228 



EDENTATES. 



protection against foes ; and when thus coiled up their muscular strength is such 

 as to set at defiance any attempt to unroll them. 



Asiatic Asia is inhabited by three species of the family, namely, the 



Pangolins. Indian pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), confined to India and 

 Ceylon, and represented in the accompanying figure ; the Chinese pangolin 

 (M. aurita), ranging from Nipal and Assam to China ; and the Malayan pangolin 

 (M. javanica), inhabiting the regions to the westward of the Bay of Bengal as far 

 as Celebes, and also occurring in North-Eastern India. All these species agree 

 with one another in having the whole of the outer surfaces of the limbs covered 

 with scales, and in their tapering tails, on which the middle upper rows of scales is 

 continued uninterruptedly to the extremity. In .the first two species the front 



THE INDIAN PANGOLIN (J Uat. size). 



claws are about twice the length of the hinder ones ; the Indian pangolin being 

 distinguished by having from eleven to thirteen rows of scales round the body, 

 against from fifteen to eighteen in the Chinese species. On the other hand, the 

 more slenderly-built and longer-tailed Malayan pangolin differs from both the 

 others in having the claws on the fore-feet only slightly exceeding in length those 

 of the hind-feet. In the Indian pangolin the length of the head and body is just 

 over 2 feet, and that of the tail a foot and a half. 



The habits of all the three kinds are believed to be similar, 

 although the Malayan species is probably less of a burrower than the 

 others. The Indian pangolin dwells either among the crevices and clefts of rocks, 

 or in burrows of its own construction ; such burrows extending to a depth of from 

 eight to twelve feet below the surface, and terminating in a large chamber, which 

 may be as much as six feet in diameter. Here a pair of these animals take up 

 their abode, and in the winter or early spring give birth to their young. The 



Habits. 



