Show Interesting Rat Cousins We May Meet at the Z I j l I 17 S SMART RT I. boy or girl can make a n trip f M to the Zoo doubly pleasant if he be or orI she will ask such questions ons as Why does docs that animal lie still in io his bis cage cale and this one rush about so soT or Why is tint that animal moving his bis nostrils in n such a a. funny manner and this one ODO near Dear by not doing so ot and then trying to answer tb them m. m by utting spit spitting ut luttin lut- lut tin ting two and two together tos as we lle say fly means means means' of sharp Scrutiny we can pick out all the rat cou cousins ins nt tt t the tho taco men aerie remembering that they ther have like chisel like teeth teeth that show in front paws paws' with small smaiL nails naib the hind ones longer than the fore paws usually usually a wet nose I with movable mo nervous melons nostrils nostril's that are not not round holes holls as a in a 11 pig but two narrow narrow nar ro row 8 slits which give gie t the e curious shape called a 11 hare bare lip And they sit alt up like a a. squirrel often holding a hard carrot carat orcar or orear ear car of corn between their thumbs as us we we have bave seen a n. squirrel do with will a peanut i In some menageries you rou will see sec the agouti lIe He is n n. cousin of our house rats rate but is as large lars as a n. pig The agouti seems never nen r still ho bo trots like like-a horse hone I his claw clawed feet gathered gatherer neatly w when en he hele le leaps p o over er a a. log or spread out olit as he paces his narrow cage Ills Ilis color is pig pig- like and lie has habits that remind us of pigs rather than rate rat But nut dont don't don't dont be de de- deceived by Mother rother Nature who has hns played her ber er usual trick on U us Remember when watching these pretty slender slender- I limbed limber creatures creature that lint t pigs pig II are re rooters having a soft no nose tusks and 1 hoofs to dig with th Now look again at Master A Agouti and you yon will vIII we see that be lie line bas I claws on hi his feet and thisel bl tooth while no tusks fin can be step sten Pooled Fooled again yes res we we must lt expect to be lie often oCten laughed I at by by- by Dame Nature Mature unless we ue use our ey tJ w and have honk memories I Hood Besides pits pigs are Covers rs of soft food wild pl pigs digging up roots with their i I tusks S and hoofs This ThU restless agouti outi eats at hard things he i is a n gnawing animal we My 81 Though it may seem m strange he hei heis i is actually of f t the ther rat rat t family When you ou i look at an animal l in the tile Zoo or anywhere I el else ebe count Ins his toes try to He bee ee his Iii teeth his hi eyes and bis his ears ears rs size him hum up as if if you were g write to-write-a. writ io-writ n- n school exercise exer exer- ciao cise on agouti agouti or or whatever whatever-he he be is called Yo You will discover er some IOlUe odd things Why Jo trot about to so re restlessly To und sW Ud Ude d w ve e must remember that hint in his bis native nado land South America be ho has vast plains and forests to trot over andla and andIs to la a very active e r restless crea creature BO so in his bis Darro narrow yard he is i trying to get set the the exercise x to which h he hr has ball b been used The lie agouti we think a II very Cry large rat mt indeed but he be has ban a relative the capybara much mach larger than thao he Other rat cousins are the hedgehog of la null and merry marry L and our own native with sharp quills Guinea pigs ate all not lIot pigs at It all nil but close cousins of b bI of I I chisel toothed fellows we are arc i about f j I ur urn are like beavers bearers that that- laud ont and have ban bristles If we wal wat Canada tanada porcupine at the menage menages I thing seems puzzling to us as at first do not cwt trot Irot about as do the lie of oC my readers can nu t tell toli ll why that Hint t they are so 80 indifferent to to tote e and not at all nil nervous Of course coude sharp quills are responsible for a al pine linn line few enemies capable of ot garding gardin this defence There ts is tan yarn quills about to J a t distance the porcupine at its n that is ill not true When a quill J 3 r rI I till the In sudden erection of all 1111 the quill toss tOllS it out ont hut hilt it could Quid pierce pi p n und and i is only dangerous when firm in m the skin But Hut the agoutI defensive quills and he must run ran f ft- ft enemies or bite bit end and probably he h running when n he be can cau |