fiDENTATE BEASTS. 23 



back free, but scarcely divided from the first lings of the back itself; 

 the front one formed of seven small transverse shields, the central one 

 circular, and the lateral ones oblong. The second ring formed of 

 three or fom- oblong shields on each side, the central pair being the 

 largest, and the two outer smaller. The third band formed of six 

 shields, the four middle ones of which are largest, and like the shields 

 of the back. The front and hinder shields of the dorsal disk large and 

 square ; of the rings, oblong. The back with 27 plates in the cross- 

 band. Tail conical, nakedish, with scattered, round, flat, immersed 

 shields. The front foot with two slender internal toes and claws, and 

 three broad strong external claws, the middle one much the longest. 

 Skull tapering in. front, like Xenurus. Upper grinders, 6 — 6, the two 

 front ones on each side probably wanting, but there are no signs of 

 them ; lower grinders, 8—8, as in Xenurus. The hinder part of the 

 zygomatic arch not nearly so broad as in all the specimens of 

 Xenurus, and united to the process of the os petrosum by a much 

 shorter sutm-e. The sides of the nose only slightly convex. The 

 articulated processes of the lower jaw bent backwards, and separated 

 from the front process by a very wide space, which has an arched 

 notch at the front end. The skull, which appears much older than 

 any larger skulls of Xenurus tricinctus, is only 3f in. long, and 1^ in. 

 broad. The Kabassou of Buffon, Hist. Nat., vol. x. t. 40, appears 

 from the large size of the scutella on the forehead to belong to this 

 genus, but the tail is more that of a Dasypus. 



1. ZiPHILA LUGUBRIS. 



1598 a. Animal, male. Head and body, 16 in. Badly preserved. 

 Skull of " 6." 

 Brazils, St. Catherme's. 51, 8, 25, 10. 



1598 b. Animal, stuffed. Head and body, 12^ in. 

 Xenurus unicinctus, var., Gray, B. M. 

 S. America, Demerara. Snellgi'ove. 55, 8, 28, 9. 



The two specimens are in very different conditions, one (a) having 

 very hard stony shields, and the other (6), which has, perhaps, been 

 kept in confinement, very thin weak sliields ; but in other respects 

 they agree in most of their characters. The one with thin shields has 

 the two front bands of shields before the dorsal disk scarcely deve- 

 loped, and its head-shields are rather irregular compared with the 

 other specimen. There is a small, square, odd, central shield between 

 the occipital and crown-shield of the other specimen. 



Professor Bm-meister refers to the Tatu, Seba Thes. i. t. 30, f. 3 & 4, 

 for this species as representing Dasypus hispidus. It certainly agrees 

 with this in having fewer shields on its head than X. unicinctus, but 

 neither head (and those of the two figures are very different fi,'om one 

 another) is Hke our specimens. 



Family 3. TOLYPEUTID^, Gray, Cat. Carniv. dc. p. 385. 

 Tolypeutes, Gray, Cat. Carniv. dc. p. 385. 



1. CHELONISCUS. 



Head-shield broad, rounded, not produced behind, with three shields 

 in middle of hinder part. 



