191 



support of this hypothesis, two animals so distinct 

 as to have nothing in common but a name so impro- 

 perly given to one of them. I could adduce a great 

 number of instances of this kind, were I to go through 

 with the various quadrupeds of America that have 

 been considered as species of the old continent, al- 

 tered by the physical influence of the new. 



South America possesses but a very few species 

 of animals tliat are similar to those of the old world, 

 and these have preserved their original appearance, 

 or rather, as might be expected from the influence 

 of so mild a climate, have improved it. Of this 

 number, in Chili, are the fox, the hare, the otter, 

 and the mouse. The foxes are of three kinds : the 

 guru^ or the common fox, the chilla^ or the field fox, 

 and the payne-guru^ or the blue fox. This last is 

 very common in the Archipelago of Chiloe, where 

 it is black. All these foxes are of the same size as 

 the European fox. 



In its form the hare of Chili resernbles that of 

 Europe, but is superior to it in size, for it is some- 

 times found of twenty pounds weight, a fact con- 

 firmed by Comniodore Byron, whose sailors killed 

 several of them upon the coast of Patagonia. These 

 hares are found in great numbers in the provinces 

 of Coquimbo, Pu chacay, and Huilquilemu. The 

 flesh is perfectly white, and of a much superiour fla- 

 vour to that of the European hare. The otter in- 

 habits the fresh waters of the southern provinces, 

 and differs in no respect from that of Europe. The 

 rat has been imported in foreign vessels, and of the 

 mouse there are various species; the domestic mouse, 



