. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. 370 THE RODENTS OR GXAUTXG AXIMALS. pelts were shipped to Europe by way of Spain and were esteemed extremely valuable and treasured as great rarities; they have now become common. Chinchillas The traveler who climbs the Cordil- Numerous in the leras from the western coast of South Cordilleras. America perceives, when he has reached an altitude of from six to nine thousand feet that the rocks for miles around are frequented bv great numbers of this
. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. 370 THE RODENTS OR GXAUTXG AXIMALS. pelts were shipped to Europe by way of Spain and were esteemed extremely valuable and treasured as great rarities; they have now become common. Chinchillas The traveler who climbs the Cordil- Numerous in the leras from the western coast of South Cordilleras. America perceives, when he has reached an altitude of from six to nine thousand feet that the rocks for miles around are frequented bv great numbers of this Chinchilla and two varie- ties of another species of the same family. In Peru, Bolivia and Chile these animals must be very plenti- ful, for travelers tell us that they have encountered thousands of them in one day. The Chinchillas are to be seen sitting in front of their holes on bright days, but never on the sunny side of the rocks; they invariably select the densest shade. In the morning and evening hours they are still more fre- quently to be seen. Then the mountains, and espe- cially the tops of ridges of sterile, stony and rocky regions, where vegetation is scantiest, is fairly alive with them. On the apparently quite barren rocky walls they skip about with the greatest speed and activity. With surprising ease they climb to and fro on walls which appear to offer no hold whatever. They ascend perpendicular heights of from twenty to thirty feet with an agility and rapidity so great that the eye can hardly follow them. Though not exactly shy, they do not suffer people to approach them closely, and they disappear immediately at the first signs of pursuit. Propagation of No exact knowledge has as yet been the Chin- obtained as to the details of repro- chilla. duction of the Chinchilla, though specimens in the London zoological garden have given birth to young. In its untamed state the breeding season seems not to be restricted to any particular time of the year, and the native
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectmammals
