62 



MAMMALOGY. 



Indians, whom, we met while crossing the Shasty Mountains, lying 

 between Oregon and California. There can be little doubt of the 

 animal's inhabiting that part of the continent near the Pacific Ocean, 

 about the forty-second degree of latitude, although unknown to be 

 there by the traders and trappers of fur-bearing animals, who occa- 

 sionally cross that tract of country in search of beavers in Upper 

 California. The Indians from whom we obtained the quills, are 

 generally hostile to white people, and all the surrounding tribes of 

 their own color, and we believe could not have obtained the porcupine 

 quills in trade, because they are not used by the Indians in the south 

 of Oregon for embroidery, as they are in the north." 



2. Genus DOLICHOTIS, Desmarest, Mamm. p. 359, 360 note (1820). 

 1. DoLiCHOTis PATACHONiCA [STiciw) . — The Patagonian Cavy. 



Cavia i^atachonica, Shaw, Gen. Zool. II, p. 226 (1801). 

 Mara magellanica, Lesson, Cent. ZooL p. 113 (1830). 



Shaw, Zool. II, Plate CLXV. Less. Cent. Plate XLII. 



Under date of January 30th, 1839, at the Rio Negro, in Patagonia, 

 we find the following note relating to this little animal, in Dr. Picker- 

 ing's journal : 



" The Patagonian Cavy is very common, and usually passes by the 

 name of ' hare.' Its dentition does not differ materially from that of 

 the other cavies [OhJoromys) , at least in the upper jaw, except that 

 the last molar has three lobes instead of two. 



" In one of my excursions, I started a party of six of these little 

 animals, which ran away with considerable swiftness, and somewhat 

 to my surprise, keeping strictly in single file. I was told by residents 

 that this was the case when found in companies, for the purpose of 

 adhering to the paths to their burrows. This cavy was said, how- 

 ever, to be most usually found in pairs, though perhaps not at the 

 season of our visit. On another occasion I found four together, two 

 of which took refuge in their burrows, while the others disappeared 

 over a ridge. The gait of this animal reminded me of that of a hare, 

 but it has a peculiar and rather awkward limp. Its burrows are large, 



