128 THE HYRAX, OR CONEY 



and the tender shoots of bushes. When alarmed, they squeak 

 shrilly and dive into their rocky burrows, out of which no 

 animal can dig them. 



The Hyrax of Syria is beyond doubt the "coney" of the 

 Bible. The color of the Cape Hyrax, which is the species 

 most frequently seen in zoological gardens, is sooty brown, 

 with a large black spot on the back; and the hair is soft, fine 

 and of good length. The incisor teeth are triangular, and 

 their terminal edges are sufficiently sharp to inflict an ugly 

 little bite. In January, 1914, five specimens were living in 

 the New York Zoological Park. A full-grown animal is 

 about 14 inches long and 7 inches high at the shoulders. 



This strange little Order contains the smallest member- 

 ship of any of the great mammalian orders, and we are in- 

 debted to Professor Huxley for correcting the notion that the 

 Hyrax belonged in the (obsolete) Order Pachydermata. 



