denoted by the Latin "novem cinctum" meaning ''nine banded," 

 other varieties being known as three banded, six banded, etc., in 

 the Latin equivalents. There is, to be sure, one of the family whose 

 covering is in three solid plates, but the banded members have the 

 advantage of flexibility, being able to roll themselves up into a 

 well-nigh impenetrable shell in order to escape an attack. 



The color of this odd but wonderfully equipped creature is a 

 brownish black above and yellowish white on the under-parts. The 

 total length is some thirty inches, of which the tail, also surrounded 

 with horny rings, measures about fourteen. 



In habits as well as appearance this animal affords many inter- 

 esting features. Its home is a burrow in the sandy soil, which, by 

 means of the powerful claws, can be excavated with astonishing 

 rapidity. The habitations are often situated near ant-mounds to 

 allow easy access to one of the staple articles of food, but it is not at 

 all exacting in the choice of its diet and seems to relish equally vege- 



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