Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/499

 CHINCHILLA CHINGLEPUT 487 hinder edge of thorax, reddish yellow ; and fore part of the thorax grayish. The young are wingless, at first bright red, changing grad- ually to the colors of the adult. The eggs are laid in the ground, and the young appear on the wheat about the middle of June, and may be seen on grains and grasses all summer. CHINCHILLA, a little animal of the family cTiinchillidcB and order rodentia. The family is defined by Mr. Bennett, to whom the world owes most of what is known concerning this species, as follows : The incisors are f, simple ; molars |zf, consisting of 2 or 3 taenial or rib- bon-like lamellae or plates, parallel with each other, entirely surrounded by a vitreous sub- stance; the crowns exactly opposite to each other, and flattened by attrition. The posterior limbs are nearly twice as long as the anterior. The tail, produced, has long and bristly hairs about the tip and on the upper side. An- terior feet five-toed ; posterior feet four-toed, the nails small and subfalcular ; the tail rather long. This is the well known fur-bearing chinchilla, the skins of which are so much used Chinchilla lanigera. in the -winter dress of ladies. The chinchil- liddB are gregarious and subterranean in their habits, and mild in their disposition. Mr. Waterhouse, in his "Natural History of Mam- malia," makes the cMnchillidm a sub-family of the family hystricidce. There are two species of this genus, C. lanigera and C. brevicaudata (Waterhouse) ; the former, to which the fol- lowing remarks particularly apply, peculiar to Chili ; the latter, somewhat larger, coarser, and less known, to Peru. The length of the body of this beautiful little creature is 9 inches, and that of the tail nearly 5. Its proportions are close set, and its limbs rather short, the posterior being considerably longer than the anterior. The fur is long, thick, close, wool- ly, somewhat crisped and entangled together, grayish or ash-colored above and paler beneath. The form of the head resembles that of the rabbit ; the eyes are full, large, and black, and the ears broad, naked, rounded at the tips, and nearly as long as the head. The mustaches are plentiful and very long, the longest being twice the length of the head, some of them black, others white. The tail is about half the length of the body, of equal thickness throughout, and covered with long bushy hairs; it is usually kept turned upward toward the back, but not reverted as in the squirrels. Mr. Yarrell, who dissected one that died in the menagerie of the zoological society in London, has given the best account of it in the " Proceedings " of the so- ciety ; and while he points out that in the pos- session of an extra toe on each of the feet it requires the generic distinction claimed for it by Mr. Bennett and Dr. Gray, he adds that the resemblance of the skeleton to that of the jer- boa is also remarkable, particularly in the form of the head, the excessive development of the auditory cavities, and the small size of the an- terior extremities compared with the hind legs. Although an extensive trade has been carried on in the skins of this interesting little animal, it is only within a few years that it has been seen alive in this country. Molina says : " It lives in burrows underground, in the open country of the northern part of Chili, and is very fond of being in company with others of its species. It feeds upon the roots of various ' bulbous plants which grow abundantly in those parts, and produces twice a year five or six young ones. It is so docile and mild in temper that, if taken into the hands, it neither bites nor tries to escape, but seems to take pleasure in being caressed." Mr. Bennett says : " To the account of its habits given by Molina, we can only add that it usually sits on its haunches, and is even able to raise itself up and stand upon its hinder feet. It feeds in a sitting pos- ture, grasping its food and conveying it to its mouth by means of its fore paws." It breeds freely in confinement. CHINCHILLA, a city of Spain, in the province and 10 m. S. E. of the city of Albacete ; pop. about 12,500. It stands on an abrupt hill, and is surrounded by a wall built in 1837 out of remains of older ones. It contains a hand- some parish church, several chapels and con- vents, a prison, hospital, theatre, cemetery, poorhouse, barracks, and Latin and primary schools. There are various manufactures, and trade in cotton, wool, grain, and fruits. Quar- ries of granite, alabaster, gypsum, and lime- stone are wrought in the vicinity. The rail- road from Madrid to Valencia passes about 3 m. from the city. CHINGLEPUT, an inland town of British In- dia, in the Carnatic, presidency of Madras, cap- ital of an extensive district, 35 m. S. S. W. of Madras ; pop. about 7,500. It consists of one long street, and adjoins another town or collec- tion of dwellings called Nullam. An artificial lake or tank and a feeder of the Palar river supply the place with water, and the climate is salubrious excepting during the dry season, when the decayed matter in the tank produces ! and pottery is manufactured. The fort, once of considerable strength, is divided into two parts by a rampart and a ditch, the E. part being elevated and constituting an inner fort, I with the government buildings of the district.
 * malaria. Rice is the principal article of trade,