ARMADILLOES CURI0U3 S>fAKE. 123 



not come as far south as Baliia Blanca. The four 

 species have nearly similar habits ; the peludo^ 

 however, is nocturnal, while the others wander by 

 day over the open plains, feeding on beetles, larvae, 

 roots, and even small snakes. The ajxxr, commonly 

 called mataco^ is remarkable by having only three 

 m.oveable bands, the rest of its tesselated covering 

 being nearly inflexible. It has the power of rolling 

 itself into a perfect sphere, like one kind of Eng- 

 lish woodlouse. In this state it is safe from the 

 attack of dogs ; for the dog, not being able to take 

 the whole in its mouth, ti'ies to bite one side, and 

 the ball slips away. The smooth, hard covering of 

 the viataco offers a better defence than the short 

 spinesof the hedgehog. The^>'«'7^yprefersavery dry 

 soil ; and the sand-dunes near the coast, where for 

 many months it can never taste water, is its favour- 

 ite resort : it often tries to escape notice by squat- 

 ting close to the ground. In the course of a day's 

 ride, near Bahia Blanca, several were generally 

 met with. The instant one was perceived, it was 

 necessary, in order to catch it, almost to tumble off 

 one's horse ; for in soft soil the animal burrowed 

 so quickly, that its hinder quarters would almost 

 disappear before one could alight. It seems almost 

 a pity to kill such nice little animals, for as a Crau- 

 cho said, while sharpening his knife on the back 

 of one, " Son tan mansos" (they are so quiet). 



Of reptiles there are many kinds : one snake (a 

 Trigonocephalus, or Cophias), from the size of the 

 poison chainiel in its fangs, must be very deadly. 

 Cuvier, in opposition to some other naturalists, 

 makes this a sub-genus of the rattlesnake, and inter- 

 mediate between it and the viper. In confii-mation 

 of this opinion, I observed a fact, which appears to 

 me very curious and instinctive, as showing how 

 every character, even though it may be in some 



