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CHINCHILLA.

Tue chinchilla is well known by name, being that
little animal whose peculiarly soft fur is so much used
for making tippets, and other articles of winter wearing
apparel for ladies. Great numbers of skins are imported
into England every year, for the manufacture of these; and
great numbers of chinchillas are therefore killed, for the
supply of this and other countries. The fur, as Father
Acosta observes, in his “Natural and Moral Historie of
the East and West Indies,” translated by D. G., London,
1664, (the original edition was written in Spanish, and
published at Barcelona, in the year 1591,) being “so
wonderful smooth and soft, that the natives wear the
skin as a healthful thing to comfort the stomach, and
those parts that have need of a moderate heat.”  Accor-
ding to Schmidtmeyer’s “Travels into Chili, over the
Andes,” London, 1824, in its wild state onions constitute
the chief: food of this little animal; but those specimens
which bave been bronght to England, have thriven well
upon several other kinds of food, such as hay, clover,
various kinds of grain, and succulent roots, such a3
potatoes, parsnips, turnips, and carrots.

“The chinchilla inhabits the alpine valleys of Chili and
Pern. Its length from the nose to the end of the tail
is about one foot two inches. It is greyish or ash-colour
above, and paler on the under parts; all the feet have
four tues, and short claws, which are nearly hidden by
bristly hairs.

It usually sits upon its haunches, bat can raise itself
up and stand on its hind feet.’ “When feeding, it sits

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