INTRODUCTORY 17 



to this, and if used to the practice will come in when 

 called, even when allowed partial liberty by day. 



Probably in the range of hobbies of any note taken up 

 by fanciers there has been nothing of late years to compare 

 with the advances made by Cavies. 



The humble and almost despised Guinea Pigs of the 

 childhood of most of the older fanciers are now seldom 

 mentioned, but under the name of Cavies they have 

 entered on a new era of existence. 



And whereas in the olden days the value of the 

 best specimens that could be procured was reckoned by 

 pence and not many of them now they change hands, 

 when shape, size and colour are satisfactory to the experts 

 in these little creatures, at more than as many pounds 

 sterling as the former transactions in pence. 



To those of my readers unacquainted with the subject, 

 I may explain that cavies may be divided into three 

 sections : Those with long hair, which are known as 

 Peruvians ; those with rough short hair, known as 

 Abyssinians ; and those with short smooth hair, known 

 as Bolivian, English, or merely as Smooth cavies. 



The first two varieties named above were practically 

 unknown at the time when I kept guinea pigs as a boy, 

 and the last named were not considered of any value from 

 an exhibitor's point of view, chiefly, I think, because 

 shows were few and far between where even rabbits were 

 provided with classes, and it had not entered into the 

 heads of the boldest promoters of any kind of exhibition 

 to cater for such unconsidered trifles as guinea pigs ! 



Nowadays classes are often given for Rough and 



