l62 



The Living Animals of the World 



Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons. 



PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY. 



The pacas are among the larger rodents, found mainly in the northern part of 

 the South American region. 



spines, varying from 12 to 15 inches in 

 length. The tail also carries spines. 



VlSCACHAS AND CHINCHILLAS. 



On the plains of La Plata the 

 commonest large rodent is the VISCACHA. 

 It assembles in societies like the prairie- 

 dogs, but is a much larger animal, from 

 18 inches to 2 feet long. Yiscachas 

 always set a sentinel to give warning 

 of danger. They cut every kind of 

 vegetable near and drag them to their 

 holes ; they also have a habit of picking 

 up and collecting round the burrows any 

 object which strikes them as curious- 

 Articles lost by travellers, even whips or 

 boots, may generally be found there. The 

 viscacha belongs to the chinchilla family, 

 but differs much from the beautiful 

 creature of the high Andes from which chinchilla fur is taken. The COMMON CHINCHILLA is 

 about 10 inches long, and the SHORT-TAILED CHINCHILLA rather smaller. The exquisite fur 

 is well known. Two other chinchillas are more like hares in appearance. All four creatures 

 are found on the Andes. 



THE AGUTIS AND PACAS. 



South America also produces a family of rodents not unlike small pigs, but nearer to the 

 mouse-deer in general appearance ; they are called AGUTIS. Mainly forest animals, but living 

 also in the plains, they feed on grass, leaves, and plants of all kinds ; they are very swift 

 in their movements, and have much the habits of the small South African bucks. The fur is 

 long, olive- or chestnut-coloured, and thick. 



The PACAS are allied to the agutis, but are stouter ; they live either in burrows made 

 by themselves, or in holes in the banks of rivers, or in old tree-roots. The pacas are 

 spotted and rather ornamentally marked ; they are found from Ecuador to Brazil and Paraguay. 



THE CAVIES. 



The DiNOMYS, a spotted rodent known by one 

 example from Peru, has been thought to form a link 

 between the pacas and the cavies, of which the 

 guinea-pig is the most familiar and the aquatic capy- 

 bara the largest. The original of our guinea-pig is 

 believed to be the RESTLESS CAVY, a small rodent 

 common on the plains of La Plata. It is dark blackish, 

 with yellowish-grey and white hairs of the domesti- 

 cated species ; and it is suggested that the original 

 of the present name was " Guiana pig." This cavy 

 lives in thickets rather than in forests or plains. 



The PATAGONIAN CAVY is a larger form, about 

 twice the size of our hare. It burrows in the 

 ground, and has a grey coat, with yellowish markings 



on the sides. It has been acclimatised successfully notoiy York* son} Dotting 



in France and England. The flesh is like that of PACAS > OE SPOTTED CAVIES. 



f V ViK'f TtiS l )llot S ra l )h ' which represents young animals, shows ir 



ttie raDDlt. grea t perfection the linear arrangement of the stripes. 



