128 THE HYRAX, OR CONEY 
and the tender shoots of bushes. When alarmed, they squeak 
shrilly and dive into their rocky burrows, out of which no 
animal can dig them. 
The Hyrax of Syria is beyond doubt the “coney” of the 
Bible. The color of the Cape Hyrax, which is the species 
most frequently seen in zoological gardens, is sooty brown, 
with a large black spot on the back; and the hair is soft, fine 
and of good length. The incisor teeth are triangular, and 
their terminal edges are sufficiently sharp to inflict an ugly 
little bite. In January, 1914, five specimens were living in 
the New York Zoological Park. A full-grown animal is 
about 14 inches long and 7 inches high at the shoulders. 
This strange little Order contains the smallest member- 
ship of any of the great mammalian orders, and we are in- 
debted to Professor Huxley for correcting the notion that the 
Hyrax belonged in the (obsolete) Order Pachydermata. 
