142 



Chinchillid.e.- 



-MAMMALIA.- 



-Cavid^t:. 



female preserved in the Zoological Society's Gardens, 

 Regent's Park, produced seven young ones at a single 

 litter. From eighty to a hundred thousand skins are 

 amuially impiirted into this country. 



THE CHINCHA {Lagotis Cucieri) is about tlie size 

 of an ordinary rabbit, possessing long ears and a 

 grejdsli-colom-ed fur. All the feet are tetradactylous, 

 the digits being furnished with rather small claws; each 

 molar tooth is made up of three laminae ; the whiskers 

 are very long, some ten or twelve of the bristles being 

 jiarticularly stout. This animal lives on the western 

 slopes of the Andes, and has often been confounded 

 with the ^^scacha, from which, however, it is quite 

 distinct. According to Ulloa's c^bservations, as quoted 

 by Mr. Bennett, the Chinchas " conceal themselves 

 in holes of the rocks, in which they make their retreats, 

 not forming burrows in the earth, like rabbits. There 

 they congregate in considerable numbers, and are 

 mostly seen in a sitting posture, but not eating ; tliey 

 feed on the herbs and shrubs that grow among the 

 rocks, and are very active. Their means of escape do 

 not consist in the velocity of their flight, but m the 

 promptitude with wliicli they run to the shelter of their 

 holes. This they commonly do when wounded, for 

 which reason the mode of kihing is by shooting them 

 in the head." There is a second species, the Lagotis 

 paltipes of Bennett, which closely resembles its fellow. 

 One remarkable peculiarity possessed by these animals 

 consists in the caducous character of their fur ; this 

 immediately after death, falls ofl' on the slightest touch, 

 so that, in an economic point of view, the skin is 

 rendered almost valueless. 



THE VISCACHA {Liigoslomns Irichodactghis) is also 

 knowii by the names of Bi.scACHO and Marmot Diana. 

 It lives on the eastern declivities of the Andes, and is 

 quite distinct from the chincha, which occupies the 

 western slopes of the same chain of mountains. Vari- 

 ous interesting accounts of the habits of this species 

 liave been given by difl'erent ■writers, and more par- 

 ticularly by Darwin, Bennett, and DobrizhofTer. These 

 records are in general very similar, though differing 

 in a few particulars. Mr. Darwin states that in the 

 evening the Viscachas come out of their holes " m 

 great numbers, and there sit quietly on their haunches. 

 They are, at swell times, very tame, and a man on horse- 

 back passing by, seems only to present an object for 

 their grave contemplation. They do not wander far 

 from their burrows. They run very awkwardly, and 

 when hun-ying out of danger, from their elevated tails 

 and short front legs, much resemble great rats. Their 

 flesh when cooked is very white and good, but it is 

 seldom used. The Viscacha has one very singular habit, 

 namely, dragging every hard object to the mouth of its 

 buiTow. Around each gi'oup of holes many bones of 

 cattle, stones, thistle-stalks, hard clumps of earth, dry 

 dung, &c., are collected into a heap, which frequently 

 amounts to as much as a wheelbarrow would contain. 

 I was credibly informed," adds Mr. Darwin, " tliat a 

 gentleman, when riding in a dark night, dropped his 

 watch ; he returned in the morning, and by searching 

 in the neiglibourhood of every viscacha-hole on the 

 line of road, as he expected, soon found it. This habit 

 of picking up whatever may be lying on the ground 



anywhere near its habitation, must cost much trouble. 

 For what purpose it is done I am unaljle to form the 

 most remote conjecture ; it cannot be for defence, 

 because the rubbish is chiefly placed above the mouth 

 of the burrow, which enters the ground at a very small 

 inclination." The fur of the Viscacha has a greyish- 

 dusky colour, the tail is browniisb-black, and the face is 

 marked with several black and white bands. 



Family X.— CAVID^. 



Tlie members of tins family, as we propose to retain 

 them, may be fairly subdivided into two minor groups 

 — namely, those which ha\'e rooted grinders, and those 

 whose molars are rootless. Some have separated them 

 into two distinct families ; but in most particulars they 

 are very closely allied. The molars are si.\tcen in 

 number, being more or less complicated by laminar 

 ])Iates. The front feet are either three or four-toed, 

 the hind feet being generally tridactylous, and in some 

 cases pentadactylous, with the two outer digits feebly 

 developed. The claws are strong, compressed, and 

 arched. The Cavies are all inhabitants of the South 

 American continent. Their bodies are clothed with 

 short hair ; the ears are moderately developed, whilst 

 the tail is either vcrj' small or altogether wanting. 



THE PATAGONIAN CAVY {DolichoUs Palagonica) 

 frequents Uie desert wastes of the southernmost parts 

 of America, extending as far north as La Plata. It is 

 considerably larger than our common hare, a full- 

 grown example weigliing as much sometimes as thirty 

 pounds. The fur presents a mixture of grey and rust 

 colour, the under parts of tlie head, neck, and belly 

 being white. The molars have no roots ; the incisoi's 

 being smooth and nearly white. Tlie fore-feet are 

 four-toed ; the hinder ones, three-toed. The large 

 ears are broad at the base, and more tlian half the 

 length of the head. The legs are high — a feature by 

 which it ought to be readily distinguished from the 

 hare, but is generally overlooked by miinformed tra- 

 veUers. In regard to its habits, it is, like its congeners, 

 loud of burrowing, and, accorduig to Mr. Darwin, 

 "when found in the same districts with the viscacha, it 

 will avail itself of the excavations of this little animal 

 for a retreat. The Patagonian Cavies wander at times 

 to great distances from their homes, and usually two 

 or tliree are seen together on these occasions. The 

 animal in its mode of rmining more nearly resembles 

 the rabbit than the hare, and though its limbs are long 

 it does not rmi very fast. It seldom squats after the 

 manner of the hare, is very shy and watchful, and 

 feeds by day." The female produces two young at a 

 birth. 



THE KOCK CAVY (Cavia rupestris) is a native of 

 the rocky districts of Brazil generally. It is likewise 

 found abundant in the higher regions bordering the 

 Rio Pardo and Rio de St. Francisco. It is a taller 

 species than the above, and is remarkable as having 

 the naUs of die toes blunt, and so small tliat tiiey 

 scarcely project beyond the large digital toe-pads with 

 which the feet are also supplied. It has no tail, and 

 the ears are shorter than one half of the head. The 

 flesh is considered good eating. 



