500 
THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
The Guinea Pig is no pig at all, neither does it come from Guinea, but from 
Guiana. When eating it generally sits upon its haunches and uses its fore 
paws as if it was a squirrel. It is pretty to the eye, and readily domesticated, 
but as a pet it is dull and uninteresting. Its usual coloring is red, white and 
black (not blue as one might expect from the combination) ; these colors are 
distributed in irregular patches. 
The Restless Cavy ( Cavia operea , or Cobaye aperea ,) the Cochon d’Inde 
of Buffon ; the Eerkel-maus of the Germans, is sometimes, from the peculiar 
sound it utters, called the coui-coui. About the size of a rat, it is far less grace¬ 
fully proportioned, being thick, clumsy, short-legged and tailless. The fur is 
long and somewhat coarse, the pencilling of that on the upper portions of the 
body is black and dull yellow. It inhabits the banks of the Rio de la Plata 
and is common in the vicinity of some of the towns located upon that river. 
It is found in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. It prefers to dwell in marshy 
places, beautified by the green leaves of aquatic plants; but occasionally lives 
in sand hillocks or in the hedge¬ 
rows. Wherever the soil is dry it 
makes burrows, but where the her¬ 
bage is luxurious it lives con¬ 
cealed among the leaves. It is 
gregarious in its habits, forming 
little communities of from six 
to fifteen individuals, who break¬ 
fast very easily, do without dinner, 
eat their supper at sun-down, and 
never stray far from home. It 
breeds but once a year and then 
has but one or two young. 
The Bolivian Mountain 
Cavy ( Cavia boliviensis) is al¬ 
ways found at a considerable 
distance above the sea-level. In 
this respect it is totally differ¬ 
ent from the cavia aperea which 
is to be found only in low lands. 
The Bolivian cavy called the cavia fiavidens is very abundant in the plains 
around Lake Titicaca. 
The Southern Cavy ( Cavia australis ) may be found in Paraguay to the 
Straits of Magellan. It is a lively little creature, but its timidity saves it 
from too much self-assertion. It makes itself a home near the habitations of 
man, but spends most of its time in deep burrows, made in sandy places, 
protected by shrubs. 
The Paca ( Celogenys paca) , often called the brown paca , once lived in the 
West Indies, but now seems to be found only in Brazil and the neighboring 
countries. It looks thick-set and clumsy, but surprises the spectator by its 
prompt and sudden movements. Its general color is blackish-brown, variegated 
by four rows of parallel spots beginning at the shoulders and reaching back to 
the haunches. The tail is greatly abbreviated. The length of the body is 
about twenty-one inches; the height about a foot. The paca likes to live in 
AGOUTI AND CAPYBARA. 
