36 MAMMALS 



and Peruvian, being very harsh and wiry. Its most char- 

 acteristic feature is the separation of the hair into circular 

 rosettes, which should be as numerous as possible. 



The coat needs more attention than is the case with the 

 smooth varieties, and in grooming the motion should be 

 toward the head, not the reverse. As the rosettes are very 

 definitely formed, not much can be done to improve them, 

 and advance in this point can be secured only by careful 

 selective breeding. A soft brush, however, may be used to 

 straighten out the hairs and keep them properly arranged. 



Abyssinians are a hardy breed and will stand more ex- 

 posure than either the English or Peruvians. Cold seems 

 to improve the harshness of the coat, too much warmth 

 producing the opposite effect. 



In breeding Abyssinians, the first considerations to be 

 looked to are coat and rosetting. Because of the impor- 

 tance of these points, little attention has been paid to color. 

 English cavies are often resorted to for strengthening this 

 point and shortening the coat. This cross also leads to 

 softness and loss of rosettes, but a very few generations 

 serve to make the return to true Abyssinian characters. 



Abyssinians exist in all of the recognized colors, and as 

 the material is at hand, it is to be hoped that more atten- 

 tion will come to be paid to this point at no distant date. 



The Peruvian Cavy 



This is the dandy of the cavy family, and as such re- 

 quires a great deal of care and pampering. The hair is 

 extremely long, soft and silky, its length in a really good 

 specimen being so great as to entirely obscure the outlines of 

 the body. The hair should have no tendency to rosettes or 

 curliness, but should lie flat and straight. 



The Peruvian is larger than other cavies, and much 



