foon as they are born, and remain attached, like fo many inanimate things, till they attain growth and vigour to fhift a little for themielves.

Mexican Oppoffum has large, angular, naked and transparent ears; note thicker than that of the former kind; whiskers very large; a flight border of black furicunas the eyes; face of a dirty white, with a dark line running down the middle; the hairs on the head, and upper part of the body, afh-coloured at the roots, of a deep tawny brown at the tips; legs dusky; claws white; belly dull cinereous; tail long and pretty thick, varied with brown and yellow, is hairy near an inch from its origin, the rest naked; length, from nose to tail, about nine inches; the tail the length of the body and head.

Inhabits the mountains of Mexico, lives in trees, where it brings forth its young; when in any fright they embrace their parent clofely; the tail is prehenfile, and ferves instead of a hand.

Cayenne Oppoffum.-It has a long slender face; ears ereft, pointed and short; the coat woolly, mixed with very coarse hairs, three inches long, of a dirty white from the roots to the middle, from thence to the ends of a deep brown; fides and belly of a pale yellow; legs of a dufky brown; thumb on each foot diftin&t; on the toes of the fore feet and thumb of the hind are nails, on the toes of the hind feet crooked claws; tail very long, taper, naked and fcaly. Length, feventeen French inches; of the tail fifteen and a half; the subject measured was young.

Inhabits Cayenne, very active in climbing trees, on which it lives the whole day in marfhy places feeds on crabs, which, when it cannot draw out of their holes with its feet, hooks them by means of its long tail; if the crab pinches its tail, the animal fets up a loud cry, which may be heard afar; its common voice is a grunt like a young pig: it is well furnished with teeth, and will defend itself ftoutly against dogs; brings forth four or five young, which it fecures in fome hollow tree. The natives eat these animals, and fay their flesh relcmbles a hare. They are cafily tamed, and will then refufe no kind of food.

PECCARY OR MEXICAN HOG.

This animal, called the Mexican hog, inhabits the hoteft parts of South-America, where the fpecies is very numerous; herds confifting of two or three hundred, are fometimes to be

feen together. It is very fierce, and will fight ftoutly with beafts of prey when attacked by them. The jaguar is its mortal enemy, and frequently lofes its life in engaging a number of these animals, for they affift each other whenever attacked.

They live chiefly in mountainous places, and are not fond of wallowing in the mire like the common hog. They feed on fruits, roots and feeds; they likewise eat ferpents, toads and Lizards, and are very dexterous in first taking off the skin with their fore feet and teeth.

It is fomewhat fmaller than the common hog; its body is covered with long bristles, which, when the creature is irritated, rife up like the prickles of a hedgehog, and are nearly as ftrong, they are of a dufky colour, with alternate rings of white; across the shoulders to the breaft there is a band of white; its head is fhort and thick; it has two tufks in each jaw; its ears are small and erect; and instead of a tail, it has a fmall fleshy protuberance, which does not cover its pofteriors. It differs most effentially from the hog, in having a small orifice on the lower part of the back, from whence a thin watry humour, of a moft difagreeable fmell, flows very copiously.

Like the common hog, the peccary is very prolific. The young ones, if taken at first, are easily tamed, and foon lose all their natural ferocity, but can never be brought to difcover any figns of attachment to those that feed them.

Their flesh is drier and leaner than that of our hog, but is by no means difagreeable, and may be greatly improved by caftration.

Although the European hog is common in America, and in many parts has become wild, the peccary has never been known to breed with it. They, frequently go together, and feed in the fame woods; but hitherto no intermediate breed has been known to arile from their intercourse.

ANIMALS OF THE CAVY KIND.

Guinea Pig, or Reftlefs Cavy.-This little animal is a native of Brafil, but lives and propagates in temperate and even in cold climates, when protected from the inclemency of the feafons. Great numbers are kept in a domeftic state, and therefore we conceive any further observations are unneceffary.

Cabiai. This is a native of South-America, and lives on the hanks of great rivers, fuch as the Oronoque, Amazons, and

Rio de la Plata; fwims and dives remarkably well, and is very dexterous in catching fish, upon which it chiefly fubfifts: it likewife eats grain, fruits and fugar-canes; feeds moftly in the night, and commits great ravages in the gardens. They generally keep in large herds, and make a nose not much unlike the braying of an ass.

Its flesh is fat and tender, but like that of the otter, has an oily and fishy tafte. It is about the size of a small hog, and, by fome naturalifts, has been claffed with that animal.

Its fore hoofs are divided in four, the hind ones into three; its head is large and thick, and on the nofe there are long whiskers; its ears are small and rounded, and its eyes large and black; there are two large cutting-teeth and eight grinders in each jaw, and each of thefe grinders forms on its furface what appears to be three teeth, flat at their ends; the legs are fhort, the toes long. and connected at the bottom with a fmall web; the end of each toe is guarded by a small hoof; it has no tail; the hair on the body is short, rough, and of a brown colour.

It is a gentle animal, eafily tamed, and will follow those who feed it and treat it kindly.

As it runs badly, on account of the peculiar construction of its feet, its fafety confifts not in flight; nature has provided it with other means of preservation; when in danger it plunges into the water and dives to a great dif

tance.

Paca, or Spotted Cavy.-This animal is about the fize of a hare, but its body is much thicker, plumper and fatter. The colour of the hair on the back is dark brown or liver-coloured; it is lighter on the fides, which are beautifully marked with Iines of white fpots, running in parallel directions from its throat to its rump; thofe on the upper part of the body are perfectly diftin&t; the belly is white. Its head is large; its ears fhort and naked; its eyes full and placed high in its head near the ears; in the lower part of each jaw, immediately under the eye, it has a remarkable deep flit or furrow, which feems 1ke the termination of the jaw, and has the appearance of an pening of the mouth; its upper jaw projects beyond the under; this two strong yellow cutting-teeth in each jaw; its mouth small, and its upper lip is divided; it has long whiskers on each fide of its head under the ears; its legs four toes on the fore feet, and three on the il. It is a native of South-America, and ivers in warm and moift places. It diga

lips, and on

fhort; it has And; it has Aves on