182 DIGGERS 



From the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was 

 covered with broad, flattened shield-shaped plates, or scales, 

 of clear, gray horn. 1 Those plates, which were concave un- 

 derneath and convex above, lay close down upon the skin 

 and upon each other, and were arranged in rows or courses, 

 perfectly imbricated (i. e., joint-breaking) like the scales of a 

 big fish, or a hawk's-bill turtle. We presently discovered that 

 they were fully controlled by the voluntary muscles of the 

 skin. The tail was very broad, measuring 5}4 inches across 

 where it joined the body, slightly hollowed underneath and 

 rounded on the top. It was a most useful appendage, and its 

 special function was to protect the head. 



In walking, the Manis carried his back very highly arched 

 in the middle. The long and powerful front claws were bent 

 under the feet, until they pointed directly backward, and 

 were literally walked upon. The heavy tail barely cleared 

 the ground and the nose was always carried low, as if slyly 

 searching for something. Often the creature stood erect on 

 its hind legs, like a kangaroo, especially when looking about 

 for insect food; and as it walked its armor clanked like that 

 of an ancient mail-clad knight. 



Whenever he found a colony of ants, he would begin to 

 dig most industriously. After digging a short distance into 

 an ant-hill and exposing the interior, he would thrust his long 

 and slender tongue into the passage-ways and draw it out 

 thickly covered with ants. 



To me the most wonderful thing about the animal was its 

 means of protection from its enemies, for it cannot truth- 



1 Museum specimens are usually of a yellowish-brown color. 



