THE PANGOLIN. 129 



Formidable as this animal is in appearance, in na- 

 ture and disposition it is perfectly mild : it lives en- 

 tirely upon insects, as it cannot masticate vegetables 

 from the want of teeth ; this defect is wonderf ully sup- 

 plied by the singular construction of the creature' s 

 tongue, which doubles back into the mouth, and is ca- 

 pable of being extended to a most extraordinary length. 

 When the pangolin approaches an ant-hill, (for those are 

 the insects on which it chiefly feeds,) it lies down near 

 it, concealing as much as possible the place of its re- 

 treat ; and stretching out its tongue among the ants, 

 keeps it for some time immoveably still ; these little 

 animals, allured by its appearance, and the unctious 

 substance with which it is spread, collect upon it in 

 great numbers, when the pangolin, feeling it com- 

 pletely covered, suddenly withdraws it into its mouth, 

 and so entraps the unsuspicious tribe. 



The phatagin is another species of this animal, 

 though by no means equal to it in size : but both are 

 found in the most obscure parts of forests, and bring 

 forth their young in the clefts of rocks. 



THE ARMADILLO. 



The armadillo is chiefly an inhabitant of South 

 America, and, like the tortoise, its body is covered 

 with shells, which lie over each other as the tail of a 

 lobster, and are connected together by a thick mem- 

 branous skin. These shells, which appear to be a 

 boney substance, cover every part of the body ; but 

 the breast and throat are separated by a variety of di- 

 visions, which enables the animal to move in what di- 

 rection it may please. 



The moment the armadillo perceives itself attacked, 

 it withdraws its head under its shell like a snail, tucks 



K 



