152 



DASYPIDJE. MAMMALIA. BRADYPID.E. 



Harlan of New York, Mr. Yarrell of London, and Dr. 

 Hyrtle of Vienna ; and each of these distinguished natu- 

 ralists have published lengthened memoirs upon the 

 subject. From their combined descriptions we gather 

 the following particulars : The molar teeth are thirty- 

 two in number, have a simple structure, and are equally 

 distributed above and below. The head presents the 

 figure of a cone, sharply pointed at the muzzle, and 

 widening out at the occiput ; the bones of the skull do 

 not display any trace of sutures in the adult cranium, 

 and over the upper part of the frontal elements there 

 arise two small globular osseous masses, the function 



Fig. 



of which will be immediately rendered apparent. 

 Scarcely any trace of an ear can be detected on the 

 outer surface, this organ being represented by a patu- 

 lous opening, marked by a slightly elevated margin, 

 and situated immediately behind the small, black, half- 

 concealed eyes. The oral opening is not large ; but 

 the nose is furnished with an extended cartilaginous 

 septum internally. One of the most striking peculiari- 

 ties of the Pichieiago consists in the uniform hard 

 dermal armature, protecting the entire length of the 

 head, neck, and back (fig. 51). This coriaceous 

 covering is made up of numerous square, rhomboidal, 



The Pichieiago (Chlamydophorus truncatus). 



or cubical plates, closely connected together by a 

 tough leathery development of the epidermis; these 

 plates are disposed in rows, of which there are twenty- 

 four. Throughout the greater part of its extent, this 

 shield is only loosely attached to the body by soft 

 connective tissue; but, along the central line of the 

 back, it is more firmly adherent to the capitals of the 

 vertebral spinous processes, whilst, at the free part of 

 the head, it is very firmly fixed to the two frontal 

 osseous prominences above described. Posteriorly the 

 dorsal -shield terminates abruptly, imparting to the 

 hinder quarters an unusual appearance. This part of 

 the body, however, is carefully protected by five semi- 

 circular rings of plates, having a structure precisely 

 similar to those on the back. At the lowermost part, 

 the anal shield is notched for the growth and lodg- 

 ment of the tail, into which crevice this organ is, as 

 it were, lodged, and is, under ordinary circumstances, 

 doubled up beneath the belly. It presents the char- 

 acter of a rigid cylinder, but at the tip it is flat- 

 tened out in a spatulate manner, to form a kind of 

 paddle. At the semi-circumferential margin of the 

 anal shield, and along the side of the dorso-cephalic 

 covering, there is developed an extensive fringe of 

 silky hairs, the under parts generally being thickly 

 clothed with fur. All the feet are peutadactylous, the 

 claws of the anterior pair being remarkably long, 

 slightly curved, and sharply pointed ; the several digits 

 are intimately bound together, and are so disposed that 



the claws when acting together form a kind of scoop. 

 The hinder extremities are, comparatively speaking, 

 small and feeble, the toes being also more widely sepa- 

 rated from each other. Kespecting the habits of the 

 Pichieiago very little is known, but from the statements 

 of Mr. Closeberry, the original discoverer of the species, 

 there is every reason to believe that its mode of living 

 very nearly resembles that of our common mole. It 

 dwells almost entirely under ground, its limbs at once 

 showing how unfitted it is for rapid progression on the 

 surface. The female is said to carry her offspring 

 beneath the margins of her dorsal shield; but this 

 statement requires confirmation. 



FAMILY IV. BEADYPID^E. 



Following Cuvier, some naturalists prefer to consider 

 the Sloths under the family title of Tardigrada, as 

 indicating one of the most remarkable characteristics of 

 this tribe of animals. The tardigrades then, or, in 

 simpler phrase, slow-moving Edentates, are at once 

 distinguished by a peculiar conformation of the extremi- 

 ties, admirably fitting them for an arboreal mode of 

 existence, but rendering their movements on the 

 ground very awkward, for the obvious reason that they 

 are unnatural. If we examine the skeleton of an 

 ordinary Sloth Plate 34, fig. 112 the first thing that 

 strikes us is the unusual size and extension of the 

 limbs, and especially of the anterior pair ; the latter are 



