CAPYBARA. 21 



claws ; that on the fifth toe being very small : 

 the tail is scarce visible, being a mere small coni- 

 cal projection of scarce half an inch in length. 

 The Spotted Cavy is a nocturnal animal,, residing 

 in a solitary manner in his hole during almost the 

 whole day. In a domestic state it readily feeds 

 on almost any kind of vegetable diet, and is par- 

 ticularly fond of sugar and fruits. It is much 

 esteemed as an article of food by the South Ame- 

 ricans. It is subject to some variety in point of 

 colour, and has been sometimes seen quite white. 

 Its general length, when full-grown, is about two 

 feet. The female is said to produce but one 

 young at a birth, 



CAPYBARA. 



Cavia Capybara. C. ecaudata, plantis tridactytis palmatu. Lin. 



Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 123. 



Tailless Cavy, with tridactyle pal mated hind-feet. 

 Sus Hydrochaeris. 5. plantis tridactylis, cauda nulla. Lin. Syst. 



Nat. p. 103. 



Cabiai. Buff. 12. p. 384. pi. 49. 

 Thick-nosed Tapir. Pennant Synops. p. 83. 

 Capybara. Pennant Quadr. 2. p. 88. 



THE characters of this animal are somewhat 

 ambiguous, and it was formerly considered by 

 Linnaeus as a species of Hog, and was accordingly 

 placed in that genus in the 12th edition of the 

 Systema Naturae, under the name of Sits Hydro- 

 chceris. Mr. Pennant, in his Synopsis ofQuadru- 



