458 
MAMMALIA. 
till deposited in their burrows. These Eodents are armed with 
powerful claws, with which they hollow out runs and holes in 
the ground. Hence the name of Greomys, or Earth-Eats (from 
yrj , earth, and /dk, Eat or Mouse), applied to them. 
The Hew World also supports a group of Eodents, which are 
distinguished by the following characteristics, — strong claws, 
useful for digging, prominent eyes, well- developed ears, a soft 
and thick coat, a long or moderately-sized tail, pretty well 
covered with hair. This group is that of the Chinchillidee, 
which includes the Chinchilla, Lagotis, and Yiscaccia genera. 
Fig. 191. — The Chinchilla ( Chinchilla lanigev ). 
The Chinchilla Genus . — The Chinchillas have rounded and 
widely-spread ears, the tail moderately long, and of a brush-like 
shape, similar to that of the Squirrel ; long stiff feelers, like 
moustachios, adorn the upper lip. Their fur is soft, of a 
glossy grey colour, and forms a considerable article of trade 
between America and Europe. 
These animals (Fig. 191) are natives of the Chilian and 
Peruvian mountains. Their food is chiefly composed of bulbous 
plants, to which they add dried grass and seeds. They are 
sociable in their nature, and their burrows are sometimes so close 
together as to impair the solidity of the ground, and to hinder 
traffic. They are very prolific, for the females bear two litters a 
year of three or four young. 
