THE GUINEA PIG 
HESE compact little rodents are 
yw, related to the rabbits. Indeed, in 
© Patagonia there is a species with long 
legs very much like those of a hare, 
a distinct tail and long ears. So 
that whatever this little animal is, 
it is not a pig, nor does it come from 
Guinea; for South America is the native land of the 
Guinea pig and its near relations; and they dwelt 
there long before man came, for we find their skele- 
tons among the fossils of that region. 
The cavy family is a large one, containing many 
species, some of which are not much larger than mice, 
and others of all sizes up to that of a half-grown 
pig. These many species have differing habits. 
Some live in the mountains with dens in the rocks; 
others live in the rich river valleys, and do much 
damage to crops; others live mostly in the water, 
while many inhabit the high table lands. Many of 
the lofty plains of the Andes mountains are so under- 
mined by the burrows of the cavies, that it is danger- 
ous to attempt to cross them on horseback, since the 
horse is likely to fall and break a leg. The prairie 
dogs make some of our western plains likewise 
dangerous. 
Although some species of cavies feed during the 
day, most of them feed during certain hours of the 
night. Their food consists of roots, and many kinds 
of vegetables and fruits. One species in Patagonia 
has been known to climb trees to feed upon their fruit, 
but this is a very unusual cavy accomplishment. 
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