. The naturalist's library : containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . itis also exceedingly fond. Like the rabbit, it eats precipitately, little at atime, but very often. It whines somewhat like a young pig. So cleanly are Guinea-pigs, that much of their time is spent in lickingand smoothing the fur of each other, and of the little ones; and should the • Cavla cobaya, Desm. The genus Cavia has two upper and two lower incisors; nocanines; eight upper and eight lower molars. Body tuick; muzzle short, compressed ;eyes large; ears rou


. The naturalist's library : containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects . itis also exceedingly fond. Like the rabbit, it eats precipitately, little at atime, but very often. It whines somewhat like a young pig. So cleanly are Guinea-pigs, that much of their time is spent in lickingand smoothing the fur of each other, and of the little ones; and should the • Cavla cobaya, Desm. The genus Cavia has two upper and two lower incisors; nocanines; eight upper and eight lower molars. Body tuick; muzzle short, compressed ;eyes large; ears round ; legs short, four toes on the fore feet, lluee on the hind feet, notpulmated ; no tail • two ventral teats. 262 MAMMALIA—AGOUTI. latter chance to be dirtied, the mother will never again suffer them to comenear her. If kept in a room, it seldom crosses the floor, but creeps roundby tlie wall. These animals are so delicate, that it is with difficulty they undergo therigors of winter. When they feel the cold, they assemble together, pressclose to one another, and in this situation are frequently found dead. THE This animal is about the size of a hare, and has been considered, errone-ously, as a kind of rabbit, or large rat, by the generality of it has the hair of a hog, so also it has the voracious appetite of thatanimal. It eats indiscriminately of all things; and when satiated, it hidesthe remainder, like the dog or the fox, for a future occasion. It does not, like the rabbit, dig a hole in the ground, but burrows in ththoles of trees. Its ordinary food consists of the roots of the country, pota-toes, yams, and such fruits as fall from the trees in autumn. It uses itsfore paws like the squirrel, to carry its food to its mouth ; and as its hindfeet are longer than the fore ones, it runs very swiftly upon plain ground, orup a hill, but upon a descent it is in danger of falling. Its sight is excel-lent ; its hearing equals that of any other anim


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Keywords: ., bookauthordwightjonathan185, bookcentury1800, booksubjectzoology