140 Hystuicid^ MAMMALIA. Octodontidve. 
foiuid between tbe latitudes of tbirty-seveu and sixty- 
seven degrees. It has been known from tbe earliest 
times, and has the credit of being a remarkably sluggish 
animal. It makes its burrow chiefly among the roots 
of old trees, and is most abundant in sandy districts, 
where it feeds upon the bark of the banksian jjine and 
other conifers. On being disturbed, it utters a whining 
cry. From the observations of Sir John Richardson, it 
would seem that this species has the power of detaching 
its quills ! “ It is readily attacked,” he says, “ by Indian 
dogs, and soon killed, but not without injury to its 
a^sailants, for its quills, which it erects when attacked, 
are rough, with minute teeth directed backwards, that 
have the effect of rendering this seemingly weak and 
flexible weapon a very dangerous one. Their pomts, 
which are pretty sharp, have no sooner insinuated them- 
selves into the skin of an assailant than they gradually 
bury themselves, and travel onwards until they cause 
death by woimding some vital organ. These spines, 
which are detached from the porcupine by the slightest 
touch, and probably by the will of the animal, soon fill 
the mouths of the dogs which worry it, and unless the 
Indian women carefully pick them out, seldom fail to 
kill them. Wolves occasionally die from the same 
cause.” The flesh of this porcupine is coarse, but 
appears to be enjoyed by the Indians. The female 
produces two young at a birth, usually towards the 
latter part of the spring. The fur has a liver-brown 
colour, the spines being more or less white. 
THE BRAZILIAN PORCUPINE {Synetheres prelien- 
silis), or COENDOU, is a native of Guiana, and bears a 
general resemblance to the above, especially in its 
habits, which are nocturnal. It is peculiar, ho-wever, 
in presenting a long prehensile tail, which is thinly 
haired and annulated towards the free extremity. The 
hind feet are tetradactylous. Like the Canadian species 
its movements are very sluggish ; but it is materially 
assisted in climbing trees by its tail, which organ is even 
more usefully employed during its downward progress ; 
it is also no less than eighteen inches m length. The 
coendou is further characterized by a short abrupt 
mimzle armed with long white whiskers. 
THE JAVANESE PORCUPINE {Hystrix fasiculata) 
is a smaU species measuring little more than a foot in 
length, while the tail would add only anotlier four or 
five inches. This organ has very few hairs on it, their 
place being supplied by flat blackish scales, arranged 
in the form of rings ; at the tip, however, there is a tuft 
of long flat bristles, bearing, as remarked by Buffon, a 
resemblance to narrow slips of parchment cut in an 
irregular manner, the tuft being about two inches long, 
and of a white colour. The general colour of the body 
is that of a dusky-brown. Its habits are like those of 
its congeners. When irritated it bristles up its spines, 
and looks capable of resisting almost any enemy. It 
is not confined to Java, but is found on the Malayan 
peninsula, and on most of the islands of the Indian 
Archipelago. 
There are many other Rodent forms which have 
been grouped together into various subfamilies. Of 
these we need only mention the genera Cercolahes, 
jEchimys, Capromys, Aulacodus, Loncheres, and Cer- 
comys, which are pretty closely allied. The genera 
Orycterus and Bathiergus are associated together in 
Dr. J. E. Gray’s arrangement — mider tlie family 
Aspalacid^ — the last-named genus being represented 
by several mteresting species. Among these may be 
mentioned — 
THE SHORE MOLE {Bathiergxis maritirmis), which is 
a native of Southern Africa. It is provided wth very 
large incisors, the upper ones being grooved longi- 
tudinally, This peculiarity is not found in those 
members of the family occupying the sand-hills of the 
interior. All of the species, however, possess sixteen 
molars, which have the crowns divided by a transverse 
line of enamel. They have no ears, very small eyes, 
and short tails. The fore-feet are furnished with 
strong fossorial claws, that of the second digit being 
particularly large. They feed principally on roots. 
Family VIH.— OCTODONTID^. 
The species included under this head have no tree 
roots to their molar teeth ; these organs usually display 
only a single fold of enamel on either side of theh flat- 
tened crowns, but in a few instances a second fold is 
observable on the inside of the lower series. The hind 
feet are in most cases pentadactylous, but in some 
tetradactylous. The members of this family, though 
of small bulk, are comparatively strong, and well adapted 
for burrowmg under ground. They are found in the 
South American continent, especially in the central and 
more southern districts. With few exceptions, the 
whole structure of their skeleton, the form of their 
skull, and the stout fore-limbs, armed with powerful 
claws, demonstrate their adaptability to a subterraneous 
mode of existence. 
CUMING’S OCTODON {Octodon degus), is a native of 
Chili, and is sometimes called the Chilian Squirrel, 
from the habit it has of scrambling up bushes and low 
brushwood. The fur has a browmish-yellow colour 
generally, and is very pale underneath. The ears are 
conspicuous, rounded, and thinly haired. The thumbs 
of the fore-feet are only feebly developed ; while the 
claws of all tlie toes are somewhat concealed by the 
hair, especially those of the hind feet. The food of 
these animals consists mostly of herbage, but in times 
of scarcity they feed upon the bark of species of mimosa 
and oestrum. Mr. Darwin states that they may be 
seen by hundreds in the hedgerows and thickets of 
central Chili, and that their numerous burrows freely 
intercommunicate. Their habits resemble those of 
rabbits, and they prove very destructive to fields of 
young corn ; when disturbed while feeding, they scam- 
per off’ to the hedgerows with their tails uplifted. • 
THE SCHIZODON {Schizodon fuscus) inlrabits the 
eastern slopes of the southern Andes. The fur has a 
deep brown colour above, rvhile it exhibits a pale 
yellowish tint below. This animal was first discovered 
by Mr. Bridges, who found it in the VaUe de las 
Cuevas, at a height from between five to seven thou- 
sand feet above the level of the sea. Its habits are 
nocturnal, but it seldom comes out of its burrows, 
which are by preference made in gi'assy swamps, near 
to small mountain streams. 
POPPIG’S SPALACOPUS {Spalacopus noctivagus) is 
