THE COY PIT. 



131 



representative in Africa. Its members are distinguished at once by the complicated enamel folds of 

 their molar teeth in both jaws, by these teeth being generally rooted, and by the texture of the 

 fur, which is harsh and frequently mixed with fine spines. Hence the name of Echinomys (Spiny, or 

 rather Hedgehog, Rat), applied to the typical genus, from which the sub-family is named ECHINOJOIN^E. 

 The tail in these animals is usually long. 



The Rodents belonging to this sub-family are generally of considerable size, as large as Rats, or 

 larger, stoutly built, with the hinder part of the body larger than the fore-quarters, with limbs of 

 moderate length, the hinder larger than the anterior, the former furnished with five toes, the latter 

 with four complete digits and a rudimentary thumb, and the toes armed with strong curved claws. 

 The tail is scaly, with scattered hairs. In their habits these animals appear to be strictly vegetable- 

 feeders, but in other respects they present some variety. The majority live in and upon the ground; 

 but one or two are arboreal, and one aquatic, in their mode of life. 



The last species alluded to is the well - known COYPU (Myopotamus Coypus), one of the 

 largest of Rodents, which occurs in nearly all parts of South America and on both sides of the Andes, 

 from the tropic of Capricorn to about 15 N. lat. It is usually about twenty inches long, but often 

 attains still greater dimensions. The tail, which is about two-thirds the length of the head and body, 

 is scaly, with hairs about as thickly scattered as in the common Rat. The ears are of moderate size ; 

 the incisor teeth very large and powerful ; the molars, the hindmost of which are the largest, have 

 two internal and two external enamel-folds in the upper, and three internal folds and one external in 

 the lower, jaw ; the hind feet are webbed. The general colour of the upper surface is brown, 

 produced by dusky and brownish-yellow pencilling ; the sides and under parts are brownish-yellow, 

 and the front of the muzzle and the chin white. 



The Coypus live upon the shores of the rivers and lakes of South America, generally, according 

 to Rengger, in pairs, each pair digging for themselves a burrow in the bank, which extends to a depth 

 of three or four feet, and widens out into a cavity eighteen inches or two feet in diameter. Here they 

 pass the night, and take refuge when necessary during the day. They select for their dwelling-places 

 the stiller parts of the water, where the aquatic plants on which they chiefly feed grow freely. They 

 are said to swim well, but not to be expert in diving. On land they are slow and awkward in their 

 movements. They feed chiefly on the roots of plants, but in the Chonos Archipelago, where the 

 Coypus frequent the sea and make their burrows at some little distance from the beach, they are said 



