114 MAMMALIA ORDER V.RODENTIA. 



Andes, so much esteemed on account of the marvellous softness of the pearly- 

 grey fur, and characterised by having five toes in front and four behind, as 

 well as by the bushy tail. The larger Cuvier's chinchilla (Lagidium), which 

 is likewise an inhabitant of the Andes, has only four toes both in front and 

 behind ; whereas in the viscacha (Lagostomus), of the Argentine pampas, 

 there are but three toes to the hind-feet; the fore-feet having the same 

 number as in the last genus. 



As regards its external appearance, the viscacha may be not inaptly com- 

 pared in point of form and size to a marmot, although its hind-limbs are 

 proportionately longer, and the head is inordinately large. The tail, which 

 is bushy throughout, is about one-third the length of the head and body, 

 which varies from about 19 inches to 23 inches ; and the short ears are dis- 

 tinctly notched behind. Almost as soft as that of the chinchilla, the fur 

 (which is unfortunately useless for commercial purposes) is of a greyish hue 

 above, with some dusky mottlings and black markings on the upper-parts, 

 while beneath it is white, or white tinged with yellow, the tail being blackish- 

 brown. The head has some very characteristic markings, which render the 

 animal so conspicuous from a distance. Thus a blackish stripe extends 

 across each cheek from the muzzle, while above this is a broad white stripe, 

 ending in front of each eye, this being followed by a third band of a dark 

 colour across the lower part of the forehead. Essentially burrowing and 

 nocturnal in their habits, and seldom issuing from their hiding-places before 

 dusk, viscachas live in companies numbering from about 20 to 30 head. The 

 viscacheria forms a dome-shaped elevated mound on the pampas, perforated 

 here and there by the numerous apertures of the burrows. The burrows 

 themselves are excavated for a great depth in the soft black mould of the 

 pampas ; and as they frequently diverge near their extremities, or open out 

 into a large common chamber, it may be easily imagined that the task of 

 digging out a warren in ordinary circumstances is an almost impossible one. 

 Carefully cleared of all vegetation, the mound of the viscacheria is kept 

 scrupulously clean ; but the viscachas have the curious habit of collecting on 

 this spot not only the debris of their food, but likewise any objects they may 

 come across in their wanderings. Consequently the summit of the mound is 

 littered over with bones of cattle and ostriches, thistle-stalks, maize-cobs, 

 clods of earth, and masses of the hard calcareous rock, locally known as tosca. 

 Moreover, if a passer-by happen to lose any of his smaller belongings, such as 

 a knife or a watch, he will be pretty sure to come across it by searching all 

 the viscacherias in the neighbourhood. The object of this remarkable habit 

 it is almost impossible to conjecture, although it is probably analogous to that 

 of the Australian bower-birds. For some distance round the viscacheria the 

 grass of the camp, through continual nibbling, is much finer than that of the 

 pampas in its original condition ; and before the introduction of sheep, and 

 the consequent refining of the turf, the viscachas were undoubtedly in this 

 respect of service to the farmer. When about to issue from their holes, or 

 when driven in by the intrusion of a visitor after they have come forth, vis- 

 cachas make a most unearthly growling and snarling deep down in thnir 

 holes the sound, which may be best compared to the booming of a bear in 

 its lair, giving the impression to the uninitiated that the dwelling is tenanted 

 by animals of much larger size and fiercer disposition than is really the case. 

 In spite of the refining of the herbage already alluded to, viscachas are an 

 unmitigated pest to the farmer, not only on account of the large area covered 

 by their burrows, but likewise by the enormous quantity of fodder consumed 



