C A V Y. 



753 



we may he sure that they are adapted to the race on 

 which they feed. 



Now in South America we have none of those 

 very powerful carnivorous animals which are met 

 with in the corresponding latitudes of the eastern 

 world ; but the smaller species are exceedingly nu- 

 merous. So also, though we have no herbivorous 

 animals in that country (with the exception above 

 stated) at all approaching in si/.c and strength to the 

 ruminants of the east, y< j t we have races of smaller 

 size, the fecundity of which is beyond all conception, 

 at least all conception which could be founded upon 

 the habits of any of our eastern animals. Our hares 

 and rabbits breed tolerably fast, but they bear no 

 proportion whatever to some of the group of which 

 we are now to give a short account ; for these might 

 breed to the number of a thousand in a year from a 

 single pair. 



The animals which we shall bring together in this 

 group have certainly a strong family resemblance ; but 

 when we come to class them according to those cha- 

 racters, upon which the systems are founded, we find 

 it no easy matter to express in words in what this 

 resemblance consists. Therefore, ' we have brought 



the most peculiar part of its character being its 

 aquatic habit, and the adaptation of its feet for pro- 

 gressive motion in the water. It is one of the largest 



Capybara. 



of rodent animals, measuring at least three feet from 

 the muzzle to the hinder part ; it has no tail. The 

 general make of the body is thick, and, as one would 

 , sav, pig-like; but the head is that of rodent animals 

 them together more for the purpose of saving space | generally, and like the rest of these the upper lip is 

 in the general description than for any systematic, , f,, rn i s h e d with mustachios. The hairs on ihe upper 

 purpose. Indeed some of them have been so bandied j part O f t h e head and bodyj and the outs j des O f 

 about from genus to genus and from group to group ' 

 by different naturalists, that their systematic history 

 is more perplexing than the part which they act in 

 nature. They are all ground animals, living chiefly 

 upon vegetable matter, timid in their dispositions, and 

 not, generally speaking, disposed to otter injury to any 

 other animals, excepting perhaps one of the species 

 which is very aquatic in its habits, and is said occa- 

 sionally to eat fish. 



They all bear a slight resemblance to hares, or 



rather to the marmot farnilv, but in some of their 



legs, are black at the roots and also at the points, 

 while the intermediate part is yellow. The inside? 

 of the legs, a portion of the under part, and alsu 

 round the eyes, is entirely yellow, and the mustachios 

 are black. The mixture of these two colours gives a 

 dinginess to the animal, and its expression at the 

 same time is rather dull and heavy. The hair is also 

 somewhat bristly in its texture, and sparely scattered 

 over the body of the animal ; and this increases its 

 pig-like appearance ; the ears are small and rounded. 

 The female has twelve mammee, which are situated 



characters they approach the pachyderrnata. They I partly on the breast and partly on the belly ; the 

 are also allied to the agoutis, but their habits are dif- upper lip is divided, though not so much as in the 

 ferent, and their flesh is generally speaking of inferior ' 

 There are three genera or species, Cavia, 



quality. 



>na, and Kerodon, of which we shall notice a few 

 particulars. 



The Cavy or Capybara. This animal has four toes 

 on the fore feet, and three on the hinder, all armed 

 with large hoof-like claws, and united by a membrane 

 which, in the hind feet especially, forms very efficient 



hare, but still in the closed mouth it shows the teeth 

 partially ; the eyes are large, and of a black colour ; 

 the nose, the ears, and the naked poriion of the legs, 

 are blackish ash colour. The colour of the hair ch; 

 with age, and in very old specimens the root is black, 

 the middle brown, and the point red. In consequence 

 of these changes, which are in general attended with 

 an increase of size, several varieties have sometimes 



1 or swimming feet, the nail on the middle too been described, but there is every reason to believe 

 of which is very hmg. Their cutting teeth are broad, that there is only one species that exists. The time 

 semi-cylindrical, and bevelled off so as to form cutting of gestation is not exactly known, but it is believed 

 . They have four grinders in each jaw, formed, to be short. The broods do not exceed four or five, 

 like those of hares, of numerous upright tubes, of enamel, I but whether the female is as indifferent to them as 



some others of the group has not been ascertained. 



The cavy is the largest of rodent animals, but its 

 march along the ground is slow and apparently per- 

 formed with difficulty. In walking it is plantigrade 

 on the hind feet, and this gives it a crawling gait. 

 Generally speaking, it is quiescent in its habits, its 

 favourite position being to squat on its hams, and it 

 may be seen in this attitude for a great part of the 

 day. It is described as being chiefly abroad in feed- 

 ing during the night, or at least in the dusk. The 

 cavy is strictly speaking a bank animal, and inhabits 

 the margins of all the rivers in South America, but is 

 never seen at the distance of more than one hundred 

 yards from the bank. These animals are social, living 1 

 in small packs, and herding very peaceably. The 

 jaguar is a great enemy to them, and probably also 

 3 I 



which are flattened anteriorly and posteriorly, and 

 united by bone. The last grinder in the lower jaw 

 is much larger than the rest, and the projecting por- 

 tions formed on the surface by the enamel are very 

 regular, though each of them is divided into several 

 points. These teeth bear a very considerable resem- 

 blance to the grinders of the elephant; and though 

 the siy.e of the animals, and also their general struc- 

 ture, diti'er very much, yet it may be said that this 

 animal perform:?, in South America, a similar p-art in 

 the g!>:<entl economy of nature to that which the 

 elephant performs in Asia and Africa. Of this genus 

 of the group there is but one species, the Capybara, 

 of which the following figure is a representation. 



This animal, though allied in many particulars to 

 the rest of the group, yet stands quite alone in others, 



NAT. HIST. VOL." I. 



