BOLIVIAN OR ENGLISH CAVIES 299 



their old misnomer to that of " Bolivian Cavies," almost 

 equalling in its corresponding qualities the well-known 

 names of " Messopotamia " or the " poultry, potatoes, 

 prunes and prisms" in Dickens's delightful Little 

 Dorrit. 



I believe I should speak within the mark if I said 

 there are more of this variety in the possession of breeders 

 and exhibitors than of the other two varieties put together, 

 not only because they are very little trouble to keep, but 

 from their greater variations in colour, and their several 

 subdivisions, upon which I propose to say a few words, 

 taking them roughly as, Self, Agouti, Tortoiseshell, 

 Tortoiseshell and White, Dutch-marked, and Any Other 

 Varieties. 



BOLIVIAN SELF-COLOURED CAVIES 



These, as far as I am aware, were unknown in the 

 early days of the fancy, and probably in the land of their 

 origin were seldom or ever seen, and the early 

 pioneers of the variety obtained prices that would make 

 some of our forebears rub their eyes if they heard of such 

 figures for a guinea pig. I think Blacks, Whites, Reds, 

 Creams and Browns are the Self most often seen, the first 

 three named especially so. 



Of course, it is important there should not be even a 

 hair of any other shade than the body colour, and this 

 was for a long time the difficulty breeders had to contend 

 with. 



