THE CONY. 



C. C. M. 



THE specimen of this animal pre- 

 sented here {Hyrax abyssiiiiais) 

 is the best-known of the spe- 

 cies. It measures from ten to 

 twelve inches in length; the fur con- 

 sists of somewhat long, fine hairs, gray- 

 brown at the base, lighter gray in the 

 middle portions, merging into a dark- 

 brown surmounted by a light-colored 

 tip, the resulting general color of this 

 combination being a mottled pale-gray. 

 The Book of Proverbs, enumerating 

 four animals which it describes as "ex- 

 ceeding wise," says: "The conies are 

 but a feeble folk, yet they make their 

 houses in the rocks." The conies are 

 mentioned by various writers as well- 

 known animals in days of remotest an- 

 tiquity. They are found in the wild, 

 desolate mountain regions of Africa 

 and western x\sia, and the variety in- 

 habiting Syria and Palestine is prob- 

 ably referred to in the Hebrew text 

 of the Bible under the name of "laphan," 

 which Luther translated by the word 

 "rabbit," and in the authorized and re- 

 vised versions is rendered "cony." 

 They inhabit all the mountains of 

 Syria, Palestine, and Arabia, perhaps 

 also of Persia, the Nile country, east, 

 west, and south Africa, frequently at 

 elevations of six thousand or nine thou- 

 sand feet above sea-level, and "the 

 peaks and cones that rise like islands 

 sheer above the surface of the plains — - 

 the presence of the little animals con- 

 stituting one of the characteristic fea- 

 tures of the high table-lands of north- 

 eastern Africa." It is stated that if 

 the observer quietly passes through the 

 valleys he sees them sitting or lying 

 in rows on the projecting ledges, as 

 they are a lazy, comfort-loving tribe 

 and like to bask in the warm sun- 

 shine. A rapid movement or unusual 

 noise quickly stampedes them, and 

 they all flee with an agility like that 

 usual among rodents, and almost in- 

 stantly disappear. A traveler says of 

 them, that in the neighborhood 

 of villages, where they are also to be 

 found, they show little fear of the 



natives, and boldly attend to their 

 affairs as if they understood that no- 

 body thinks of molesting them; but 

 when approached by people whose 

 color or attire differs from that of their 

 usual human neighbors, they at once 

 retreat to their holes in the rocks. A 

 dog inspires them with greater fear 

 than does a human being. When 

 startled by a canine foe, even after they 

 have become hidden, safe from pursuit, 

 in their rocky crevices, they continue 

 to give utterance to their curious, trem- 

 ulous yell, which resembles the cry of 

 small monkeys. 



Brehm confirms the statement of an- 

 other traveler, who called attention to 

 the striking fact that the peaceable and 

 defenseless cony lives in the permanent 

 society and on the best of terms with a 

 by no means despicable beast of prey, 

 a variety of mongoose. 



In regard to their movements and men- 

 tal characteristics, the conies have been 

 placed between the unwieldy rhinoc- 

 eros and the nimble rodent. They 

 are excellent climbers. The soles of 

 the feet are as elastic and springy as 

 rubber, enabling the animal to contract 

 and distend the middle cleft or fissure 

 of its sole-pad at will, and thereby to 

 secure a hold on a smooth surface by 

 means of suction. In behavior the 

 conies are gentle, simple, and timid. 

 The social instinct is highly developed 

 in them, and they are rarely seen alone. 



The conies have been regarded as the 

 smallest and daintiest of all the exist- 

 ing species of odd-toed animals. Nat- 

 uralists, however, have held widely 

 divergent opinions as to the classifica- 

 tion of the pretty cliff-dwellers. Pallas, 

 because of their habits and outward ap- 

 pearance, called them rodents. Oken 

 thought them to be related to the 

 marsupials, or pouched anmials. Cu- 

 vier placed them in his order of " many- 

 toed animals," which classification has 

 also been disputed, and Huxley has 

 raised them to the dignity of represen- 

 tatives of a distinct order. Who shall 

 decide where all pretend to know? 



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