THE DASSIE 



(Hyrax capensis) 



As a whole, the animals of the hoofed order {Ungulata) are so distinct 

 in appearance that their relationships are at once apparent even to an 

 untrained eye ; but the little animals of the family Hyracidce at first 

 sight look much more like rodents, and, indeed, were at one time 

 classed with that order of animals. 



The Dassie, or Rock-Rabbit, of the Cape, is a very good type of the 

 family, all of which bear a strong general resemblance to each other. 

 In size it about equals a Cat, and is heavily built, with the tail quite 

 rudimentary and not noticeable. The legs are short, with four toes on 

 the front feet and three on the hind. These are provided with flat 

 nails, except the inner toe on the hind-foot, which has an ordinary 

 curved claw, no doubt used for scratching. In walking, the animal 

 goes on its toes, not on the flat of the foot like so many rodents. 



The coat is thick and soft, quite unlike the usual- covering of a 

 hoofed animal ; and there are whiskers at the sides of the muzzle, and 

 a small tuft of similar long hairs under the chin. 



The teeth are very peculiar ; the grinders, indeed, almost exactly 

 resemble those of a Rhinoceros in miniature, forming a curious contrast 

 to the general appearance of the creature, but the front teeth are 

 especially characteristic. As in rodents, there are no canines at all, 

 and two large, continually-growing incisors in the front of the upper 

 jaw. These, however, instead of being flat-fronted and square-tipped 

 — chisel-shaped, in fact — come to an edge down the front, and terminate 

 in points, while they are set somewhat apart, not close together like a 

 rodent's incisors. In the lower jaw there are two pairs of incisors, 

 rounded in shape and projecting straight forwards. 



The internal structure of this animal, such as that of the brain and 

 stomach, allies .it to the hoofed order, and not to rodents. The 



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