THE PEBA. 191 



brings forth but once during the year, but she produces 

 at a birth frequently six, eight, or even ten young ones : 

 yet she has never more than four teats, and, according 

 to the report of M. Azara, the most accurate and exten- 

 sive observer who has written upon the history of these 

 animals, in some species only two — an anomaly, with 

 respect to the number of young and the number of teats, 

 which appears to contradict the general rule observable 

 among other mammals. 



It may here be observed that one of the weasel-headed 

 armadillos (Z). encoiibert') in the Zoological Gardens 

 produced only two at a birth : when first born they were 

 quite blind, about four inches in length, soft, and white, 

 but the skin presented all the furrows and mosaic-work 

 which characterize it when indurated and solid. The 

 growth of these animals was not a little surprising ; in 

 six or eight weeks they attained nearly to the size of 

 their parents. One born on the 3rd of September, 1831, 

 and which died on the 16th of November of the same 

 year, had increased in weight during that short period 

 52 ounces 2 drams, and measured 11 5- inches from the 

 nose to the root of the tail. The young are far more 

 hairy than the adults. 



The Peba {^Dasypus pebd). 



The Tatouhou, or Black Tatu, of the Guaranis, is an 

 example of Cuvier's group of Cachichames, which, ac- 

 cording to Gumilla, is the general name of the armadillos 

 on the banks of the Orinoco. In zoological catalogues 

 we find it under the ambiguous names of Dasypus sep- 

 temcinctus^ D. octocinchis, and D. novemciiictus ; three 

 diflTerent species being thus made out from the erroneous 

 supposition that the number of moveable bands on the 

 back was invariable in the same species : whereas the 

 truth is that the number of bands is subject to a certain 

 degree of variation ; thus in the mule armadillo there 

 are six or seven bands, in the peba from six to nine. It 

 appears also that the young have not the full complement 

 of bands, by one or two, which become developed after- 

 wards. The peba (Fig. 120) is a native of Guiana, 



