112 ARMADILLOS AND AARD-VABKS. 



the powerful and generally elongated claws or nails with 

 which their feet are armed, such claws being obviously 

 necessary for a fossorial subterranean existence. The 

 aard-varks, as will be seen from our fourth figure, have, 

 however, much shorter and blunter claws than any other 

 member of the group ; and this leads me to hazard the 

 suggestion that, in addition to having taken at a com- 

 paratively late period to termite-eating, these animals 

 have not been accustomed to a subterranean life for so 

 long a time as their reputed kindred. 



Having said thus much as to edentates in general, we 

 must turn to the special consideration of the creatures 

 whose names form the title of this chapter. 



The armadillos, as their name (a Spanish one) implies, 

 are distinguished by the solid armour with which their 

 heads and backs are protected ; and it is doubtless the 

 peculiar appearance presented by these animals to which 

 we owe the expression " hog-in -armour." In all the 

 armadillo family the armour takes the form of a series of 

 thicker or thinner bony plates imbedded in the skin 

 covering the head and back, and overlain by horny scales ; 

 while the under parts of the body and iimbs are hairy, 

 and in many species a larger or smaller number of stiff 

 hairs protrude from between the joints of the armour. This 

 bony armour is a perfectly unique feature among existing 

 mammals ; and since each plate is ornamented with a 

 more or less elaborate sculptured pattern, such armour 

 when cleaned by maceration forms a most beautiful object. 

 In the true armadillos, as the one represented in Fig. 34, 

 the shield of armour covering the head is quite distinct 

 from that of the body ; while the latter is divided into 

 three distinct portions, namely, a large solid shield covering 

 the fore-quarters, and separated by a larger or smaller 

 number of free movable bands occupying the middle of the 

 body from a nearly similar shield protecting the hinder 

 portion of the animal. In our first figured example the 

 number of the movable bands is only three, but they may 

 vary from six to nine (Fig. 36) up to as many as twelve or 

 thirteen in other species. In one extinct armadillo there 

 were, however, no solid shields, the whole body being 



