308 



THE RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS. 



Every couple excavates a burrow about three feet 

 deep and from sixteen to twenty-four inches wide, in 

 which they spend the night and sometimes also part 

 of the day. In this habitation the female gives birth 

 to from four to six young, which begin to follow her 

 about at a very early age. The Coypu is an excel- 

 lent swimmer, but an indifferent diver. On dry land 

 its gait is very slow, for its legs are so short as to 

 allow the abdomen to nearly drag on the ground; the 

 animal therefore proceeds by land only when it is 

 crossing the intervening country from one body of 

 water to another. When alarmed it instantly rushes 



(^KA)nert: 



THE COYPU OH NUTRIA. This Rodent, inhabiting the temperate regions of South America, is aquatic in 



its habits, frequenting interior streams and bodies of water. As shown by the picture, it has a bare, Rat-like tail and 

 such short legs that its body nearly touches the ground. It is awkward on land but at home in the water. (Myofota- 

 mus coypu.) 



and dives into the water; if it be pursued closely it 

 finally retreats into its hole, which it inhabits only 

 at night at times when it is left undisturbed. 

 Intellectual Char- Its intelligence is slight. It is shy 

 acteristics of and timid and evinces these qualities 

 the Coypu. even when in captivity. It can not 

 be called a teachable animal, though it gradually 

 comes to know its keeper. In the London zoolog- 

 ical garden it is a permanent feature and recently it 

 has also been kept in other zoological gardens. 

 "The Coypu," says Wood, "is a quick and lively 

 animal and very amusing in its habits. I have often 

 watched its funny antics and have been much amused 

 by the manner in which it traverses its domain, and 

 examines everything that seems to be novel. If a 

 tuft of grass is thrown to it, the Coypu picks it up 

 in its fore- paws, shakes it violently to get rid of the 

 earth that clings to the roots, and then, carrying it 

 to the water-side, washes it with a rapid dexterity 

 that might be envied by a professional laundress." 



Habits Captive Coypus that I had in my 



of the care spent the entire day, with few 



Coypu. intervals, in the water and on the 



banks, at the most taking a rest at noon; in the even- 

 ing they were specially active. They sometimes 

 give evidence of the possession of accomplishments 

 which one hardly expects of them. It is true that 

 their movements are neither rapid nor constant, but 

 they are vigorous and agile enough. In their habits 

 and disposition and in their manner of swimming 

 they resemble Water Voles more than they do Bea- 

 vers. So long as they are unmolested they are wont 

 to swim straight ahead, the hinder quarters deeply 

 submerged, the head lifted about two-thirds above 



the water, the tail stretched out. The whole labor 

 of propulsion rests with the hind feet, the fore feet 

 being used as little as are tho^e of the Beavers. 

 The voice is a plaintive sound which is not entirely 

 discordant and serves as a call, being responded to 

 by others of the species, which may hear it; it is, 

 therefore, uttered frequently. If the animal is angry 

 or annoyed it utters a petulant growl. Grass is the 

 favorite food of the Coypu, but it also feeds on 

 roots, bulbous plants, leaves, grains, and in captivity 

 on bread; it is quite fond of some kinds of animal 

 food, as for instance, fish; in this respect also show- 

 ing an affinity with the 

 Rats and not with the 

 Beaver. It does not 

 seem to be partial to the 

 bark of trees. The grass 

 is skillfully eaten by it, 

 not being torn to pieces 

 or cut; food thrown to it 

 is seized and carried to 

 the mouth with the fore- 

 paws. Towards winter 

 captive Coypus make 

 preparations for more 

 secure shelter, continu- 

 ally digging wherever 

 they can with the inten- 

 tion of building larger 

 burrows. If they are not 

 interfered with they dig 

 deep tunnels in a short 

 time and display great 

 activity in providing a 

 soft bed ; for this pur- 

 pose they carry some of 

 the food given them, es- 

 pecially grasses, into their sleeping chamber. 



The care of the Coypus is simple, their feeding 

 easy and cheap, and their breeding presents no dif- 

 ficulties, so that their keeping may be recommended 

 to any person fond of animals and possessing a suit- 

 able place for them; I would say more — it would be 

 well worth one's while to try to establish a little 

 colony of some four or five in a sheltered forest, 

 containing a pond or some slowly flowing stream 

 and sufficient herbage. In the light of my experi- 

 ences I believe that the animals would find sufficient 

 nourishment and would be able to stand the winter 

 of northern climates without inflicting any percep- 

 tible damage either on the trees of the forest or 

 upon the growing crops. 



The Fur The animal is an object of eager 



of the Coypu pursuit owing to the economic value 



Valuable. f j ts f ur i n ^ 2 y t j, e prov ince of 



Entre-Rios exported 300,000 skins, according to the 

 official reports of the custom house in Buenos Ayres, 

 and the export was still on the increase; for in the 

 beginning of the ^o's the swamps of Buenos Ayres 

 and Montevideo alone shipped 50,000 skins to Eng- 

 land. At present about a million and a half of 

 skins are sold annually, about two-thirds of which 

 are of an inferior quality and are used in the manu- 

 facture of felt. Those having long, close hair are 

 used for trimming garments, after the long hair of 

 the outer coat has been pulled out; they are utilized 

 in both their natural color and when dyed. The 

 flesh is white and savory and is eaten by the na- 

 tives of many localities, but disdained by others. 



The Coypu is hunted in Buenos Ayres chiefly 

 with hounds trained for the purpose, which find the 



