218 CAPE HYRAX. 



This animal is said to be known at the Cape by 

 the name of rock badger, but Mr. Allamand ob- 

 serves, that this is an improper name, since the 

 structure of its feet evidently shews that it has no 

 power of digging or burrowing. It is a diurnal 

 animal, and by night retires into the cavities of 

 rocks, &c. 



The first figure of this species, published by Dr. 

 Pallas in his Spicikgia Zoologica, and from thence 

 copied into the third supplemental volume of the 

 Count de Buffon's Natural History, was executed 

 from a very indiiferent drawing, and exhibits 

 the animal beyond measure gross and corpulent. 

 More expressive representations have since been 

 given, and from one of these the figure in the 

 present work is copied. 



This animal appears to be easily tamed, and in 

 that state is observed to be remarkably cleanly, 

 and of a lively and active disposition ; leaping al- 

 most as readily and with as much security as a 

 cat. This is contrary to the character given of 

 the animal from the specimen represented by Dr. 

 Pallas and others; but the individual then de- 

 scribed appears to have lost a part of its natural 

 habits from the confinement in which it was kept, 

 and the manner in which it was fed ; and conse- 

 quently misled the describers of the day into a 

 wrong idea of its nature and manners ; and this, 

 among many other instances, may serve to shew 

 how little dependence is to be placed on descrip- 

 tions drawn up from an individual specimen, 

 transported from its native country into a widely 



