GIANT SLOTHS AND ARMADILLOS 291 



bones of other extinct animals; and in the same cavern were 

 implements of stone and bone, remains of fires, and even the 

 bones of man himself. The Argentine explorers, in fact, con- 

 cluded that the Grypotherium had actually been kept in the 

 cavern and fed by man, who eventually killed the animals for 

 food." At the Natural History Museum may be seen a series of 

 specimens illustrating this discovery. The pieces of skin are 

 covered with coarse hair on the outside, and on the inside are 

 small nodules of bone. These bony nodules (found with other 

 skeletons in the Pampas formation) are of special interest : first, 

 because their presence had never before been even suspected, and 

 secondly, because they serve to some extent to strengthen the 

 bonds of relationship between Sloths and Armadillos, which 

 have a heavy armour (see p. 292). An extinct horse was also 

 found in this cave. 



We now pass on to the old gigantic representative of the 

 armadillo, the Glyptodon. 1 To the eye it resembles more or less 

 an armadillo, and has a huge cuirass, or large plate of armour, 

 covering the whole of the body, but allowing the head to show in 

 front, while the legs come out beneath. Both head and tail were 

 also protected with armour. The great shield, or carapace, in 

 most of the extinct armadillos, is composed of bony plates of 

 regular shape, closely united at their edges (sutures) so as to 

 form a solid piece. It is evident, therefore, that this creature, 

 having no movable bands, as living armadillos have, could not 

 roll itself up into a ball. The fore feet have thick, short toes, 

 instead of long ones, such as their modern representatives have ; 

 and from this we may infer that they were not in the habit of 

 burrowing or of seeking their food underground. The family of 



1 So named by Sir R. Owen, in reference to the sculptured aspect of the 

 grinding surface of the teeth. Greek glupho, I carve ; odous, odontos, tooth. 



