THE DAE8MAN. 
353 
It seems, however, that it is really allied to the latter group of animals, and it is therefore 
placed in the position which it at present holds in zoological catalogues. The fur of the Agouta 
is long, harsh, and coarse in texture, and its color is an undecided red, tinged with yellow. 
The nose is extremely elongated, like that of the shrews, and strengthened at its base by a 
slender bone, so that it appears to be intended for the purpose of digging in the earth like 
those animals. The nostrils are placed at the extremity of the snout, and are divided from 
each other by a distinct furrow. The cheeks and lips are decorated with whisker-hairs of 
eery great length ; the eyes are very small ; the ears are moderate in size, and rounded, and 
almost devoid of hairy covering. All the feet are terminated with five toes, and the long claws 
are curved, rather compressed, and evidently fitted for the purpose of scraping at the soil. 
The tail is moderately long, measuring about nine inches in length, and is rounded through- 
out its length, remainder of the head and body being rather more than a foot long. It is noi 
covered with hair, but is rather naked, 
and for the greater part of its length is 
scaly. The lower jaw is rather shorter 
than the upper. 
The teeth of the Agouta are very 
remarkable, both for their arrangement 
and their form, but are very difficult to 
describe. The two middle incisors of the 
upper jaw are extremely large, almost 
triangular in form, and are separated 
from the small lateral incisors by a con- 
siderable interval. The most singular 
part of the dentition is, however, found 
in the incisors of the lower jaw, of which 
Van der Hoeven speaks as follows - 
“The two middle incisors of the lower 
jaw are small, narrow, placed between 
two long conical, hollowed on the inside 
by a deejp groove ; the second grooved 
incisor of the lower jaw distinguishes this 
genus from all the others of which the 
dental system is known hitherto.” — 
Handbook of Zoology , vol. ii. p. 727. 
The dentition of the Agouta would 
seem to indicate that the creature was 
insectivorous in its diet, bnt Mr. Hearne, 
who possessed one of these animals in a living state, remarks that its food is chiefly grain, 
although it is also capable of eating animal food. In general appearance the Agouta somewhat 
resembles the barn-rat of England, and might easily be mistaken for that animal if seen 
while in motion, and for a short time only. There is supposed to be but one species of this 
curious genus. The generic name, Solenodon, is of Greek origin, and signifies channel- 
toothed. 
DAESMAN. — Galemys pyrenaica. 
Although the water shrew has earned for itself its aquatic title, it is not nearly so 
constant an inhabitant of the water as the Daesmah or Desman, an animal whose very form is 
sufficient to stamp it as a creature that lives almost exclusively in the water. A casual glance 
at the external formation of the Daesman will at once pronounce the animal to be made for 
swimming and diving, and its admirable adaptation for aquatic evolutions is more evident as 
the structure of the creature is more closely examined. 
A veet remarkable animal now comes before us, the Bulau, Tikus, or Gymxuka, as it is 
indifferently termed. 
