12 HAND-LIST OF 



Professor Gervais, in the ' Histoire Natiirelle des Mammiferes,' 

 published in 1855, vol. ii. p. 252, describes and figures the change 

 of teeth in Tatusia peha; and Professor Flower, in the P. Z. S., 

 1868, p. 380, confirms his observation by the examination of two young 

 specimens in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Sui'geons, and a 

 larger skeleton in the collection of the British Museum, and concludes 

 that the " animal almost attains the dimensions of the adult before 

 the teeth are finally shed," and he complains that he is not " able to 

 find a single specimen of the right age to throw any hght on this 

 question. All specimens are either too old or too young. "With the 

 exception of the one species above described, all statements with 

 reference to the succession of the teeth of these animals appear to 

 rest upon no sufficient basis of observation." The Museum specimeu 

 of the skull of Prao^us Kajjjpleri shows the same change. 



Family 1. TATUSIAD^. 



Dasypodidse, A, Graij, Cat. Carniv. dc. p. 377. 



Dorsal disk closely attached to the back ; divided in the middle by 

 separate rings into a moderate scapular and pelvic shield. 

 Head elongate, the ears close together on the top of the head. 

 Toes of the fore and hind feet separate, covered with plates 

 above. Claws conical. Tail with rings of shields. Skull 

 separate from frontal plate. Nose elongate ; intermaxillary 

 bones triangular, shelving off from the upper part of the maxilla 

 to the sides of the palate. Pelvic shield free from the pelvis. 



1. TATUSIA, Gray, Cat. p. 377. 



Face suddenly contracted, more subcyhndrical, with two lines of 

 tesserce behind the eye, and more or less numerous sliields on the 

 sides of the cheek, before the eye. Under part of palate of skull 

 rather nan-ow, fiat, slightly shelving off, and rounded on the sides. 

 Tail slender, all the rings formed of flat shields, the upper ones scarcely 

 prominent in the middle of the hinder edge ; the upper medial shields 

 of the hinder bands like the others, or of the middle of the back of the 

 last one, only rather shorter. 



All the smooth-tailed and nearly bald TatusicB have been considered 

 as one species, and those that come from different parts of the waiTuer 

 parts of America are very much ahke, and have been considered the same 

 species. They differ in the form and comparative size of the head, 

 and in the form of the tesserce of the frontal shield, but the differences 

 are so shght as scarcely to be defined by words. Their shields are also 

 very much alike, but yet there are small differences, indicating that 

 there are probably distinct species ; but more specimens are wanted with 

 more distinctly marked habits, to come to any certaia conclusions on 

 this subject. The most definite characters for the distinction of these 

 species are, perhaps, afforded by the fonn of the lachrymal bone ; that 

 at least seems to furnish the most easily described character. 



The lachi-ymal bone in some is nearly square, that is to say, broad 

 and truncated in front ; in others it is rounded in front ; at other times 

 it is more or less triangular, the upper edge being straight, and the 

 front lower one gradually shelving to the lower part of the hinder 



