1832-3.] THE TUCUTUCO. 61 



probably be accounted for, by the Jaguar having been banished 

 for some years, and by the Gaucho not thinking it worth his 

 while to hunt them. As I approached nearer and nearer 

 they frequently made their peculiar noise, which is a low 

 abrupt grunt, not having much actual sound, but rather 

 arising from the sudden expulsion of air : the only noise 

 I know at all like this, is the first hoarse bark of a large 

 dog. Having watched the four from almost within arm's 

 length (and they me) for several minutes, they rushed 

 into the water at full gallop with the greatest impetuosity, 

 and emitted at the same time their bark. After diving 

 a short distance they came again to the surface, but only 

 just showed the upper part of their heads. When the 

 female is swimming in the water, and has young ones, 

 they are said to sit on her back. These animals ^ are easily 

 killed in numbers ; but their skins are of trifling value, 

 and the meat is very indifferent. On the islands in the 

 Rio Parana they are exceedingly abundant, and afford the 

 ordinary prey to the Jaguar. 



The Tucutuco {Ctenomys Brasiliensis) is a curious, small 

 animal, which may be briefly described as a Gnawer, with 

 the habits of a mole. It is extremely numerous in some 

 parts of the country, but is difficult to be procured, and 

 never, I believe, comes out of the ground. It throws up 

 at the mouth of its burrows, hillocks of earth like those of 

 the mole, but smaller. Considerable tracts of country are 

 so completely undermined by these animals, that horses in 

 passing over, sink above their fetlocks. The tucutucos 

 appear, to a certain degree, to be gregarious : the man 

 who procured the specimens for me had caught six together, 

 and he said this was a common occurrence. They are 

 nocturnal in their habits ; and their principal food is the 

 roots of plants, which are the object of their extensive and 

 superficial burrows. This animal is universally known by 

 a very peculiar noise which it makes when beneath the 

 ground. A person the first time he hears it, is much 

 surprised ; for it is not easv to tell whence it comes, nor is 

 it possible to guess what kind of creature utters it. The 

 noise consists in a short, but not rough, nasal grunt, which 

 is monotonously repeated about four times in quick suc- 

 cession : * the name Tucutuco is given in imitation of the 



* At the R. Neg^ro, in Northern Patagonia, there is an animal of the same 

 habits, and probably a closely allied Hpecies, but which I never saw. Its 

 noiss is different from that of^the Matdonado kind ; it is repeated only twice 



