134 



CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



by the presence of five rows of yellow spots on the fur, has a 

 wide range through the same continent, east of the Andes and 

 to as far south as Paraguay. It is also a native of the islands 

 of Trinadad and Tobago. 



(5) The family of Cavies resembles the preceding in the hoof- 

 like nature of the claws, and are further characterized by the 



Fig. 94. The Common Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) 



extreme brevity of the tail. The grinding teeth are complex, and 

 their crowns present numerous transverse ridges. A common 

 example is the domestic Guinea- Pig ( ? Guiana pig], introduced 

 into Europe in the sixteenth century. The Restless Cavy 

 (Cavius porcellus] of Uruguay and Brazil has been claimed as 

 the ancestral stock, though the view is now held that this dis- 

 tinction rests with Cutler's Cavy (Cavia Cutleri], a Peruvian form 

 supposed to have been domesticated by the Incas. The largest 

 known Rodent, the Capybara (Hydrockams capybara), is simply 



