HYSTKICID.t 



M 



u * occasionally to climb amongst UM branches of tbe 

 Mr. Hndn* nfae*a* tUt Coming's Oatodoa has very 

 d iBBf*. is* geotlujsm having DM! with it u far north M 

 fet, aad southward to Uw 35th parallel In the province of 

 whet* the country U storil*. the little animal takes up it* 

 BOt UM loos* stcaes on UM sides of the mountain*, and i* 

 an* with hi the bole* of the Chinchillas. Its food consist. 

 astbag* k>idi grow* at the rooU of the hedges; in the winter 

 noeth.. wbeo priss.J by hungw. it feeds upon the tender bark of 

 ih JtfuMM OSSM*. and also oo that of the CWrwM PoJoM. Mr. 

 Bridge* inclined to briiev* that it breed, but twice in the year, and 

 stales that it ha* from four to six young at a birth. 



U. BnJpmi, Bridgea'a Octodou. Fur very long and moderately 

 oft ; upper part* of the animal strongly pencilled with brown-yellow 

 and black, the black prevailing on the back ; abdomen white, suffused 

 with pale brown, yellow, or cream-coloured ; tail indistinctly tufted, 

 do*ky. excepting at the ba*e beneath, where it i* dirty white ; feet 

 fnyieb-mhite. It inhabit* Chili, the province of Colcbugua. 



O. flmtdtt, Dormouse Octodon. Fur soft, aaby gray on the upper 

 parU of the body, and white on the under ; tail brown-black beneath 

 to UM extremity, which U aomewhat tufted ; feet white above. 



JeasWaW. Ear* moderate size ; abort tail, clothed throughout 

 with thott bain : for* feet strong, the clawa about equal to the toes 

 im length ; incisor teeth (tout ; moUra each with a single deep fold of 

 ainiil on either aide, dividing the tooth into two oval-shaped lobes, 

 UM wag diameter* of which are placed transversely, the lobes equal in 

 fee, or very Dearly to. excepting in the hindermoat molar of each jaw, 

 in which the posterior lobe ia considerably smaller than the rest ; 

 skull strong, rather abort and broad, with a separate small canal for 



skull strong, rather abort and bro 

 the iofraorbital nerre ; toes 55. 



& futeui. Brown Schizodon. Fur tolerably long, moderately soft, 

 and aomewhat glossy ; iU general hue deep brown, pencilled black 

 and yellow-brown ; abdomen of a pale dirty yellow hue ; feet duaky- 

 brown. It inhabit* the Southern Andes, eastern side. 



Mr. Bridget, who discovered this animal, informs us that be met 

 with it in the Valle de las Cuevas, on the eastern side of the Andes, 

 about six league* from the volcano of Peteroa (about 75 S. lat), at 

 an elevation of from 5000 to 7000 feet IU favourite abode is stated 

 to be in grassy situations near the mountain streams. In certain 

 part* the ground is completely undermined by the burrows of these 

 lml animals, and whilst riding over these the hones of Mr. Bridges's 

 party frequently plunged into the ground almost up to the bock. 

 The valleys inhabited by the Schizodon are so elevated that they are 

 ouieied with snow at least four months during the Tear, and Mr. 

 Bridges is inclined to believe that, like the Spalacopus, the Schizodou 

 Ujs up a store of food for the winter. It is a nocturnal animal, and 

 M appear lives almost entirely underground. 



$palacvi*iu, Wiigler; Porpkayomyt, F. Cuvier; Ptammoryctet, 

 t ; ftammomyi, Puppig ; liaikyerytu, Poppig. Ears nidi- 

 mrntsry : tail short, and clothed with short bain ; the nails of the 

 teas of UM for. feet rather ahorter than the toes ; incisor teeth mode- 

 rately broad, those of the upper jaw distinctly directed forwards as 

 well as downwards; molar teeth with the crowns shaped like the 

 figure 8, the anterior and the posterior lobes being equal, excepting 

 in tbe last tooth, the indenting fold of the enamel of one aide of each 

 tooth not meeting that of the opposite side ; Undermost molar in each 

 jaw smaller than the rest, and with the posterior lobe smaller than 

 the anterior one. 



& Ptffiyti, Poppig's Spalacopus; Potphagomyt ater, F. Cuvier. 

 Wtu-rbouae, Edoux, and Oervais ; Ptammuryrtct noctivagiu, Poppig 

 and Wagner. Fur son and very glossy, black, with an admixture of 

 purple brown, the brown hue most distinct on the under parts of 

 the animal ; incisor teeth pale yellow, or yellow-white iu front. It 

 inhabit* Chili, and lives almost entirely underground. 



OnMwiM, D. kMainvillr..--Ear rudimentary ; eyes small ; tail short ; 

 far* feet lam and powerful, and armed with nails, which exceed the 

 tore hi length : incisor tenth very broad, tbe upper pair indistinctly 

 coovex ia front, tbe lower pair flat at the same part ; molan with 

 two unequal lobes, UM hindermost molar of each jaw much smaller 

 than UM net. Dearly cylindrical ; skull very strong, short, and broad, 

 UM occipital portion much dilated, no separate canal for the infra- 

 orbital ncnre. Geographical range from Brazil westward into Bolivia, 

 and southward to the Strmit of Magalhaens. It lives underground. 



' /Irndiauit, Brazilian Ctenotuys, De Blainville and othen ; C. 

 (ervMfM, LiobUsMUin. Fur soft, fine, and rather short, of a deep 

 astUgny next the skin and bright rusty-brown externallv ; on the 



) at the 

 the 

 the 

 Plata, 



Then are three other specie*; C. Boliviauit, O. lauxdm, and C. 



(Bctfmida, Bonaparte).- Molar teeth com- 

 UMS* (with one or two exceptions only) rooted ; malar 

 wtUsoU*u^a**^kr process on th. lower edge; both fore and 

 kuad fast with eve toes. 



Geographical Distribution. One species of this section in found at 

 tbe Cap* of Good Hope, and a second in Western Africa. With these 

 exceptions the group is confined to South America and tbe West 

 ludian Islands. In South America the species of AWinnyina are 

 only known to occur in the northern and central portions ; Paraguay 

 appears to be their southern limit. On the west side of the Cordil- 

 lera* none have been found. 



Capromyt; /*><ion. Say. Molar teeth rootless, each upper molnr with 

 a single deep fold of enamel on the inner side and two deep fl 

 the outer; incisor teeth narrow and convex in front; muffle broad, 

 with a mesial longitudinal groove ; upper lip slightly cleft ; ears 

 moderate ; tail of moderate length, and somewhat sparingly clothed 

 with hairs, which do not hide the scaly skin ; feet naked beuesth, and 

 covered with small tubercles ; nails of the toes large, and much 

 curved ; pupil of the eye vertical. But two species of this genus are 

 known ; they inlmbit the island of Cuba. 



C. piloridet, the Short-Tailed Capromys ; Iiodon pilnridrs. Say ; 

 Caprumyi Fourneiri, Deamaregt. Tail shorter than the body ; fur 

 long, very harsh to the touch, strongly pencilled with black and rich 

 yellow, or, on the hinder part of the body, with yellowish rust colour; 

 ears, muzzle, throat, and chest, white, or uenrly white; nli 

 rusty yellow ; toes whitish, or white; tail well clothed at the root 

 with rust-coloured hairs, sparingly clothed with brown hairs beyond. 



C. pnkauilu, Prehensile-Tailed Capromys. Tail nearly equal to the 

 head and body in length ; fur moderate as to texture ; on the upper 

 part* of a mixed gray and rufous tint; neck yellowish; forehead, 

 cheeks, and throat yellow-white; chest and abdomen white. Tail 

 rufous at the base. Toes clothed with whitish hairs. It inhabits 

 Cuba. 



The Capromyt prrkmtilit is known in Cuba by the name of Hntia 

 Carabali, and is said to confine itself to parts of the forests which are 

 remote from the habitations of man, and to be more shy and less 

 tameable than the Hutia Congo, or C. pilorida. Like the last mentioned 

 species it is an expert climber, and, according to M. Uamond de la 

 Sagra, it confines itself to tbe uppermost branches of trees. The tail 

 is prehensile at the extremity; and the animal, nssieted by this organ, 

 i enabled to cling with security to the small twigs of the trees, or to 

 the parasitic plants with which they are overgrown, and amongst 

 which it usually conceals itself. 



Plagiodontia. Molars rootless ; those of the upper jaw with a 

 single deep fold of enamel on the inner side, running obliquely for- 

 wards and inwards from near the posterior angle of the tooth, and a 

 second deep fold entering from the outer side, near the anterior angle, 

 and running in an opposite direction ; molars of the lower jaw each 

 with two deep folds on the outer side; toes 5 5; ean small; tail 

 short, destitute of hair, and with a scaly skin. But one species of 

 this genus is known, P. (Edium. It inhabits the Island of St. 

 Domingo, and is evidently very nearly allied to the Capromya of the 

 neighbouring island. Its short and naked tail, combined with certain 

 differences observable in the structure of tbe molar teeth, furnish thu 

 chief distinguishing characters. 



Myojioiamui ; Mcutonatiu, Wesmael. Molar teeth cemi-rootod, of 

 which the hindermost in each jaw are the largest ; each upper molar 

 with two external and two internal deep folds of enamel ; the lower 

 molars with three internal folds and one indentation entering from the 

 outer side ; incisor teeth very large ; palate much contracted between 

 the front molar teeth ; hind feet webbed ; tail of moderate length, 

 sparingly clothed with short hair. 



Teeth of Cvypu. 



M. Coyput, the Coypu, Mtu Coyput, Molina ; M. Ccuteroida, Barrow ; 

 Myoputamiu Coypu*, Comnierson, Geoff. ; 1/ydromyi Coypiu, Geoff. ; 

 1'otamyi Coypou, Ucsmarest ; ifyopolamui Bonariennt, Rengger ; 

 Mattanotui PoptUirt, Wesmael; (ruMlnomyi ChUentit, Lesson ; (Juoiuya 

 Azara ; Coypu Ha^ Shaw. Kan of moderate size ; tail nearly equal to 



