THE OCTODONT TRIBE, 155 



THE OCTODONT TRIBE. 

 Family OcTODONTID^. 



As there is no collective English name for the various members of this 

 extensive family, we are compelled to adopt a modification of its Latin title. 

 These Rodents are more or less rat-like animals, characterised by having complete 

 collar-bones, and their molars marked by enamel-folds on both sides. In the skull 

 the jugal portion of the cheek-arch nearly always has an angle on its lower edge. 

 The feet, which are armed with long curved claws, generally have five toes. The 

 teats are placed high up on the sides of the body ; the ears are short and but 

 thinly haired ; while the tail, which varies greatly in length, may be either clothed 

 with short hair, or scaly. With the exception of a few African forms, and others 

 from the West Indies, this family is characteristic of South America. 



THE GUNDI. 

 Genus Ctenodactylus. 



One of the most remarkable of the African representatives of the family is 

 the gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi) from the regions bordering the Sahara, character- 

 ised by the two inner toes of the hind-feet being furnished with a horny comb and 

 bristles, which are employed in cleaning the fur. In size this animal may be 

 compared to a water-vole, with relatively long hind-legs. It has no premolar 

 teeth, the feet have only four toes each, the ears are small, and the tail is reduced 

 to a mere stump. The gundi inhabits rocky districts, and is diurnal ; its mode of 

 life being very similar to that of the jerboas. 



In Somaliland the gundi is replaced by a closely allied species, 

 known as Pectinator spekei, distinguished by its moderately long and 

 bushy tail, and the presence of a small premolar tooth in each jaw. 



THE DEGU. 

 Genus Octodon. 



The degu (0. degus), which is the typical representative of the family, is a species 

 inhabiting Chili and Peru, and distinguished from the last group by the feet having 

 five toes, without any comb-like appendages, in the hind-limb. The molar teeth are 

 alike in both jaws, and are simply indented on both sides by the folds of enamel. 

 In general form the degu is like a rat, and it is slightly inferior in size to the water- 

 vole ; the length of the head and body varying from 7 \ to 8 inches, while the tail, 

 exclusive of the tuft at the end, measures about 4 inches. The fur is remarkable 

 for its softness, the ears are of moderate size, and the nearly naked tail terminates 

 in a distinct tuft. The general colour of the fur on the upper-parts is brownish 

 yellow, mottled with black, while the under-parts are yellowish, and the feet white ; 

 the tail is dusky above and whitish below, with the hair at the tip blackish. 



