64 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



mentioned that they have no front teeth, and the back teeth 

 are curiously placed, for instead of being over each other, 

 they are placed alternately, so that when the Armadillo 

 closes its mouth, the teeth in the upper jaw come down into 

 the spaces between those in the lower jaw, and you can 

 very well imagine what would happen to any poor worm 

 whose adverse fate may have brought it within range 

 of this crushing machine. In the early days of the 

 world there were some tremendous Armadillos. You can 

 see the armour of one of these, called the Glyptodon, in 

 the Museum of the College of Surgeons, London. The 

 largest now known to exist is the Great Armadillo, which 

 is sometimes three feet long, but some others are much 

 smaller. They are natives of South America. 



The Ant-Eaters are the true Edentata, for they do not 

 possess a vestige of teeth. There are two families of 

 them the Ant-eater of South America, and the Pangolin, 

 or manis, of Africa and Asia. The Ant-cater is coated 

 with coarse rough hair, and has an enormous bushy tail, 

 whilst the pangolin is completely covered with horny 

 scales, and his tail seems like his body lengthened out. 

 The Ant-eater, as his name implies, lives on Termites, or 

 white ants, which, you know, make their nests in the shape 

 of large hills, and in great numbers. Well, the Ant-eater, 

 whose claws are specially adapted for the purpose, tears a 

 portion of the dwelling away, and intrudes his long-pointed 

 nose ; then he puts out his tongue, which is long, and like 

 a large worm, and which is covered with a sticky liquid. 

 The Ants come and settle on this, and arc glued to the 

 surface ; the tongue is then drawn in, and the Ants but I 

 need not tell you what becomes of them. The Ant-eater, 

 when in danger, doubles its head on its breast, crouches 

 down all of a heap, spreads its tail over its body, and 

 looks then very much like a hay-cock, which you have 

 seen in the fields, 



