THE PICHICIAGO. 



113 



covered by a series of thirty- two movable bands. The 

 latter species evidently, therefore, leads on to the rare and 

 beautiful little creature represented in Fig. 35, which 

 rejoices in the name of pichiciago. In this tiny animal, 

 which is only about five inches in length, and has a pink- 

 coloured armour above, and long silky white hair below, 

 the armour of the head and body forms a continuous 

 shield of horny plates underlain by very thin plates of 

 bone, and is attached only to the middle line of the back, 

 so that the lateral portions form a kind of cloak loosely 

 overhanging the hairy sides of the body. The hinder end 

 of this cloak is abruptly truncated, and beneath it the 

 hind-quarters of the animal are protected by a solid bony 

 shield, through a notch in the centre of which protrudes 



FIG. 35. The Pichiciago. 



the small cylindrical tail. The pichiciago is found on 

 sandy plains only in the western portions of the Argentine 

 pampas. It will be seen from our illustrations ttat this 

 creature also differs from the true armadillos in the 



