622 NATURAL HISTORY OF QUITO. 
lows the deer into the valley, a large brown weasel with a light 
colored belly, and the skunk, Thiosmus mesoleuca Licht. (var. 
Quitensis Humb.?) called by the natives ‘‘ zoro” or Indian fox. 
The last is of a grayish color with black longitudinal bars. ‘* All 
the South American Canide belong to the dogs” says Murray ; 
but on the slope of Chimborazo we caught sight of an animal 
which had a very close resemblance to a true fox. The small 
black bear of the Cordilleras is not known to enter the valley. 
It does not exceed one hundred and sixty pounds in weight. 
Bats are not numerous, but there are doubtless several species. 
The only one we have examined appears to be a Nyeticejus. The 
Cavia cobaya Schr. (domesticated) is wonderfully prolific. The 
“cuye del monte” of the natives is confined, we believe, to the 
warm western slope. It is four times as large as the common 
guinea-pig, and covered, with a thin coat of long hair, mingled 
brown and black. We observed a hare, perhaps the Lepus Bra- 
siliensis Linn., the only one determined from South America. The 
squirrels, which are not uncommon, are probably distinct from the 
Sciurus estuans of Brazil. Compared with their number in other 
regions, mice (Hesperomyinw) may be considered rare: their 
scarcity may be due to the multiplication of the guinea-pigs. 
opossums we obtained two species ; pideipk ys Azare Tern., and 
- D. philander Linn. ? 
The palæontology of the valley of Quito has not been fully de- 
veloped; but enough is known to excite deep interest in the an- 
cient life on the top of the Andes. At Alangasi, near Quito, 4 
large mastodon tooth was found many years ago; but the most 
extensive mammiferous deposit is at Punin, seven miles southwest 
of Riobamba. The bones are imbedded in an uns‘ratified cliff, 
four hundred feet high, of very compact silt or trachytic clay. 
They were evidently drifted to the spot and deposited (many of 
them in a broken state, and none in their proper relative positions) 
in horizontal layers along with recent shells. In 1867, the writer 
took out a large collection * which included vertebrae, patella and 
femur (solid!) of mastodons, adult and young; vertebre, leg 
bones and upper and lower jaws of two horses, one of ordinary 
size, the other about as large as the ass; vertebrae, leg bones and 
ischium of a llama or some auchenia; metatarsal like and large 
Wha e T 
* Now r Museum of Yale College. A erate vier similar xe 
mastodo; olumne Co., Californ 
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