NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. J11 
AFRICAN PORCUPINE. 
mals in the Beaver Pond, we have a specimen on exhibition 
in the Small-Mammal House. This individual came from 
the Rio Grande, as a small kit, and has been reared in its 
present quarters. It is kept constantly supplied with food- 
wood, chiefly of poplar and maple, and clean water in which 
to bathe. 
The Capybara, (Hydrochacrus capybara), is the largest of 
all gnawing animals, and the most remarkable rodent in 
our collection. In form and size it suggests a large, gray, 
coarse-haired pig. It is a water-loving animal, of the Ameri- 
can tropics, and lives on the grassy banks of the delta of 
the Orinoco, and similar places farther south. It is one of 
the best divers of all land animals, and when attacked on 
land always plunges into the water and dives for about 
100 feet before coming to the surface. It is strictly a vege- 
table feeder, and its flesh is very palatable food. It takes 
kindly to captivity, and in disposition it is very affectionate. 
The Agouti, (Dasyprocta), is to the jungles of South 
America as the cotton-tail rabbit is to the forests of the 
eastern United States; but structurally it is not closely 
related to the members of the Rabbit Family. It lives 
wholly on the ground, in dense cover, and is very difficult 
to shoot. As a rule, it is impossible for dogs to catch it 
because it runs so swiftly through the dense cover that 
they cannot keep ?t in sight. There are a number of species, 
varying in color from dark brown to golden yellow. 
