Biography of the Vizcacha. 299 



of a burrow, now hovering over it in a moth-like 

 manner, as if uncertain where to alight, and anon 

 sweeping about in circles, but never ceasing their 

 low and sorrowful notes. 



The vizcachera with all its incongruous inhabi- 

 tants thus collected upon it is to a stranger one of 

 the most novel sights the pampas afford. 



The vizcacha appears to be a rather common 

 species over all the extensive Argentine territory ; 

 but they are so exceedingly abundant on the pampas 

 inhabited by man, and comparatively so rare in the 

 desert places I have been in, that I was at first much 

 surprised at finding them so unequally distributed. 

 I have also mentioned that the vizcacha is a tame 

 familiar creature. This is in the pastoral districts, 

 where they are never disturbed ; but in wild regions, 

 where he is scarce, he is exceedingly wary, coming 

 forth long after dark, and plunging into his burrow 

 on the slightest alarm, so that it is a rare thing 

 to get a sight of him. The reason is evident enough ; 

 in desert regions the vizcacha has several deadly 

 enemies in the larger rapacious mammals. Of 

 these the puma or lion (Felis concolor) is the most 

 numerous, as it is also the swiftest, most subtle, 

 and most voracious ; for, as regards these traits, the 

 jaguar (F. onca) is an inferior animal. To the in- 

 satiable bloody appetite of this creature nothing 

 comes amiss ; he takes the male ostrich by surprise, 

 and slays that wariest of wild things on his nest ; 

 he captures little birds with the dexterity of a cat, 

 and hunts for diurnal armadillos ; he comes unawares 

 upon the deer and huanaco, and, springing like 

 lightning on them, dislocates their necks before their 



