140 



Hl'STItlCID.E - 



-MAMMALIA.- 



- OCTODONTID.T. 



found between the latitudes of thirty-seven and sixty- 

 seven degrees. It has been known from the cariiest 

 times, and lias tlic credit of being a remarkably shiggish 

 animal. It makes its burrow chiefly among the roots 

 of old trees, and is most abundant m sandy districts, 

 where it feeds upon the bark of the banksian pine and 

 other conifers. On being disturbed, it utters a winning 

 cry. From the observations of Sir John Hichardson, it 

 woidd seem that this species has the power of detaching 

 its ijuills ! " It is readily attacked," lie sa}-s, " by Indian 

 dogs, and soon killed, but not without uijury to its 

 a.-sailants, for its quills, which it erects when attacked, 

 are rough, with minute teeth directed backwards, that 

 have the oll'ect of rendering this seemingly weak and 

 flexible weapon a very dangerous one. Their points, 

 which are pretty sharp, have no sooner insinuated them- 

 selves into the skin of an assailant than they gradually 

 bury themselves, and travel onwards until they cause 

 deatli by wounding some vital organ. These spines, 

 \vhicli are detached from the porcupine by the slightest 

 touch, and probably by the will of the animal, soon fill 

 the mouths of the dogs which worry it, and unless the 

 Indian women carefully pick them out, seldom fail to 

 kill them. Wolves occasionally die from the same 

 cause." The ilesli of this porcupine is coarse, but 

 appears to be cnjo^-cd by the Indians. The female 

 jiroduces two young at a birth, usually towards the 

 latter part of the spring. The fur has a liver-brown 

 colour, the si>iiies being iiuae or less white. 



THE BRAZILIAN PORCUPINE (^Syiiet/ieres jjre/ien- 

 siHs), or CoENDOU, is a native of Guiana, and bears a 

 general resemblance to tlie above, e.sjiecially in its 

 habits, which are nocturnal. It is peculiar, however, 

 in presenting a long prehensile tail, which is thinly 

 haired and annulated towards the free extremity. The 

 hind feet are tetradactylous. Like the Canadian species 

 its movements are very shiggish ; but it is materially 

 assisted in climbing trees by its tail, which organ is even 

 nioi'e usefully employed dining its downward progress ; 

 it is also no less than eighteen inches in length. The 

 coendou is finlher characterized by a short al>rupt 

 niuz/.le armed with long white whiskers. 



THE JAVANESE PORCUPINE {Ihjstrix faskulata) 

 is a small species measuring little more than a foot in 

 length, while the tail would add only another four or 

 live inches. This organ has very few hairs on it, their 

 place being supplied by iiat blackish scales, arranged 

 in the form of rings ; at the tip, however, there is a tuft 

 of long flat bristles, bearing, as remarked by Bufton, a 

 I'esemblance to narrow slips of parchment cut in an 

 irregular manner, the tuft being about two mches long, 

 and of a white colour. The general colour of the body 

 is that of a dusky-brown. Its habits are like those of 

 its congeners. When irritated it bristles up its spines, 

 and looks capalile of resisting almost any enemy. It 

 is not confined to Java, but is found on the Malayan 

 ]ieninsula, and on most of the islands of the Indian 

 Archipelago. 



There are many other Ilodent forms which have 

 been grouped together into various subfamilies. Of 

 these we need only mention tlie genera Cercolabcs, 

 ^Kcluiiiy, Ciipruiiiys, Aulacodus, Loiiclieres, and Cer- 

 coiiii/s, which are pretty closely allied. Tlic genera 



Oryclerus and Dathkryua are associated together in 

 Dr. J. E. Gray's arrangement — under the family 

 AsPALACiiJ^E — the last-named genus being represented 

 by several interesting species. Among tliese may be 

 mentioned — 



THE SHORE MOLE [Bathiergus iiutritlmiis), which is 

 a native of Southern Africa. It is ju'ovided with ver}- 

 large incisors, the upper ones being grooved longi- 

 tudinally. This peculiarity is not found in tliose 

 membei's of the family occupying the sand-hills of tlie 

 interior. All of the species, however, possess sixteen 

 molars, which have the cro^nis di\ided by a transverse 

 line of enamel. They have no ears, veiy small eyes, 

 and short tails. The fore-feet are furnished with 

 strong fossorial claws, that of tlie second digit being 

 particularly lai'ge. They feed principally on roots. 



Family VIIL— OCTODONTID^. 



The species included under this head have no true 

 roots to their molar teeth ; these organs usually display 

 only a single fold of enamel on either side of their flat- 

 tened crowns, but in a few instances a second fold is 

 observable on the inside of the lower series. The hind 

 feet are in most cases pentadactylous, but in some 

 tetradactylous. The members of this family, though 

 of small bulk, are comparatively strong, and well adapted 

 for buiTowiug under giound. They are found in the 

 South American continent, especially in the central and 

 more southern districts. With few cxcejitions, the 

 whole structure of their skeleton, the form of tlieir 

 skull, and the stout fore-limbs, armed with powerful 

 claws, demonstrate their adaptability to a subteri'aneous 

 mode of existence. 



CUMING'S OCTODON {Ododon degtis), is a native of 

 Chili, and is sometimes called the Chilian Squirhel, 

 from the habit it has of scrambling up bushes and low 

 brushwood. The fur has a brownish-yellow colour 

 generally, and is very jiale underneath. The ears are 

 cons])icuous, rounded, and thinlj' haired. The thumbs 

 of tlie fore-feet are only feebly developed ; whUe tlie 

 claws of all the toes are somewdiat concealed by die 

 hair, especially those of the hmd feet. The food ot 

 these animals consists mostly of herbage, but in times 

 of scarcity they feed upon the bark of species oi mimosa 

 and ccstrum. Mr. Darwin states that they may be 

 seen by hundreds in the hedgerows and tliickets of 

 central Chili, and that their numerous burrows freely 

 intercommunicate. Their habits resemble those of 

 rabbits, and they prove very destructive to fields of 

 yomig com ; when disturbed while feeding, they scam- 

 per oB' to the hedgerows with their tails uplifted. 



THE SCHIZODON {Schizodon fiiscus) inhabits the 

 eastern sloiies of the southern Andes. The fur has a 

 deep brown colour above, while it exhibits a pale 

 yellowish tint below. This animal was first discovered 

 by Mr. Bridges, who found it in the VaUe de las 

 Cuevas, at a height from between five to seven tliou- 

 sand feet above the level of the sea. Its habits are 

 nocturnal, but it seldom comes out of its burrows, 

 which are ly- preference made in gi-assj* swanijis, near 

 to small mountain streams. 



POPPIG'S SPALACOPUS {Sjialucopus nvdivajus) ii 



