{238}The Octodontidæ include a number of curious and obscure rat-like animals, mostly confined to the mountains and open plains of South America, but having a few stragglers in other parts of the world, as will be seen by our notes on the genera. The most remarkable point in their distribution is, that two genera are peculiar to the West Indian islands, while no species of the family inhabits the northern half of South America. The distribution of the genera is as follows:--_Habrocomus_ (2 sp.), Chili; _Capromys_ (3 sp.), two of which inhabit Cuba, the third Jamaica (Plate XVII. vol. ii. p. 67); _Plagiodontia_ (1 sp.), only known from _Hayti_; _Spalacopus_, including _Schizodon_ (2 sp.), Chili, and east side of Southern Andes; _Octodon_ (3 sp.), Peru, Bolivia, and Chili; _Ctenomys_ (6 sp.), the tuco-tuco of the Pampas, the Campos of Brazil to Bolivia and Tierra del Fuego; _Ctenodactylus_ (1 sp.), Tripoli, North Africa; _Pectinator_ (1 sp.), East Africa, Abyssinia, 4,000 to 5,000 feet. _Capromys_ and _Plagiodontia_, the two West Indian genera, were classed among the Echimyidæ by Mr. Waterhouse, but Professor Lilljeborg removes them to this family. _Extinct Octodontidæ._--Species of _Ctenomys_ have been found in the Pliocene of La Plata, and an extinct genus _Megamys_, said to be allied to _Capromys_, in the Eocene of the same country. In Europe, _Palæomys_ and _Archæomys_ from the lower Miocene of Germany and France, are also said to be allied to _Capromys_. FAMILY 65.--ECHIMYIDÆ. (10 Genera, 30 Species.) GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | 1. 2 -- -- |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --| 1 -- 3 -- |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | |