GLYPTODONTS. 225 



that of the great ant-eater. The body is long and narrow, with from seven to 

 nine movable bands between the scapular and lumbar shields ; the former being 

 produced on either side of the shoulders, arid having a deep notch at the neck. 

 Each bony plate is ornamented with a series of pits arranged in the shape of a V. 

 The tail is nearly or quite as long as the body, and surrounded for the greater part 

 of its length with complete bony rings. The fore-feet have four long claws, of 

 which the inner pair are considerably larger than the others ; while the hind-feet 

 carry five claws, of which the third is the longest, and the fourth and fifth the 

 shortest. The length of the body of the peba armadillo is about 16 inches, and 

 that of its tail some 2 inches less. In producing from six to twelve young at a 

 birth the peba armadillo differs from all the species hitherto noticed. It inhabits 



CARAPACE AND SKELETON OP GLYPTODON, WITH THE TAIL-SHEATH IMPERFECT 



($z nat. size). After Zittel. 



burrows in the open plains, and feeds largely on carrion, which is said to be stored 

 up in the burrows for future consumption. In spite of this unsavoury diet, the 

 peba is much hunted for its flesh, which is stated to be of delicate flavour. 



The above-mentioned mulita is a smaller species, with a relatively 

 shorter tail. A very remarkable form is the rare shaggy armadillo 

 (T. pilosa) from Peru, in which the cheeks and the whole of the carapace, except 

 the front margin, as well as the upper parts of the limbs and the under surface of 

 the body, are covered with a thick coat of light brown hair, of about an inch and 

 a half in length. So dense is this hairy covering that the carapace is completely 

 concealed, giving to the creature, save for its mail-clad head, the appearance of an 

 ordinary hairy mammal. 



THE EXTINCT GLYPTODONTS. 

 Family GLYPTODONTID^. 



As we have seen, the carapace of the largest existing armadillo scarcely 

 exceeds a yard in length ; but during the Pleistocene, or latest, geological period, 

 there existed in South America a number of gigantic armadillo-like animals, in 

 some of which the carapace attained a length of between 6 and 7 feet. All these 

 Edentates differed from the living armadillos in having complex teeth (eight in 



VOL. in. 15 



