They are very stupid in making any attempt to escape; when angry or frightened they utter the tucu-tuco.

Of those I kept alive, several, even the first day, became 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, and not the slightest notice was taken: it made its way, however, about the room nearly as well as the others.

Considering the strictly subterranean habits of the tucu-tuco, the blindness, though so common, cannot be a very serious evil; yet it appears strange that any animal should possess an organ frequently subject to be injured.