NORTH AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES 35 



series of 12 complete bony rings, and the color in life is light 

 flesh-color. From the posterior free edges of the transverse 

 body-rings project three or four short bristles from each scale 

 and similar but smaller bristles are present at the posterior 

 margins of the scales on the shields of body and tail. On the 

 under side of the body there are transverse rows of small round 

 scutes, each in the center of a cluster of yellowish bristles. The 

 skull in addition to being smaller than that of the mainland 

 representative has one or two less teeth in each series, usually 

 six or seven instead of eight. Total length, up to 678 mm.; 

 tail, 82; hind foot, 37; greatest length of skull, 85.5. 



At the present day this armadillo is confined to the rough 

 country covered with rain forest on the hills in the central 

 part of the island of Grenada. Probably, too, the armadillo 

 found on the island of Tobago is very similar if not identical. 

 It is more or less hunted by the local Negroes who esteem its 

 flesh. They not only hunt the armadillos with dogs but catch 

 them in deadfalls set in the runways. Whether the armadillo 

 naturally occurred in these islands or whether it was introduced 

 there long ago is uncertain, but in either case it has been native 

 for a long enough time to allow its development into a distinct 

 dwarf race. De Rochefort, writing in 1658, mentions the 

 "Tatou" as a native of Tobago, especially calling attention 

 to the small size. Soon after, Du Tertre in the 1667 edition of 

 his work on the history of the French Islands, was the first to 

 record it from Grenada, where he says it was then common. 

 It was unknown on any of the other French islands, and 

 apparently all attempts to introduce it in Martinique from 

 Grenada had ended in failure. Labat in 1742, however, 

 mentions having eaten the flesh of armadillos that had been 

 brought to Martinique from Grenada, and in 1700 had several 

 times eaten it on the latter island. 



At the present time I know of no reason to suppose that 

 this armadillo is in any danger of extinction. When I visited 

 the island in 1910, I found it well known to the people and a 

 Mr. John Branch assured me that often the Negroes might 

 capture several in a single night, hunting with dogs, in the 

 forest back of Victoria. The animal is fairly prolific and should 

 survive without difficulty if conditions remain substantially 

 unchanged. 



