324 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description Habits, &c. 



arc sliorl and thick ; the head is small, the eye* 

 large and black, the ears short, and the nose di- 

 vided by a furrow ; the fore-feet have four toes, 

 of a soft pulpy nature, and furnished with flat, 

 rounded nails; the hind-feet are of a similar 

 structure, but have only three divisions, the inte-> 

 rior of which is armed with a sharp crooked 

 claw, and the exterior ones have nails like those 

 on the fore-feet. 



Dr. Pallas published the first figure of this spe- 

 cies ; but more correct representations have since 

 been given. 



In its wild state, it lives mostly on vegetables, 

 reposing all day on a bed of dried leaves and 

 grass, and at night retiring into the cavities of 

 the rocks. Its voice is a kind of a shrill squeak, 

 which it sometimes repeats several times in the 

 course of a few minutes. 



This animal is said to be easily tamed, and 

 shows considerable attachment to its keeper : it 

 is remarkably cleanly in its habits, and active 

 and lively in its disposition, leaping about with 

 the greatest agility. Its favourite food seems to 

 be fruits and vegetables, though it will not reject 

 bread. With respect to its fecundity or manner 

 of educating its young very little seems to be 

 known. 



The variety called the Hudson's Bay Hyrax, 

 from the name of its native country, is of a cine- 

 reous brown colour, with the points of the hairs 



