CAPYBARA

capybara, or carpincho (_hydrochaerus capybara_), the largest living rodent mammal, characterized by its moderately long limbs, partially-webbed toes, of which there are four in front and three behind, hoof-like nails, sparse hair, short ears, cleft upper lip and the absence of a tail. the dentition is peculiar on account of the great size and complexity of the last upper molar, which is composed of about twelve plates, and exceeds in length the three teeth in front. the front surface of the incisors has a broad, shallow groove. capybaras are aquatic rodents, frequenting the banks of lakes and rivers, and being sometimes found where the water is brackish. they generally associate in herds, and spend most of the day in covert on the banks, feeding in the evening and morning. when disturbed they make for the water, in which they swim and dive with expertness, often remaining below the surface for several minutes. their usual food consists of water-plants and bark, but in cultivated districts they do much harm to crops. their cry is a low, abrupt grunt. from five to eight is the usual number in a litter, of which there appears to be only one in the year; and the young are carried on their parent's back when in the water. extinct species of capybara occur in the tertiary deposits of argentina, some of which were considerably larger than the living form. capybaras belong to the family _caviidae_, the leading characteristics of which are given in rodentia. when full-grown the entire length of the animal is about 4 ft., and the girth 3 ft. their geographical range extends from guiana to the river plate. capybaras can be easily tamed; numbers are killed on land by jaguars and in the water by caimans--the alligators of south america. car (late lat. _carra_), a term originally applied to a small two-wheeled vehicle for transport (see carriage), but also to almost anything in the nature of a carriage, chariot, &c., and to the carrying-part of a balloon. with some specific qualification (tram-car, street-car, railway-car, sleeping-car, motor-car, &c.) it is combined to serve as a general word instead of carriage or vehicle. from ireland comes the "jaunting-car," which is in general use, both in the towns, where it is the commonest public carriage for hire, and in the country districts, where it is employed to carry the mails and for the use of tourists. the gentry and more well-to-do farmers also use it as a private carriage in all parts of ireland. the genuine irish jaunting-car is a two-wheeled vehicle constructed to carry four persons besides the driver. in the centre, at right angles to the axle, is a "well" about 18 in. deep, used for carrying parcels or small luggage, and covered with a lid which is usually furnished with a cushion. the "well" provides a low back to each of the two seats, which are in the form of wings placed over each wheel, with foot boards hanging outside the wheel on hinges, so that when not in use they can be turned up over the seats, thus reducing the width of the car (sometimes very necessary in the narrow country roads) and protecting the seats from the weather. the passengers on each side sit with their backs to each other, with the "well" between them. the driver sits on a movable box-seat, or "dicky," a few inches high, placed across the head of the "well," with a footboard to which there is usually no splash-board attached. a more modern form of jaunting-car, known as a "long car," chiefly used for tourists, is a four-wheeled vehicle constructed on the same plan, which accommodates as many as eight or ten passengers on each side, and two in addition on a high box-seat beside the driver. in the city of cork a carriage known as an "inside car" is in common use. it is a two-wheeled covered carriage in which the passengers sit face to face as in a wagonette. in remote country districts the poorer peasants still sometimes use a primitive form of vehicle, called a "low-backed car," a simple square shallow box or shelf of wood fastened to an axle without springs. the two wheels are solid wooden disks of the rudest construction, generally without the protection of metal tires, and so small in diameter that the body of the car is raised only a few inches from the ground.