296 ECONOMIC MAMMALOGY 



FAMILY CHINCHILLIDAE CHINCHILLAS 



The Andean South American chinchilla is "a rodent with a fine fur 

 that has long had a high value in commerce," though often popularly 

 confused with the much less valuable "chinchilla rabbit." 1 Chinchilla 

 skins were used by the ancient Incas as fur for clothing, and the long 

 hairs from the fur were utilized in weaving cloth. Their flesh is good. 

 They were abundant a century ago, but the demand for fur has nearly 

 exterminated them except in the more inaccessible regions. 2 In 1919- 

 1921 the reported fur sales included only 36,448 chinchilla skins. 3 The 

 skins of the blue chinchilla bring about $110 a dozen, and those of the 

 white chinchilla from $43 to $58 a dozen. "Bolivia has had to enforce 

 a close time for some years to allow it to recover from the furrier's 

 demand for one of the world's finest furs." 4 



The viscachas of eastern South America occur in colonies and do 

 some damage to crops. 5 On the plains of Argentina they are numerous 

 and troublesome. 6 



FAMILY CAVIIDAE CAVIES 



The "guinea pigs" were domesticated by the natives of the Andean 

 region in South America, lived in their houses and were used as food, 

 before the arrival of the Spaniards, Their flesh is said to be excellent. 7 

 They have been introduced into many other countries as pets, and are 

 extensively used in scientific experiments, such as testing serums, anti- 

 toxins and foods. 



FAMILY OCHOTONIDAE PIKAS 



This family, including the pikas, or little chief hares (Ochotona), 

 sometimes called conies, though quite different from the Old World 

 conies, is placed in the order Lagomorpha, with the family Leporidae 

 hares and rabbits. The pikas in the United States are confined to high 

 mountains and are of little economic consequence. They feed upon 

 many species of native plants. Indeed, they utilize for food most of 

 the species of plants about them. From their habit of cutting small 

 plants and piling them up "to dry" for winter food, they are often 

 called "haymakers." 8 



1 Green, Chinchilla rabbits for food and fur, U. S. Biol. Surv. Leaflet No. 22, 

 1928. 



2 Ashbrook, Fur farming for profit, pp. 231-239, 1928. 



3 Osborn and Anthony, Natural History, XXH, 393, 1922. 



4 Jennison, Natural history: animals, p. 416, 1927. 

 8 Jennison, Natural history^, animals, p. 183, 1927. 

 e Ingersoll, The life of animals, p. 416, 1907. 



7 Raising guinea pigs, U. S. Dept. Agric., Farmers' Bull, No. 525, 1921. 



8 Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 30, p. 27, 1909. Merriam, N. Amer. F-auna, No. 5, 

 P- 73, 1891 ; No. 16, p. 99, 1899. Taylor and Shaw, Mammals and birds of Mount 



