THE CONY. 
C. C. M. 
THE specimen of this animal pre- 
sented here {Hyrax abyssinicus) 
is the best-known of the spe- 
cies. It measures from ten to 
twelve inches in length; the fur con- 
sists of somewhat long, fine hairs, gray- 
brown at the base, lighter gray in the 
middle portions, merging into a dark- 
brown surmounted by a light-colored 
tip, the resulting general color of this 
combination being a mottled pale-gray. 
The Book of Proverbs, enumerating 
four animals which it describes as "ex- 
ceeding wise," says: "The conies are 
but a feeble folk, yet they make their 
houses in the rocks." The conies are 
mentioned by various writers as well- 
known animals in days of remotest an- 
tiquity. They are found in the wild, 
desolate mountain regions of Africa 
and western Asia, and the variety in- 
habiting Syria and Palestine is prob- 
ably referred to in the Hebrew text 
of the Bible under the name of "laphan," 
which Luther translated by the word 
"rabbit," and in the authorized and re- 
vised versions is rendered "cony." 
They inhabit all the mountains of 
Syria, Palestine, and Arabia, perhaps 
also of Persia, the Nile country, east, 
west, and south Africa, frequently at 
elevations of six thousand or nine thou- 
sand feet above sea-level, and "the 
peaks and cones that rise like islands 
sheer above the surface of the plains — 
the presence of the little animals con- 
stituting one of the characteristic fea- 
tures of the high table-lands of north- 
eastern Africa." It is stated that if 
the observer quietly passes through the 
valleys he sees them sitting or lying 
in rows on the projecting ledges, as 
they are a lazy, comfort-loving tribe 
and like to bask in the warm sun- 
shine. A rapid movement or unusual 
noise quickly stampedes them, and 
they all flee with an agility like that 
usual among rodents, and almost in- 
stantly disappear. A traveler says of 
them, that in the neighborhood 
of villages, where they are also to be 
found, they show little fear of the 
natives, and boldly attend to their 
affairs as if they understood that no- 
body thinks of molesting them; but 
when approached by people whose 
color or attire differs from that of their 
usual human neighbors, they at once 
retreat to their holes in the rocks. A 
dog inspires them with greater fear 
than does a human being. When 
startled by a canine foe, even after they 
have become hidden, safe from pursuit, 
in their rocky crevices, they continue 
to give utterance to their curious, trem- 
ulous yell, which resembles the cry of 
small monkeys. 
Brehm confirms the statement of an- 
other traveler, who called attention to 
the striking fact that the peaceable and 
defenseless cony lives in the permanent 
society and on the best of terms with a 
by no means despicable beast of prey, 
a variety of mongoose. 
In regard to their movements and men- 
tal characteristics, the conies have been 
placed between the unwieldy rhinoc- 
eros and the nimble rodent. They 
are excellent climbers. The soles of 
the feet are as elastic and springy as 
rubber, enabling the animal to contract 
and distend the middle cleft or fissure 
of its sole-pad at will, and thereby to 
secure a hold on a smooth surface by 
means of suction. In behavior the 
conies are gentle, simple, and timid. 
The social instinct is highly developed 
in them, and they are rarely seen alone. 
The conies have been regarded as the 
smallest and daintiest of all the exist- 
ing species of odd-toed animals. Nat- 
uralists, however, have held widely 
divergent opinions as to the classifica- 
tion of the pretty cliff-dwellers. Pallas, 
because of their habits and outward ap- 
pearance, called them rodents. Oken 
thought them to be related to the 
marsupials, or pouched animals. Cu- 
vier placed them in his order of "many- 
toed animals," which classification has 
also been disputed, and Huxley has 
raised them to the dignity of represen- 
tatives of a distinct order. Who shall 
decide where all pretend to know? 
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