299 
Biography of the Vizcacha. 
of a burrow, dow hovering over it in a moth-like 
manner, as if uncertain where to alight, and anon 
sweeping about in circles, but never ceasing their 
low and sorrowful notes. 
The vizcachera with all its incongruous inhabi- 
tants thus collected upon it is to a stranger one of 
the most novel sights the pampas afford. 
The vizcacha appears to be a rather common 
species over all the extensive Argentine territory ; 
but they are so exceedingly abundant on the pampas 
inhabited by man, and comparatively so rare in the 
desert places I have been in, that I was at first much 
surprised at finding them so unequally distributed. 
I have also mentioned that the vizcacha is a tame 
familiar creature. This is in the pastoral districts, 
where they are never disturbed ; but in wild regions, 
where he is scarce, he is exceedingly w^ary, coming 
forth long after dark, and plunging into his burrow 
on the slightest alarm, so that it is a rare thing 
to get a sight of him. The reason is evident enough ; 
in desert regions the vizcacha has several deadly 
enemies in the larger rapacious mammals. Of 
these the puma or lion (Felis concolor) is the most 
numerous, as it is also the swiftest, most subtle, 
and most voracious ; for, as regards these traits, the 
jaguar (F. onca) is an inferior animal. To the in- 
satiable bloody appetite of this creature nothing 
comes amiss ; he takes the male ostrich by surprise, 
and slays that wariest of wild things on his nest; 
he captures little birds with the dexterity of a cat, 
and hunts for diurnal armadillos ; he comes unawares 
upon the deer and huanaco, and, springing like 
lightning on them, dislocates their necks before their 
