Professor Brandt established a distinct genus for the reception of the animal described by him, which he called Solenodon paradoxus—the generic name referring to the peculiar channelled structure of the outer incisors in the lower jaw—the specific name to the paradoxical nature of the animal itself. Professor Peters’ interpretation of the dentition, which was long a subject of doubt, is now generally accepted, and according to this, there are in the front of the upper jaw two large, acute incisors, with a smaller one placed a little further back on each side; and in the middle of the lower jaw two very small incisors, with immediately on each side of them one of the large canine-like teeth, with a deep groove or channel on the inner surface, which have already been alluded to. Behind these teeth come in each jaw a canine, four premolars, and three true molars, so that the dental formula, according to this view, is—incisors, 1–2–14, canines, 1–11–1, premolars, 4–44–4, and molars, 3–33–3, making forty teeth in all.
The premaxillary bones extend some little distance in front of the roots of the upper incisor teeth, but the nose itself is prolonged considerably beyond them, forming a long, slender proboscis. The eyes are small, and the ears of moderate size, and rounded; the body is covered with rather stiff hairs, which, however, leave the hinder part, from the root of the tail downwards, almost naked; the tail is long, tapering, and ringed, with a few scattered, very short hairs; the legs are of moderate length, and the feet, all of which have five toes, are nearly naked, or covered only with short hair.
THE AGOUTA.
The Agouta, or Solenodon of St. Domingo, has the face, head, and upper parts brown, becoming blackish behind and on the thighs; the sides of the head and neck lighter brown, with a mixture of red and grey; the belly and feet tawny brown; the breast bright rust colour; and the tail greyish towards the base, and white towards the tip.
Of the habits of this animal, long supposed to be the only species of its genus, nothing is recorded; but its teeth very clearly indicate a carnivorous or insectivorous diet, and its habits, in all probability, resemble those of the following species.
THE ALMIQUI.[270]
In 1838, or nearly five years after the publication of Professor Brandt’s description of the preceding animal, Professor Poey, of Havana, detected the existence of a Solenodon in some of the mountainous parts of the island of Cuba. He identified it with Brandt’s species, and noticed it under the name of Solenodon paradoxus, in his “Natural History of Cuba,” which appeared in 1851. Later, however, Professor Peters, having procured a specimen from Cuba, and compared it with the one from St. Domingo in the museum at St. Petersburg, found that the two animals were quite distinct, and described the Almiqui of Professor Poey under the name of Solenodon cubanus.
The Cuban animal is of nearly the same size as that from St. Domingo, measuring in a straight line from the point of the nose to the root of the tail a little more than eleven inches. Of this the head makes about 4⅔ inches. The stout, scaly tail is 7⅗ inches in length. The hairs of the general surface of the body are very long, and form a sort of cloak for the animal, leaving its hinder part bare in a very singular manner. The colours are rather different in the Cuban species. The whole of the head, the neck, the chest, and the sides of the belly are tawny or yellowish, and the rest of the body, a streak on the nape of the neck, and another in the middle of the belly, are brown or blackish-brown. The legs are clothed with hair like that on the body, but shorter; and the upper surface of the feet has a scanty covering of short hairs which allow the skin to appear through them, and even this ceases towards the extremities of the toes. The teats in both species are situated on the groin.
The Cuban Solenodon is found in the mountains near Trinidad and Bayamo, in the southern and western parts of the island of Cuba. It is a nocturnal animal, coming forth late in the afternoon or in the evening, and amusing itself with various gambols during the night. It appears to be a predaceous animal, and in captivity shows signs of great excitement when a fowl or other animal passes by its cage. According to one observer, it will tear a chicken to pieces in a moment with its strong claws. At sight of a possible prey the long hair of its body stands on end. When sleeping during the day it seeks some corner in which it can stow away its head, and seems then to think that it is in a place of security, for when pursued it takes refuge in a shelter of the same kind, and will remain there until it is captured by seizing its tail. When disturbed in its repose it expresses its displeasure by grunting; and its ordinary voice, which is said to be very penetrating, is described as something between the grunt of a Pig and the cry of a bird. When enjoying itself at night it sometimes hoots like an Owl.