THE LARGER MAMMALS OF PATAGONIA 257 



I shot a young guanaco and concealed myself for the same reason, 

 the whole herd came back and, mounting an eminence in the neigh- 

 bourhood, scanned the scene of the disaster. They did not, how- 

 ever, venture near the place where the quarry was lying. Curiously 

 enough, wild cattle, though much more difficult of approach than 

 guanaco, often come back in the night lowing and bellowing to 

 visit the spot where a herd-mate has been killed, but before dawn 

 they invariably leave that part of the forest. 



The young guanaco is an easy quarry. We caught a conbider- 

 able number of them for food with the aid of the hounds. 



On one occasion a young one was simply headed off from the 

 herd, its portrait taken, and then it was set free again. 



No. 5. Patagonian cavy [Dolichotis patagonica). 



(Called "cavy'' or "hare" indiscriminately by the English 

 residents ; tiebre by the Argentines and Chilians ; Paahi by the 

 Tehuelches.) 



The River Deseado forms the southern limit of the distribution 

 of the Patagonian cavy. In 1833 Darwin writes concerning this 

 animal, " They are found as far north as the Sierra Tapalguen 

 (lat. 2,1° 30')' ^"^^ their southern limit is between Port Desire and 

 San Julian, where there is no change in the nature of the country." 

 As far as my experience goes, I never observed a cavy after 

 October 23, upon which day I counted fourteen upon the pampa 

 between Lake Musters and the settlement of Colohuapi. The 

 residents of Colohuapi informed me that the place formed the 

 southern limit of the distribution of the cavy. It is, of course, 

 impossible to lay down an exact line, but I think it safe to say that 

 the range of the cavy does not extend south of the 46th parallel. 

 This limit is the more remarkable inasmuch as the country south 

 of lat. 46° does not in any way materially differ from that over 

 which the cavy is commonly to be met with. One most often finds 

 these animals on patches of dry mud. They are comparatively easy 

 to stalk, as easy as an English rabbit. The best method of shooting 

 them is, of course, with the rifle, though occasionally you may start 

 them from a thicket and shoot them as you would an English hare 

 with a shot-gun. They generally weigh between 18 lb. and 25 lb., 

 though I heard of one which I was assured weighed 31 lb. 



