THE STORY OF THE CAVY. 
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The species of cavy with which American children are most familiar is 
known as the guinea pig. 
One of the best known of the many species is the restless cavy of Uruguay 
and Brazil, which measures rather more than ten inches in length, and weighs 
about a pound. The color of the long and coarse fur is grayish-brown; and 
the teeth are white. This species is common in certain districts in the neigh¬ 
borhood of the Rio' de la Plata, where it is known by the name of aperea. 
According to Darwin, it is occasionally found on the sandhills or the hedges 
of aloes and cactuses; but its more usual and favorite haunts are marshy spots 
covered with water plants. In the latter places it lives among the shelter of the 
vegetation, but in sandy districts it excavates burrows. It usually comes forth 
to feed in the evenings and mornings; but in cloudy weather may sometimes 
be seen abroad at all hours. In Paraguay, it is invariably found in moist places 
on the borders of the forest, where it lives in colonies of from six to fifteen, 
among the dense masses of bromelia. Here it makes regular beaten paths, and 
never wanders far afield. It breeds but once a year, producing only one or 
two young. Cutler’s cavy, from Peru, is a rather smaller species, distinguished 
by the general black hue of the fur, although the flanks and more especially 
the under-parts tend to brown. 
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