VI.] 



E DENT A TA. 



75 



the vertebra itself. This transmits an ascending branch of 

 the caudal artery. 



The SIRENIA have numerous, much depressed caudal 

 vertebrae, with wide transverse processes, gradually dimin- 

 ishing in length to about the i5th vertebra from the end. 

 The processes then widen again, to decrease once more 

 towards the end of the tail, thus corresponding more or less 

 with the shape of the caudal fin. They are thus very different 

 from those of the Cetacea. 



Among the EDENTATA, the Sloths have a quite rudi- 

 mentary tail, consisting of from 6 to 10 depressed vertebrae 

 without chevron bones. 



m 



FIG. 30. Anterior surface of third caudal vertebra of Great Armadillo (Priodon 

 gigas), \. s spinous process ; in metapophysis ; az anterior zygapophysis ; 

 t transverse process ; h chevron bone with diverging processes. 



In the allied Megatherium the tail was greatly developed, 

 with long processes and large chevron bones, as is the 

 case with nearly all the Entomophagous Edentates, but 

 mostly so in the Pangolins (Manis\ one species of which 

 (M. macrurd) has 46 to 49 tail vertebrae, the highest number 

 known in any Mammal. Cycloturus has a prehensile tail 

 of 40 vertebrae. The little Chlamydophorus has a rather 

 short tail of 15 vertebrae, remarkable for being expanded, 

 depressed, and spatulate towards the end, the transverse 



