ORDER RODENTIA. 247 



are much esteemed for their softness, and the agreeable 

 effect they produce to the eye. 



The Hares which Buffon says are to be found towards 

 the Straits of Magellan, are. of this description; but they 

 are extremely different from the Hares of Europe, to which 

 he compares them ; for, independent of all that has been 

 already observed, the animals in question, when they are 

 not running, proceed by steps, and not by jumping. 



The Brown Paca has been known since the time of Marc- 

 grave, who has described it, and given an imperfect figure ; 

 it has been generally referred, by systematic authors, to the 

 genus Cavia, and has been considered as a single species. 

 M. F.Cuvier, however, has distinguished two species, the 

 Brown Paca, Caelogenus Subniger, and the Yellow Paca, 

 Caelogenus Fuscus ; these he has separated into a distinct 

 genus, under the name Caelogenus. The specific descrip- 

 tion of one of these, from that naturalist, will sufficiently 

 convey the generic characters of both. 



The Brown Paca (V. Subniger) has the thick heavy 

 appearance of the pachidermatous animals; its legs are 

 heavy ; the neck short ; the head thick ; and the body 

 round. This animal, and its congener, are among the 

 omnivorous rodentia, what the Capybara is among the 

 herbivorous division of the same order. The numbers of 

 the teeth are, incisors, ■§; canine teeth, gg; cheek-teeth, ff ; 

 of the latter, those in the upper jaw are about equal in 

 size ; but, in the lower, they diminish in size, gradually from 

 the last to the first; each tooth, before it is worked down 

 by trituration, has on the crown four tubercles ; but when 

 the animal is aged, and the teeth have consequently been 

 much used, the tubercles become worn down, and the 

 intervening riges of enamel widen ; these also by fur- 

 ther use become nearly obliterated, and the triturating 

 surface of the tooth becomes nearly smooth. All the feet 



