upon veg-etahles, tlie mo-t icmarliable in Cliili 

 are (he gnanqiic, the chinchilla, th(i great wood- 

 iiioi's , the cuvnr, tlie ciiy, and the visaccia. 



The pitanquc (r.uis eyanus) is a species of 

 gTound-moiise^ vvliich it resembles in its form 

 aijd size, but its ears are rounder and its hair 

 blue. It is a very timid animal, and digs a 

 burrow in form of a gallery ten feet lng, upon 

 each side of which it excavates seven cells of a 

 foot in depth opposite each other. These cells 

 serve as a phice of deposit for its winter provi- 

 sion, which consists of certain grey bulbous 

 roois of the size of a walnut. Some pretend that 

 these are a species of truflic, to which they bear 

 some re.-emblance in taste, but I am rather in- 

 clined to believe the:ii the roots of a plant. The 

 manner in wliicli this liiile animal arranges these 

 roots is really admirable. They are of an an- 

 gular form, but in order to leave no v;'.eant 

 spaces, it jilaces tliem wiih sirIi skill that the 

 projecting angles of one root are fitted to the 

 hollows of anolher. 



In the rainy season, when tl;e p:uanquc ciu no 

 longer seek its food in t!ic iicUs, it has recourse 

 to lis \ iuter hoard, aadb.^gijis wif'h tiic roots de- 

 prsiled in the fui best eel !.% as beiiig the oldest^ 

 and in this marmcr regulaih/ proceeds from one 

 to ihc. oth.M'. li^N burr ;vv is aiv/- vs v i\ neat, and 

 it is ca e 'ul (o cany out of it a-i .be fragments of 

 the roois wh-.ch it has eaten. Tiu fcir.ale brce;ls 



