. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE LAG OTIS. 485 feeding, it sits upon its hinder feet, and conveys the food to its mouth with its fore-feet, which it uses with singular adroitness. It is a most exquisitely cleanly animal, as might be sup- posed from the beautiful delicacy of its fur, for we may always remark, that whenever an ani- mal is remarkable for the coloring or tne texture of its natural robes, it is always most assidu- ous in preserving them from any substance that might stain their purity or clog their fibre
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE LAG OTIS. 485 feeding, it sits upon its hinder feet, and conveys the food to its mouth with its fore-feet, which it uses with singular adroitness. It is a most exquisitely cleanly animal, as might be sup- posed from the beautiful delicacy of its fur, for we may always remark, that whenever an ani- mal is remarkable for the coloring or tne texture of its natural robes, it is always most assidu- ous in preserving them from any substance that might stain their purity or clog their fibres. The fur of the Chinchilla is of a delicate, clear gray upon the back, softening into a gray- ish-white on the under portions, and its texture is marvellously soft and hne. As the fur seems to be of two different qualities in animals that are brought from different parts of South America, it is supposed that there may be either two distinct spe- cies of this animal, or at least two perma- nent varieties, the hair of one being very much more delicate than that of the other. Besides being dressed and employed as a fur, the hair of the Chinchilla, is so long and soft that it is well adapted for the loom, and has been manufactured into vari- ous fabrics where warmth and lightness are equally required. As the animal is very small, only measuring fourteen or fifteen inches in total length, the tail occupying nearly one-third of the measurement, many skins are employed in the manufacture of one article of ordinary dress, and the destruc- tion of the Chinchilla is necessarily very considerable in order to supply the con- stant demand for tliis deservedly poptdar fur. As far as is known, the Chinchilla is not a very intelligent animal, seeming to be hardly superior to the Guinea pig in intellect, and appearing scarcely to recognize even the hand that supplies it with CHINCHILLA.— C'hincftiUa laniger. The Lagotis is distinguishable from the preceding animal by the structure of
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
