“The Tucutuco is universally known by a very peculiar noise, which it makes when beneath the ground. A person, the first time he hears it, is much surprised, for it is not easy to tell whence it comes, nor is it possible to guess what kind of creature utters it. The noise consists in a short, but not rough, nasal grunt, which is repeated about four times in quick succession; the first grunt is not so loud, but a little longer, and more distinct than the three following: the musical time of the whole is constant, as often as it is uttered. The name Tucutuco is given in imitation of the sound. In all times of the day, where this animal is abundant, the noise may be heard, and sometimes directly beneath one’s feet. When kept in a room, the Tucutucos move both slowly and clumsily, which appears owing to the outward action of their hind legs; and they are likewise quite incapable of jumping even the smallest vertical height. Mr. Reid, who dissected a specimen which I brought home in spirits, informs me that the socket of the thigh-bone is not attached by a ligamentum teres; and this explains, in a satisfactory manner, the awkward movements of their hinder extremities. Their teeth are of a bright wax yellow, and are never covered by the lips: they are not adapted to gnaw holes or cut wood. When eating any thing, for instance biscuit, they rested on their hind legs and held the piece in their fore paws; they appeared also to wish to drag it into some corner. They were very stupid in making any attempt to escape; when angry or frightened, they uttered the Tucutuco. Of those I kept alive, several, even the first day, were quite tame, not attempting to bite or to run away; others were a little wilder. The man who caught them asserted that very many are invariably found blind. A specimen which I preserved in spirits was in this state; Mr. Reid considers it to be the effect of inflammation in the nictitating membrane. When the animal was alive, I placed my finger within half an inch of its head, but not the slightest notice was taken of it: it made its way, however, about the room nearly as well as the others. Considering the subterranean habits of the Tucutuco, the blindness, though so frequent, cannot be a very serious evil; yet it appears strange that any animal should possess an organ constantly subject to injury. The mole, whose habits in nearly every respect, excepting in the kind of food, are so similar, has an extremely small and protected eye, which, although possessing a limited vision, at once seems adapted to its manner of life.