182 RODENTS. 
selves. In from five to six months the young guinea-pig. is able. to reproduce its 
kind, although it does not attain full maturity till eight or nine weeks. With 
care, these animals will live for six or eight years. Although guinea-pigs seem too 
stupid to display the slightest affection for their owners, they have the great 
advantage of never making any attempts to bite, and may therefore be handled by 
children with impunity. 
The Bolivian cavy (C. boliviensis), which is of rather smaller 
size than the restless cavy,is interesting from its habitat. It lives 
among the higher regions of the Bolivian Andes at elevations of from ten to 
twelve thousand feet; dwelling in large societies, and forming burrows which 
completely undermine the whole ground in certain districts. In colour this species 
has the fur of the upper-parts grey, with a yellowish tinge, while the throat and 
under-parts are white, and the feet whitish. The incisor teeth are orange in front. 
The last species of the genus that we shall notice is the rock- 
cavy (C. rupestris), differing from those mentioned above by the 
extreme shortness of its claws, which scarcely project beyond the toes. It has 
the fur greyish above, and whitish beneath. This species inhabits rocky districts in 
certain parts of Brazil, dwelling in cracks and crevices, and not constructing 
burrows. It is much hunted by the Indians, and it is known to them as the 
hoki. 
Bolivian Cavy. 
Rock Cavy. 
The Patagonian cavy, or mara (Dolichotis patachonica), is readily 
distinguished from the true cavies by its longer limbs and ears, and 
the presence of a short tail, which is always turned to one side. Its skull is 
characterised by the extreme narrowness of the front portion of the palate; this 
being carried to such an extent that the premolar teeth of opposite sides are 
actually in contact at their front edges. In length it is from 30 to 34 inches, and 
it stands about 18 inches at the shoulder. Its fur is thick and crisp, and of a 
greyish colour on the upper-parts, while on the flanks it becomes rusty yellow, and 
beneath white. The rump is black, with a broad transverse band of white running 
from the hocks to just above the tail; and the limbs are rusty yellow, but greyish 
in front. The hair of the throat is elongated into a fringe. Both in habits and 
general appearance the mara has a superficial resemblance to the hare, but the legs 
are longer and the ears shorter and wider. It inhabits not only the barren country 
from which it derives its name, but likewise extends northwards into the grassy 
pampas of Argentina, where it ranges as far as Mendoza, in lat. 33° 30’. On the 
Atlantic coast, however, where the climate is moister, it only ranges as far north as 
37° 30’; while its extreme southern limit is about the 48th parallel. 
Absolutely dry and more or less desert-like districts are 
essential to the well-being of the mara; and it is probable that its 
original home was the Patagonian wastes. In Patagonia the mara is so common 
as to form almost a characteristic feature in the landscape, Darwin observing that 
it is usual “to see in the distance two or three of these cavies hopping one after 
the other in a straight line over the gravelly plains, thinly clothed by a few thorny 
bushes, and a withered herbage.” Generally these rodents are found either in pairs 
or in parties of from four to eight individuals, but occasionally in large flocks of 
thirty or forty. They live in burrows, generally excavated by themselves; and 
Patagonian Cavy. 
Habits. 
