C A 
lowm,? 9 or agouti; but is uniformly fmaller, lias a tail of 
feme length, and is of a different colour. It inhabits the 
woods, living on fruits; abhors water, and fometimes, 
though rarely, makes a cry like that of the reftlefs cavy. 
3. Cavia agouti; has a very fhort tail : the upper parts 
of the body are of a brown colour, mixed with red and 
black; the rump of a bright orange; and the belly yellow¬ 
ish Of this fpecies there are three varieties mentioned in 
authors, viz. 1. The Idler agouti, winch inhabits Brafil, 
Guiana, Cayenne, and other parts of South America, and 
the Weft-Indian illands. This animal is about the fize of 
a rabbit. 2. The larger agouti; this inhabits Surinam, 
and the hotter parts of South America. This variety is 
as large as a hare. 3. The American agouti, clothed with 
coarfe reddifh fur. Thefe three varieties inhabit South 
America and the Weft-India illands. They dwell in hol¬ 
low trees, or burrow in the ground ; they f'earch for their 
food, which is entirely vegetable, during the day, and car¬ 
ry it home with them to their dwellings; when feeding 
they fit up on their hind leg's, and carry their food with 
the fore-paws to tiie mouth ; their pace confifts of leaps; 
they grow very fat, and are very good eating, their Ke111 
being white and favoury, like that of a rabbit; they breed 
frequently in the fame year, the female bringing three, 
four, or five, young ones at a birth. The toes are con¬ 
nected at the root by a fhort membrane, being what is 
called fub-palmated; the tail is very fiiort, almoft naked, 
and of a conical form. The fit ft variety is about the fize 
of a rabbit; the nofe is long, with a divided upper lip; 
fhort, broad, rounded, ears; and black eyes; the legs are 
flender, almoft naked, and of a black colour. The fecond 
variety lias a fmall (lender head, with prominent, naked, 
ears, which are rounded at the extremity. In the firlt, 
the belly is of a yellow colour, and in the fecond it is white ; 
in botii, the hinder parts are larger than the fore, and the 
legs are long. The third variety, which is here admitted 
on the authority of Gmelin, and the authors lie has quo¬ 
ted, is either very little known, or is the fame with tiie 
firll variety. They all grunt like pigs, are very voracious, 
and, w hen fat, their Kelli is white, like that of a rabbit, but 
dry. What food they cannot immediately confume, they 
hoard in their retreats, and eat at their leifure. Their pace 
is hopping, like that of a hare or rabbit; they beat the 
ground, like them, with their feet, when angry ; and take 
fhelter, when purfued, in their holes, or in hollow trees. 
4. Cavia aperea ; without any tail; the upper parts of 
tiie body are of a reddifh afli-colour, and the under parts 
white. It inhabits Bralil, and lives in holes of the rocks, 
from which it is driven out and taken, by means of dogs : 
the ears are fhort; the fore-paws have four, and the hind 
feet only three, toes; tiie colour of the back refembles 
that of our common haves, and tiie animal runs in the 
fame manner; the upper lip is divided. The flelh is very 
good eating, and relembles that of the rabbit,but is fupe- 
rior in flavour. Tiie head and body are abouta foot long; 
the fore-feet are black and naked, and the toes have Ihort 
fmall claws; of the three toes on the hind-feet, the middle 
one is longer than the reft. There is a variety called the 
black aperea, deferibed by Mr. Pennant, exactly fimilar 
in every refpeel, except in colour, to tiie former; being 
black, mottled with tawny, on tiie back; the belly and 
throat white. The count de Buffon quotes Oveido, Char¬ 
levoix, and Perrier de Montfrazier, for an animal, which 
he thinks is the fame with the aperea, called cori by thefe 
w riters : it refembles tiie rabbit and the mole, lias fmall 
ears, carried in a flatly-reclined position, and no tail. Of 
this animal there are many varieties, with refpeft to colour : 
feme are entirely white; others entirely black ; fonie to¬ 
tally red ; fome (potted with black and white; and others 
fpot'.ed with red and white. They eat herbage, and their 
Kelli refembles that of our beft rabbits intafteand flavour; 
they are eafily tamed, and never defile their plate of abode. 
Thefe animals, whether mere varieties, or diftindtfpecies, 
of the cavy genus, are found in various parts of the Welt 
Indian illands, and on the continent of America, 
V I A. '97.7 
5. Cavia Cobnya, or Guinea pig; lias no (ail; the 
whole body is white, ufuaily variegated with irregular 
orange and black blotches. This fpecies inhabits Brail!. 
Their manners, in a wild ftate, are not mentioned by au¬ 
thors: in a domeft.ic (fate, in Europe, they are very reft- 
lefs, grunting continually, and running about their apart¬ 
ment; they teed on bread, grain, fruits, and vegetables of 
nil kinds, preferring parfley ; eat frequently, and little fit 
a time, in a hafty manner ; Buffon fays they never drink, 
but Gmelin that t hey drink water; their voice is commonly 
a kind of grunt, like a young pig.; when engaged in their 
amours, it relembles the chirping of a bird ; and, when 
hurt, they emit a fnarp cry; they are extremely delicate-, 
and impatient of cold or moiffure; of tame, gentle, but 
ftupid, difpolitions; the female breeds at two months old, 
bringing from four or five to ten or twelve young ones at 
a birth, .though fiie has only tvo teats, and breeds very of¬ 
ten during tiie year, as (Tie goes but three weeks with 
young, and lakes the male twelve or fifteen days after lit¬ 
tering. This fpecies feldom exceeds nine inches in 
length ; it is variable in colour, as are almoft all domefti- 
catcd animals; the hair isharfli, and is fomewhat longer on 
tiie neck than on the reft of the body; the body is thick 
and fliort, with a very fhortneck; fiiort, broad, naked, 
ears; and large, prominent, brownilh, eyes. See this fpe¬ 
cies alfoin the preceding plate, 
6. Cavia Magelianica, or Patagonian cavy ; lias hardly 
any tail; the Ikies of the nofe are garnilhed with tufts of 
curly hair, and long numerous whifkers. It inhabits rive 
country about Port Defire, in Patagonia. T his fpecies 
is of conliderable fize, fometimes weighing twenty-fix 
pounds ; tfie ears are long, and much dilated at the bot¬ 
tom ; the upper lip is divided; tiie tip of the nofe is black ; 
the face, back, and fore-parts of the legs, are of an alb- 
colour, mixed with rufty brown; the breaft and fides are 
tawny; the rump is black; the belly is of a dirty white; 
and there is a while patch on tiie outlide of eacli thigh ; 
the legs are very long, having four toes before and three 
behind, armed with long ftraight, black, claws; the tail 
is only a Ihort naked ftump. This animal lias the fame 
manners with the reft of the genus; it fits on its hind legs, 
burrows in tiie ground, and feeds on vegetables. Tiie 
KeKi is very white, and liassan excellent flavour. 
7. Cavia capybara; lias no tail; tiie hind-feet have 
each three toes, which are connected by a web. It inha¬ 
bits the eaftern fide of South America, from tiie ifthmus 
of Darien 10 Brafil and Paraguay. Lives in fenny woods 
near the large rivers, fuchasthe Amazon, Oronoqt e, and 
Plata; fwims and dives remarkably well, and keeps for a 
long time under water; catches fifli at night with great 
dexterity, and brings them on fliore to eat them, which it 
does fitting on its hind-legs, and holding its food in tiie 
fore-paws, likean ape; it likewife feeds on fruits and ve¬ 
getables, efpecially the fugar-cane, feeding only in the 
night, and does vaft mifehief in gardens ; tiie capibara 
keeps together in large herds, making a great hoife, like 
tiie braying of affes ; grows very fat, and the Kelli is eaten, 
being tender, but lias an oily and fifhy flavour. It is mo¬ 
nogamous, that is, in tiie breeding feafoii one maie and one 
female live together, and i^ie female-only produces a Angle 
young one at a birth; it is eafily rendered tame, and be¬ 
comes very familiar. This animal is rather more than two 
feet and a half long, when full grown ; the head and note 
are very large and thick, having fmall, eredt, rounded, 
naked ears, and large black eyes; the upper jaw is much 
longer than tiie under, with black roundilh noftrils, a divi¬ 
ded upper lip, and the nofe is garnilhed with numerous 
black whifkers.; in each jaw are two large firong fore¬ 
teeth, and eight grinders, which have the appearance of 
three fmall fiat-pointed teeth on the furfr.ee ot each ; the 
legs are fliort, having the toes connedled by a web, and 
their extremities are guarded with a kind of hoofs infteaci 
of claws ; the neck is fliort and thick ; the hair is fliort, 
rough, and liar 111, like b riffles, being longed on the back, 
yellowifli in the middle, and black at both ends. 
CAVIA'NO, 
