110 THE HOMES OF THE VIZCACHAS 



himself heard at a great distance. He also has a very 

 odd trick of stopping in the middle of his dinner to utter 

 loud shrieks, and at night he never seems to stop talk- 

 ing, as dwellers on the pampas know too well. 



Vizcachas are hardy little creatures, who can do 

 without water as long as they can get green food. But 

 in dry summers, when nothing is to be had but withered 

 grass or dry thistle-stalks, they are forced to drink when 

 they can. They are very busy and energetic, and when 

 once their house is ready, time seems to hang heavy on 

 their hands — at least, that is perhaps the reason why they 

 are so careful to leave nothing lying about, but drag 

 every kind of refuse to the mouth of the burrow and 

 pile it up in a mass. This trick is so well known, that, 

 in the pampas, when any article is missing, it is at once 

 looked for in a vizcachera, just as we should search a 

 magpie's nest, and it is on record that a man's watch was 

 once discovered there. The little animals show a sense 

 of fun, too, which must make them amusing to watch, 

 especially in their dealings with dogs. Except when 

 they are feeding, when anything upsets them, the 

 appearance of a dog produces no effect on the nerves of 

 a vizcacha. He will continue sitting quietly on his 

 mound till the dog gets near, when he retreats quietly into 

 his burrow. The dog never can resist the sight of a viz- 

 cacha, and never learns that it is impossible to catch one, 

 so this game goes on for ever, to the great enjo\ ment of 

 the vizcacha. 



The birds and beasts and insects who profit by the 

 work of the vizcachas and make their homes on the 

 mounds are on the friendliest terms with them, and, 

 indeed, the foxes take a base advantage of the friendliness 

 of the little creatures. They come into the vizcacha 

 dwellings, and stay there till a ' wing ' is given up to 

 them. The good-natured and easy-going vizcachas, 

 however, do not resent this, and may even be seen taking 

 the air with their guests on summer evenings. All goes 



