xm 



PHYLUM CHORDATA 



485 



into a ball. The tail is also usually enclosed in rings of bony plates, 

 and a number protect the upper surface of the head. 

 In the Scaly Ant-eaters (Manis, Fig. 1126) the head is produced 



Fia. 1126. Scaly Ant-eater (Manis gigantea). (From the Cambridge Natural History.) 



into a short, pointed muzzle. The limbs are short and strong, with 

 five digits in each foot. The upper surface of the head and body, 

 the sides of the latter, and the entire surface of the tail are covered 

 with an investment of rounded, horny, epidermal scales. The 

 lower surface is covered with hair, and there are a few coarse hairs 

 between the scales. In walking, the weight rests on the upper 

 and outer side of the fourth and fifth toes of the manus and on the 

 sole of the pes. 



The Aard-varks (Orycteropus, Fig. 1127) have a thick-set body, 



FIG. 1127. Aard-vark (Orycteropus capensis). (After Vogt and Specht.) 



the head produced into a long muzzle with a small tubular mouth, 

 the pinnaB of great length, the tail long and thick. The fore-limbs 

 are short and stout, with four toes, the palmar surfaces of which 



