vi.] EDENTATA. 75 



the vertebra itself. This transmits an ascending branch of 

 the caudal artery. 



The SIRENIA have numerous, much depressed caudal 

 vertebra, with wide transverse processes, gradually dimin- 

 ishing in length to about the 15th vertebra from the end. 

 The processes then widen again, to decrease once more 

 towards the end of the tail, thus corresponding more or less 

 with the shape of the caudal fin. They are thus very different 

 from those of the Cetacea. 



Among the EDENTATA, the Sloths have a quite rudi- 

 mentary tail, consisting of from 6 to 10 depressed vertebrae 

 without chevTon bones. 



FIG. 30. Anterior surface of third caudal vertebra of Great Armadillo (Priotion 

 jfifai), }. t spinous jmxres-, ; m metapophyiis ; at anterior zygapophysis ; 

 I transverse process ; h chevron U.ne with diverging processes. 



In the allied Megatherium the tail was greatly developed, 

 with long processes and large chevron bones, as is the 

 case with nearly all the Entomophagous Edentates, but 

 mostly so in the Pangolins (Mam's), one species of which 

 (M. macrura] has 46 to 49 tail vertebrae, the highest number 

 known in any Mammal. Cydoturus has a prehensile tail 

 of 40 vertebrae. The little Chlamydophorus has a rather 

 short tail of 15 vertebras, remarkable for being expanded, 

 depressed, and spatulate towards the end, the transverse 



