THE PANGOLINS 



1401 



and in the winter or early spring give birth to their young. The young, which are 

 one or two in number, are covered with soft scales at birth, but it does not appear 

 to be ascertained whether they are born blind. When inhabited, the entrance to 

 the burrow is stopped with earth, and it is rarely that its occupants are seen abroad 

 after sunrise. The food consists chiefly of termites; the pangolin tearing open the 

 nests of these insects with its powerful front claws, and thrusting its long glutinous 

 tongue into their runs. The tongue is rapidly withdrawn with a swarm of the 

 white ants clinging to it. In captivity pangolins will readily eat finely-chopped raw 

 meat, hard-boiled eggs, and rice. Their stomachs have a somewhat gizzard-like 

 structure, and frequently contain a few small pebbles, probably introduced to aid in 

 triturating the food. In captivity pangolins drink freely by rapidly extending and 

 withdrawing the tongue; but Mr. Blanford doubts whether this habit is natural to 



African 



Pangolins 



WHITE-SEGUED PANGOLIN. 



(From Guide to British Museum.) 



them, as they are often found in places w 7 here there is no water. When irritated, 

 pangolins will give vent to a hissing sound, but at other times they are believed to 

 be silent. 



There are four African species of pangolin, all of which are charac- 

 ^ ie m iddle row of scales on the upper surface of the tail bifur- 

 cating at a short distance from the tip. They are also distinguished 

 by the absence of any external conch to the ear, and the lack of any hairs growing 

 between the scales; while in some of them the scales do not extend all the way down 

 the outer surfaces of the limbs. Of the four species, the long-tailed pangolin (Af. 

 macrura) is easily recognized by the great length of its tail, which is nearly twice 

 as long as the body, and also by the absence of scales at the lower part of the outer 

 surface of the fore-limbs. A nearly-allied form is the white-bellied pangolin (M. 

 tricuspis} , distinguished by its larger and tricuspidate scales, and the white under 



