on what grounds he does not state as a prohibited 

 animal (Levit. ; Deut.), there can be little doubt that the Shaphan, 

 the "feeble folk" that "yet mode their houses in the rock," 

 belonged to the genus Hyrax. 



In the Gardens of the Zoological Society there are three species, 

 named //. Capennt, II. Syriaciu, and H. arboreta. The last is from 

 Western Africa. 



HYSSOP. [LAMIACR*.] 



HYSTATITE. [ILMENITE.] 



HYSTRICID^E, a family of Animals belonging to the order 

 Rodentia. According to Mr. Waterhouse (' Natural History of Mam- 

 malia') it has the following characters : Molar teeth J^|; themuflle, 

 or terminal portion of the muzzle clothed with small hairs ; the skull 

 with a large antorbital opening, through which a portion of the 

 masseter muscle passes, as well as the icfraorbital nerve ; the lower 

 jaw with the angular portion joined to the outer (not the under) surface 

 of the bony covering of the inferior incisor; tibia and fibulu distinct, 

 The family is essentially a South American group ; it may be divided 

 into six minor sections, or sub-families, namely, Jlyftricina, Doty- 

 proctina, Echimyina, Octodontina, ChineliiUina, and Cariina ; of these, 

 the most highly-organised division which includes the Porcupines 

 (Ilyttrix of Linntsus) has a wide geographical range, having representa- 

 tives in the four quarters of the globe. With the exception of two 

 species, the whole of the species forming the remaining five sub-families 

 are exclusively found in the New World, being chiefly confined to 

 South America : two or three species in the West Indian Islands, and 

 about the same number in Central America form the exceptions. 



The members of the sub-families J/yilricina, Datyproctina, and 

 Krhimyina increase in number towards the tropical portions of Smith 

 America; whilst in the southern parts of that continent, the less 

 highly-organised species only ore found, these being members of the 

 remaining three sub-families. 



On the western side of the Southern Andes, but one of the sub- 

 sections alluded to has representatives the Octodontina. 



The relations of the sub-families of the Uyttricido! may be 

 expressed by arranging them as follows : 



Hyttricina. 



with rooted 

 molar teeth. 



Datyproctina 



Cariinn 



Echimyinn. 

 Chinchillina. 



}wil 

 III" 



I with rootless 

 r molar teeth. 



" By this mode of placing the groups," says Mr. Waterhouse, " we 



