Description of the Chlamyphorus truncalus. 241 



their structure is simple ; a cylinder of enamel, of equal thick- 

 ness throughout, surrounds a central pillar of bone, there 

 being no division into body and root ; the lower half is hol- 

 low, the cavity representing an elongated cone. In the lower 

 jaw, the teeth penetrate its whole depth ; — length of the teeth, 

 about three tenths of an inch : two tenths of which are buried 

 in the sockets — diameter, about one tenth. They are some- 

 what flattened on the sides, and in a slight degree curved ex- 

 ternally, to be adapted to the shape of the jaw. The teeth of 

 the inferior maxilla are directed forwards and upwards ; those 

 of the superior maxilla are directly reversed in their direction, 

 so that the crowns meet each other obliquely ; and the poste- 

 rior margin of the lower teeth, and the anterior margin of the 

 upper, present their angles to the object of mastication. 

 (This structure is exemplified in Plate XXI. fig. 7.) 



The remainder of the skeleton, with the viscera, having been 

 removed previous to my obtaining a view of the animal, 

 I am unable to give any further detail of the internal organi- 

 zation. It is fortunate that I have "been enabled to make so 

 complete a preparation of the skull ; this, with the external 

 organization, which is well preserved, will enable me to esta- 

 blish its generic characters on the firmest foundation. To 

 such as have made comparative anatomy the subject of their 

 investigation, the above minute detail of this very extraordi- 

 nary individual will enable them in some measure to antici- 

 pate the observations which follow ; they will perceive, at first 

 view, that the animal before us unites in its external configura- 

 tion traits peculiar to the genera Dasypus, Talpa, and Bradypus; 

 yet a very superficial observation will unfold characters gene- 

 rically distinct from either. It will be observed, that though 

 this singular being is clothed with a coat (or rather cloak) of 

 mail, in a slight degree resembling the armadillo, yet it differs 

 remarkably in its texture, form, situation, arrangement, and 

 mode of attachment to the body. In the armadillo, the body 

 is covered with a hard, scaly shell, and consists, — 1st. In a 



