134 



CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



by the presence of five rows of yellow spots on the fur, has a 

 wide range through the same continent, east of the Andes and 

 to as far south as Paraguay. It is also a native of the islands 

 of Trinadad and Tobago. 



(5) The family of Cavies resembles the preceding in the hoof- 

 like nature of the claws, and are further characterized by the 



Fig 94 — The Common Chmchilla {Chinchtlla lamgera) 



extreme brevity of the tail. The grinding teeth are complex, and 

 their crowns present numerous transverse ridges. A common 

 example is the domestic Guinea- Pig (? Guiana pig), introduced 

 into Europe in the sixteenth century. The Restless Cavy 

 {Cavius porcellus) of Uruguay and Brazil has been claimed as 

 the ancestral stock, though the view is now held that this dis- 

 tinction rests with Cutler's Cavy [Cavia Cutleri), a Peruvian form 

 supposed to have been domesticated by the Incas. The largest 

 known Rodent, the Capybara {Hydroch(srus capybara), is simply 



