NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



Ill 



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 

 Iwholly 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 it in sight. There are a number of species, 

 varying in color from dark brown to golden yellow. 



