216 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



swollen, the bony cheek-arches of the skull being hollowed out into 

 £reat capsules, communicating by holes with the interior of the niouth ; 

 the use of this curious structure is quite unknown. The toes are five 

 on each foot. The coat of the Paca is short arid' coarse, of a dark 

 sooty brown, marked with lines of white spots, very ; unlike that of the 

 Agoutis. 



In general habits, however, it is much like these animals, but is a 

 burrower, and also takes freely to the water, diving as well as swimming, 

 while the Agoutis only do the latter. The Paca is more esteemed as 

 game than those animals, being much fatter and more like pork in the 

 quality of its flesh. It has a wide natural range, from Guatemala to 

 Paraguay, and is not uncommon in captivity, though a surly and 

 rather uninteresting beast. 



THE TAILED PACA 



(Dinomys branicki) '•*.:• , . . 



The present animal, though allied to the Cavies and Agoutis, is 

 sufficiently distinct from them to be given a family of its own: 

 Externally, it is. much like the Paca, but has only foUr toes and a Well- 

 developed and conspicuous hairy tail, several inches long. 



The history, of the creature is most curious. In 1873. a Peruvian 

 one morning found a specimen of this animal, till then unknown, 

 walking about his courtyard. He killed it, and the specimen was 

 duly recorded and named scientifically. Nothing, more., was heard of 

 the animal till 1904, when Dr. Emil Goeldi, of the Museum of Para, 

 received two .live specimens, a/female and young, which lie was able 

 to study in the Zoological Garden of that institution. They proved to 

 be harmless, lazy, good-tempered creatures/ and had the habit of sitting 

 up and holding their food* in their fore-paws, when eating, as the 

 Agoutis do, but not the Paca. 



rt 



