SCENES OF ANCIENT DAYS. 289 



" But lo ! here are mightier creatures yet. See the vast 

 mylodon, the scelidothere, and the still more colossal mega- 

 there ! Ponderous giants these. The very forests seem to 

 tremble under their stately stride. Their immense bulk pre- 

 ponderates behind, terminating in a tail of wonderful thick- 

 ness and solidity. The head is mean, and awakens no terror. 

 The eye lacks lustre, and threatens no violence, though the 

 whole form betokens vast power ; and the stout limbs are 

 terminated by the same thick, in-bent, sharp, hoofed claws. 



SKELETON OF THE GLYPTODON. 



(The principal armadillo of South America.) 



One of them approaches that wide-spreading locust-tree. He 

 gazes up at the huge mud -brown structures that resemble 

 hogsheads affixed to the forks of the branches, and he knows 

 that the luscious termites are filling them to overflowing. 

 His lips water at the tempting sight. Have them he must ; 

 but how ? That heavy stern-post of his was never made for 

 climbing. Yet, see ! he rears himself up against the tree. 

 Is he about to essay the scaling ? Not he. He knows his 

 powers better. He gives it one embrace one strong hug, as 

 if to test its thickness and hold upon the earth. Now he is 



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