THE ARMADILLO. 



Description. 



the extremity about the sixth of an inch. The 

 fore-leg was two inches and a half long, and three 

 quarters broad : on the foot were five toes, the 

 three foremost of which were an inch in length, 

 and the other two half an inch, all furnished with 

 claws about the third of an inch. The hind-foot 

 which was somewhat thicker than the fore, had 

 five toes. The head, back, sides, legs, and tail, 

 were covered with a shelly armour. The head- 

 piece, as also the shells on the legs, were com- 

 posed of roundish scales, a quarter of an inch 

 over. The neck-piece was a single plate, com- 

 posed of little pieces, a quarter of an inch square. 

 The shoulder-piece consisted of several rows or 

 ranks of such square pieces, but not set together 

 by any articulation or moveable junction. The 

 back-piece reached over the buttocks to the tail, 

 and was composed of plates, moveably joined 

 together by as many intermediate skins. The 

 foremost and broadest of these plates consisted 

 of square pieces, half an inch long and a quarter 

 broad ; the hindmost of square and round ones 

 together. The fore-part of the tail was sur- 

 rounded with six rings, consisting of little square 

 pieces, the other half with scales. The extreme 

 part of the shell, next the tail, was parabolic. 

 The belly, breast, and ears, perfectly naked. 



On the larger kinds of these animals the shell 

 is thicker and more solid than in the smaller, and 

 the flesh coarser and frequently unfit to eat. 

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