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holes in the ground, fecrets itself during the day, and goes out at night in queft of food.

It is a cleanly animal, and will not bear the fmalleft degree of dirtiness in its apartment. When purfued it takes to the water, and escapes by diving. If attacked by dogs it makes a vigorous defence. Its flesh is cftcemed a great delicacy by the natives of Brafil.

We think this animal might be easily naturaliied in this country, and added to our stock of useful animals. It is not much afraid of cold, and being accustomed to burrow, it would by that means defend itlelf against the rigours of our winter.

There are feveral varieties of them, fome of which weigh from fourteen to twenty, and even thirty pounds,

Agouti, or Long-nofed Cavy.-This animal is about the fize of a hare; its nole is long, upper lip divided, fkin fleek and fhining, of a brown colour mixed with red, tail fhort, legs flender and almost naked; has four toes on the fore feet and three on the hind; grunts like a pig, fits on its hind legs, and feeds ittelf with its paws; and when fatiated with food it conceals the remainder. It eats fruits, roots, nuts, and almost every kind of vegetable; is hunted with dogs, runs faft, and its motions are like thofe of a hare. Its flesh, which refembles that of a rabbit, is eaten by the inhabitants of South-America.

Great numbers of them are found in Guiana and Brafil. They live in woods, hedges and hollow trees.

The female brings forth at all times of the year, and produces three, four, acd fometimes five at a time.

Akuuchi. This feems to be a variety of the agouti, and, though fomewhat lefs, is nearly of the fame form, but its tail is longer. It inhabits the fame countries, is of an olive colour; its fleth is white, delicate, and has the flavour of a young rabbit; is much efteemed by the natives, who hunt it with dogs, and reckon it among the finest game of South-America.

Rock Cavy.—This is likewite found in Biafil, is about twelve inches in length; the colour of the upper part of its body refembles that of the hare; its belly is white; the upper lip divided; the cars fhort and rounded like those of a rat, and has no tail. It moves like the hare, its fore legs being fhorter than the hind. It has four toes on the fore fect, and only three on the hind. Its flesh is like that of the rabbit, and its manner of living is alfo very finilar.

ANIMALS OF THE HARE KIND.

American Hare.-This animal is not much more than half the £ze of the European hare; its ears are tipt with grey, the

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neck and body mixed with cinereous, ruft colour, and black; the upper part of the tail black and the lower part white; the legs are of a pale ferruginous, and the belly white. This animal is found in all parts of North-America, fouth of NewJerfey it retains its colour all the year; but to the northward, in New-England, Canada and Hudfon's bay, it changes at the approach of winter; its fummer coat for one, long, soft, and filvery, the edges of its cars only preferving their colour. Its flesh is good, and is exceeding useful to those who winter at Hudson's bay, where they are taken in abundance.

Varying Hare. This animal in fummer is grey, with a flight mixture of black and tawny; tail white, and the feet clofely and warmly covered with fur in winter it changes to a fnowy white, except the tips and edges of the ears, which remain black this change not only takes place in the cold bleak regions of the north, but when kept tame in ftove warmed rooms. They are in America chiefly found about Hudfon's bay and Cook's river.

Brafilian Hare.-This animal has very large ears, a white ring round its neck, in every other refpe&t the fame as the common hare. It is found in Brafil and Mexico, and is very good for food.

Mr. Morfe mentions another fpecies found in all the United States, which burrows like a rabbit; this he thinks to be peculiar to America. The rabbit, though it thrives well, particu larly in South-America, was never found wild in any part of the American continent.

SLOTH.

Of all animals this is the moft fluggish and inactive; and, if we were to judge from outward appearance, would feem the moft helpless and wretched. All its motions feem to be the effect of the most painful exertion, which hunger alone is ca pable of exciting.

It lives chicay in trees; and having afcended one with infi nite labour and difficulty, it remains there till it has entirely ftripped it of all its verdure, fparing neitheir fruit, blossom nor leaf; after which it is faid to devour even the bark. Being unable to defeend, it throws itself on the ground, and continues at the bottom of the tree till hunger again compels it to renew its toils in fearch of fubfiftence.

Its motions are accompanied with a moft piteous and lamenta. ble cry, which terrifies even beafts of prey, and proves its best

defence.

Though flow, aukward, and almoft incapable of motion, the floth is strong, remarkably tenacious of life, and capable of enduring a long abftinence from food, We are told of one that having fastened itfelf by its feet to a pole, remained in that fituation forty days without the leaft fuftenance. The strength in its legs and feet is fo great, that, having feized any thing, it is almoft impoffible to oblige it to quit its hold.

There are two kinds of floths, which are principally distinguifhed by the number of their claws; the one called the ai is about the fize of a fox, and has three long claws on each foot; its legs are clumfy and aukwardly placed; and the fore legs being longer than the hind, add greatly to the difficulty of its progreffive motion; its whole body is covered with a rough coat of long hair, of a lightifh-brown colour, mixed with white, not unlike that of a badger, and has a black line down the middle of the back; its face is naked, and of a dirty white colour; tail fhort, eyes fmall, black and heavy. It is found only in South-America.

The Unau has only two claws on each foot; its head is short and round, fomewhat like that of a monkey; its ears are short, and it has no tail. It is found in South-America, and also in the island of Ceylon,

The flesh of both kinds is eaten. They have several stomachs, and are faid to belong to the tribe of ruminating animals,

ANT-EATERS.

There are feveral animals diftinguished by the common name of ant-eaters, which differ greatly in form. They are divided. into three claffes, viz. the Great, the Middle, and the Leffer Ant-eater.

The Great Ant-eater is nearly four feet in length, exclufive of its tail, which is two and a half. It is remarkable for the great length of its fnout, which is of a cylindrical form, and ferves as a fheath to its long and flender tongue, which always lies folded double in its mouth, and is the chief inftrument by which it finds fubfiftence,

This creature is a native of Brafil and Guiana, runs flowly, frequently fwims over rivers, lives wholly on ants, which it collects by thrusting its tongue into their holes, and having penetrated into every part of the neft, withdraws it into its mouth loaded with prey.

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I's legs are fo ftrong, that few animals can extricate them. felves from its grip. It is faid to be formidable even to the panthers of America, and fometimes fixes felf upon them in such a manner, that both of the fall and perish together; for its oblinacy is fo greit, that it will not extricate ittelf from its adverfary even after he is dead.

The flesh has a ftrong difagreeable tafte, but it is eaten by the Indians,

The Middle Ant-eater is about one foot feven inches from nofe to til; it inhabits the fame countries, and procures its food in the 1 me manner as the laft. Its tail is ten inches long, with which it fecures its hold in climbing trees by twifting it round

the ranches.

Both thefe animals have four ftrong claws on the fore feet,

and five on the hind.

The Lefer Ant-enter has a sharp-pointed nofe, inclining a little downwards; its ears are small, and hid in the fur; it has two ftrong hooked claws on the fore feet, the outward one being much the largest, and four on the hind feet; its fur is long, foft and filky, of a yellowish-brow colour; its length, from nose to tail, is feven inches and a half, tail above eight, thick at the bale, and taper to the end. It inhabits Guiana: climbs trees in queft of a fpecies of ants which build their nefts among the branches.

ANIMALS OF THE PORCUPINE KIND.

Brafilian Porcupine. This animal is very different from that known in general under the name of porcupine; indeed it can fcarcely be faid to bear any relation to it, except in its being covered with pines about three inches in length; they are white, very harp, and have a bar of black near the points. The breaft, belly, and lower part of the legs, are covered with frong brily hairs of a brown colour; its tail is long and flender, and almof naked at the end: the animal ufes it in defcending trees by twifting it round the branches.

It inhabits Mexico and Brafil, lives in woods, and feeds on fruits and ma!! birds; it preys by night and fleeps in the day It makes a noife like the grunting of a fwine, and grows very 4. Its fleth is white and eflcemed good to eat.

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You-This animal inhabits the fame countries with the and its habits and made of being are filar; bu, in &t to its figure, it feems to be a very different animal. Its

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