T H E R O C K C A V Y. 275 



It has no tail. Its head is fomewhat longer 

 than that of the hare, and its flelh is like that 

 <if the rabbit, which it refembles in its manner 

 of living *. It likewife retires into holes : It 

 does not, however, dig the earth, like the rab- 

 bit, but conceals itfelf in the clefts of rocks. 

 Hence it is eafily feized in its retreat. It is 

 hunted ab game, and its fleih is preferable to 

 that of our beft rabbits f. The animal men- 

 tioned by Oviedo, and afterwards by Charle- 

 voix if and du Perrier de Montfrnzier, undef 

 the denomination of con^ appears to be the 

 fame with the aperea or rock cavy |]. In fome 

 parts of the Weft Indies, thefe animals may, 

 perhaps, be reared in warrens, or in houfes, 

 like our rabbits ; and this may be the reafon 

 why fome of them are red, white, black, and 

 variegated. This conjedlure is not without foun- 

 dation; for Garcilaflb informs us, that, in Peru, 



S 2 there 



• Marcgrav. hifl.nat. Brafil. p. 223. 



t Pifo, hift. Brafil. p 10^. 



t Oviedo remarks, that the cori refembles a fmall rabbit j 

 pud that fome of them are totally white, and others a mix- 

 ture of different colours ; Hijl. dj St Dominique, par L P. Char- 

 levoix, torn, I. />. 35-. 



II The cori is a fmall quadruped, fotnewhat refembling our 

 rabbits and moles. It has fmall ears, which it carries fo 

 flatly reclined backward, that it is difficult to perceive them. 

 It has no tail. Some of them are white, others black, and 

 others fpotted with black and white. Some of them are\ 

 totally red, and others fpotted with red an« white. They are 

 tamed, and never defile the houfes. They eat herbage, and 

 are eaf.ly maintained. Their flelh has the tafte and fl^.vour 

 of the bePc rabbits ; Hijl. dc, voyages, far du Perrier Je Manf. 

 frmzier, p. 343. 



