14G 



MAN-ID.E. MAMMALIA. MANID.E. 



OKDEB VIII. EDENTATA. 



THE group of mammalian individuals to which the 

 above title is applied, vary considerably in their skeletal 

 characters, while the ordinal sign by which they are 

 indicated is altogether a misnomer. It is doubtless 

 unnecessary to inform our readers that the term EDEN- 

 TATA implies that the animals thus called are toothless ; 

 nevertheless, in a work like the present, it is not only 

 correct that as few words as possible should remain 

 unexplained, but that when an ambiguous phraseology 

 is, through general acquiescence, adopted, an explana- 

 tion of its meaning and the cause of its retention 

 should both be satisfactorily explained. We have to 

 remark, therefore, that the Edentata are so called 

 merely from the circumstance that the several species 

 of the order possess neither incisors nor canine teeth ; 

 though, indeed, an exception to this rule occurs in the 

 case of two kinds of armadillo, the jaws of which display 

 two incisors above, i.e., one on either side at the 

 posterior part of the intermaxillary bone, and two 

 correspondingly opposed on each side towards the 

 anterior part of the lower jaw ; these latter apparently 

 being entitled to come under the same serial category. 

 Be that as 'it may, if any one doubts this statement let 

 him procure and examine the skull of the six-banded 

 armadillo, or in the event of not being able to pro- 

 cure the cranium, let him turn to the exceedingly 

 accurate figure given in the 212th Plate of Cuvier's 

 " Ossemen Fossiles ;" and he will, we are assured, be 

 convinced as to the incisive character of the superior 

 pair just mentioned, from a consideration of the posi- 

 tion which they occupy. He will at the same time be 

 satisfied as to the very slender grounds on which the 

 members of the present family are called Edentates. 

 In all of them, we admit, there is a more or less con- 

 spicuous deficiency of dental organs at the fore part of 

 the mouth (fig. 49) ; but, as if further to demonstrate 

 the absurdity of the common title, the molars are in 



Fig. 49. 



Skull of the Armadillo. 



some species remarkably numerous, no less than one 

 hundred small grinders being observed by Frederick 

 Cuvier in the jaws of the great armadillo of Surinam ! 

 But without dwelling further on this point, we pass on 

 to notice that the teeth, if considered by themselves, 

 are extremely simple both in their structure and exter- 

 nal configuration, presenting no roots at their basal 

 surfaces; this part of their conformation being hol- 

 lowed out so as to favour a continuous and progressive 

 growth from below upwards. Histologically speaking, 

 they are made up of dentine and cement, and have 

 no enamelled cappings or ridges on their crowns. In 

 regard to the skeleton, striking differences occur in the 



various genera, according as to whether they pursue 

 arboreal habits, feeding on vegetable matters, as in 

 the sloths Plate 34, fig. 112 or, on the other hand, 

 exhibit insectivorous propensities, and do not possess 

 the power of climbing, as in the ant-eaters Plate 

 33., fig. 107. Among the most striking of these dif- 

 ferences are those which refer to the structure and 

 configuration of the osseous element entering into the 

 constitution of the head, tail, and extremities. Can 

 anything be more significant than the attenuated, nar- 

 row, and long cranium of Myrmecophaga, and the 

 abrupt, short, and broad skull of Bradypus ? Observe 

 how conversely the comparison holds good in respect 

 of the limbs drawn out and armed with long claws 

 in the sloth ; shortened and furnished with trowel-like 

 nails in the ant-eater ! And, lastly, remark the power- 

 ful tail in the last-named animal, while the caudal 

 development of the former is reduced to a mere useless 

 appendage. It is needless to enlarge further on these 

 distinctions, yet we cannot quit this introductory part 

 of our subject without calling attention to the gigantic 

 sloths of a former epoch. The skeletal elements of the 

 Mylodon and Megatherium exhibit a relative massive- 

 ness which utterly throws into the shade any features 

 of a similar kind seen in the stoutest living Edentates, 

 while pachyderm skeletons look slender and feeble 

 in comparison with their monstrous bones! The 

 dwarfish living representatives of that giant race still 

 occupy the swamps and woods of South America ; and, 

 whilst not a few of the scaly tribe also occur in the 

 tropical regions of the eastern hemisphere, none of any 

 sort are known to inhabit the continent of Europe. 



FAMILY I. MANUXffi. 



The Scaly Ant-eaters or Pangolins are, in every 

 sense of the term, true Edentates, being altogether 

 destitute of teeth. They have a long, round, extensible 

 tongue, and very small ears, which in some instances 

 are scarcely visible. Speaking generally, then- most 

 characteristic feature consists in the possession of an 

 integumentary armature of trenchant, horny, imbricated 

 scales. These are disposed in rows somewhat like tiles 

 on the roof of a house, and when the animals roll them- 

 selves u'p, after the manner of hedgehogs, into the form 

 of a ball, the sharp posterior edges of the scales project 

 like so many points of a cupping lancet, and together 

 constitute a powerful means of defence. Numerous light- 

 coloured hairs project from between the scales. The 

 head is elongated and narrowed in front. The limbs 

 and feet are short, pentadactylous, or tetradactylous, and 1 

 furnished with curved fossorial claws. The tail is largely 

 developed and of very remarkable strength. Tho 

 skeleton displays no clavicles, and there is no ccecum 

 in connection with the intestinal canal. The Pangolins 

 are natives of the warmer regions of Asia and Africa. 

 Their movements are comparatively slow; they feed 

 upon various kinds of insects, and more especially upon 

 ants and termites. 



