mon. 



80 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. 



together my observations on the less known animals. The Tucutuco is exceed- 

 ingly abundant in the neighbourhood of Maldonado, but it is difficult to be pro- 

 cured, and still more difficult to be seen, when at liberty. Azara,* who has given 

 an account of its habits, with which every thing I saw perfectly agrees, states that 

 he never was able to catch more than one, although they are so extremely com- 



The Tucutuco lives almost entirely under ground, and prefers a sandy soil 

 with a gentle inclination ; but it sometimes frequents damp places, even on the 

 borders of lakes. The burrows are said not to be deep, but of great length. 

 They are seldom open ; the earth being thrown up at the mouth into hillocks not 

 quite so large as those made by the mole. Considerable tracts of country are 

 completely undermined by these animals. They appear, to a certain degree, to 

 be gregarious ; for the man who procured my specimens had caught six together, 

 and he said this was a common occurrence. They are nocturnal in their habits ; 

 and their principal food is afforded by the roots of plants, which is the object of 

 their extensive and superficial burrows. In the stomach of one which I opened I 

 could only distinguish, amidst a yellowish green soft mass, a few vegetable fibres. 

 Azara states that they lay up magazines of food within their burrows. 



" The Tucutuco is universally known by a very peculiar noise, which it makes 

 when beneath the ground. A person, the first time he hears it, is much surprised ; 

 for it is not easy to tell whence it comes, nor is it possible to guess what kind of 

 creature utters it. The noise consists in a short, but not rough, nasal grunt, 

 which is repeated about four times in quick succession ; the first grunt is not so 

 loud, but a little longer, and more distinct than the three following : the musical 

 time of the whole is constant, as often as it is uttered. The name Tucutuco is 

 given in imitation of the sound. In all times of the day, where this animal is 

 abundant, the noise may be heard, and sometimes directly beneath one's feet. 



kept in a room, the Tucutucos move both slowly and clumsily, which 

 appears owing to the outward action of their hind legs ; and they are likewise 

 quite incapable of jumping even the smallest vertical height. Mr. Reid, who 

 dissected a specimen which I brought home in spirits, informs me that the 

 socket of the thigh-bone is not attached by a ligamentum teres ; and this ex- 

 plains, in a satisfactory manner, the awkward movements of their hinder extre- 

 mities. Their teeth are of a bright wax yellow, and are never covered by the 

 lips : they are not adapted to gnaw holes or cut wood. 



for instance biscuit, they rested on their hind legs and held the piece in their fore 

 paws ; they appeared also to wish to drag it into some corner. They were very 

 stupid in making any attempt to escape ; when angry or frightened, they uttered 



* Azara's Voyages dans l'Amerique Meridionale, vol. i. p. 324. 



When 



When 



