Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/165

 CAVY in the lower jaw a well marked ridge extends along the outer side from the first molar, at first horizontally backward, but afterward curving upward to the condyloid portion, dis- tinguishing them from all other rodents; the condyle is but little elevated above the crowns of the molars, and the coronoid pro- cess is extremely small, in this and other par- ticulars resembling the tailless hares (lago- mys). The genus dolichotis (Desm.) is char- acterized by long limbs ; ears half as long as the head, pointed, broad at the base; tail very short, and curved upward; metatarsus clothed with hairs anteriorly, posteriorly with the heel naked ; molars small, the three front upper and the three posterior lower divided by folds of enamel into two equal lobes, the last upper and the front lower being three-lobed. The long legs, large ears, and distinct tail dis- tinguish this from the genus cavia, of which the Guinea pig is a well known example. The cavies approach the hares in their com- paratively short incisor teeth, the imperfect condition of the palate before alluded to, the narrow bodies of the sphenoid bones, and the small brain cavity ; the skull, however, is not so large in its facial portion, and is more de- pressed, with much smaller incisive openings. Uniting the two groups of the true cavies and the hares, comes the typical species of the genus dolichotis, the Patagonian cavy (D. Patachoni- ca, Shaw). This animal is from 2-J- to 3 ft. in length, about 13 inches high at the shoulders, weighing from 20 to 36 Ibs. when full grown. It inhabits the desert and gravelly plains of Patagonia, from about lat. 48 to 37i S., on the Atlantic coast, and extending into La Plata as far as Mendoza, 33i S. The fur is dense and crisp, gray on the upper parts of the head and body, yellowish rusty on the sides; chin, throat, and abdomen white ; rump black, with a broad white band immediately Patagonian Cavy (Dolichotis Patachonica). above the tail ; limbs rusty yellow, but gray- ish in front. It lives in burrows, but wan- ders occasionally to great distances from home in parties of two or three; it runs much like the rabbit, though not very fast ; it sel- dom squats like the hare, is very shy, and feeds by day ; it produces two young at a birth, in its burrow ; its flesh is white, but dry and tasteless. It has been generally mistaken by travellers for a hare, which it resembles in its legs, ears, and tail ; the head is large, termina- ting in a blunt muzzle clothed with hairs ; the upper lip is slightly notched; the mustaches are very long and black. The genus cavia (Klein) is characterized by short limbs and ears, by feet naked beneath, and by molars nearly of equal size, each with two principal lobes. The genus presents two modifications of the mo- lars: in one, the lobes are nearly equal, and the hinder lobe of the upper series has no dis- tinct indenting fold of enamel; for this F. Cuvier has instituted the genus cerodon, which Waterhouse retains as a subgenus ; in the other (containing the Guinea pig), the hinder lobe is the larger, and in the upper series has a deep indenting fold of enamel on the outer side, and the corresponding half of the lower molar with a deep fold on the inner side. The fol- lowing species belong to the subgenus cerodon; those of cavia proper will be described under Rock Cavy (Cerodon mpestris). GUINEA PIG. The rock cavy (C. rupestris, Pr. Max.) inhabits the rocky districts of the in- terior of Brazil, in the higher/ parts of the river courses. The nails are short, obtuse, and projecting from large fleshy pads ; the soft fur is of a grayish color, with a rufous tint on the back ; lower parts white, with a pale ochreous- yellow tint on the abdomen ; fore legs whitish with a rufous tinge, hind legs chestnut red behind. The length is about 14 inches, and it stands higher than most cavies. Its flesh is much esteemed by the Indians. The rufous- brown cavy (C.flamdens, Brandt) is somewhat larger than the Guinea pig, but its head, ears, and fur are shorter ; the incisors are yellow ; the color above inclines to a yellowish brown, below to yellowish white; it inhabits Brazil. Some of its varieties are of a rich rufous-brown color. Spix's cavy (C. Spixii, Wagler) in- habits Brazil from Rio de Janeiro to the Ama- zon ; the general color is gray, with a tinge of brown on the back; the space between the eye and ear, a patch behind the ear, and the lower parts white ; the incisors yellow. It is larger than the Guinea pig, with shorter and softer fur. The Bolivian cavy (C. Bolimentii,