10 
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
The length of the body in our specimen is about nine 
inches, and that of the tail nearly five. Its proportions 
are close-set, and its limbs comparatively short, the 
posterior being considerably longer than the anterior. 
The fur is long, thick, close, woolly, somewhat crisped 
and entangled together, grayish or ash-coloured above, 
and paler beneath. The form of the head resembles 
that of the Rabbit ; the eyes are full, large, and black ; 
and the ears broad, naked, rounded at the tips, and 
nearly as long as the head. The moustaches are plen- 
tiful and very long, the longest being twice the length 
of the head, some of them black and others white. 
Four short toes, with a distinct rudiment of a thumb, 
terminate the anterior feet ; and the posterior are fur- 
nished with the same number, three of them long, the 
middle more produced than the two lateral ones, and 
the fourth, external to the others, very short and placed 
far behind. On all these toes the claws are short, and 
nearly hidden by tufts of bristly hairs. The tail is 
about half the length of the body, of equal thickness 
throughout, and covered with long bushy hairs ; it is 
usually kept turned up towards the back, but not 
reverted as in the Squirrels. 
To the account of its habits given by Molina we can 
only add that it usually sits upon its haunches, and is 
even able to raise itself up and stand upon its hinder 
feet. It feeds in a sitting posture, grasping its food 
and conveying it to its mouth by means of its fore 
paws. In its temper it is generally mild and tractable, 
but it will not always suffer itself to be handled without 
resistance, and sometimes bites the hand which attempts 
to fondle it when not in a humour to be played with. 
Although a native of the alpine valleys of Chili, and 
consequently subjected in its own country to the effects 
of a low temperature of the atmosphere, against which 
its thick coat affords an admirable protection, it was 
