THE AU.MADIU/). .,,,, 



The ordmary food of the armadillos consists partly of ngeteM*. Tl,,v are !> t ,. rv ,l,,,r,,,,iv, 



to the eggs am young of such birds as build their nest* the ground, and greedily dV worm. 



frogs, and small lizards, and Azara says, even vipers. Their chief animal fo,,,l is derived IV,,,,, the 

 immense herds of wild cattle which cover the plains and savannahs of every part of South America. 

 As these are only slaughtered for the sake of the hide and tallow, and as the outftttl in 1,1't to 

 rot, crowds of carnivorous animals are attracted by the smell, and among them the armadillos, wfco 

 greedily devour the half putrid flesh. 



Azara relates a singular story of their sagacity/ " My friend Nos6da," lie says, " having arranged 



trap for the purpose of taking chibigouzous, and having placed in it by way of bait a cork, with a 



II quantity of maize to support him, it so happened that a few grains of the maize l.-ll through 



etweeri the boards which formed the bottom of the trap. An armadillo arrived .luring the night, 



and, wishing to get at the maize thus accidentally spilt, opened a trench or burrow at some distance 



from the trap, and, without deviating a hair's breadth from the straight line of his direction, pushed it 



on to the very spot where the grain had fallen, and possessed himself of the booty." 



The armadillo, roasted in its shell, is considered a great delicacy by the Spaniards and Portuguese 

 of America. 



Cuvier has divided the armadillos into five small groups, one of which is the CacJiicames, and 

 another the Priodontes. 



The next genus of Edentata* is distinguished by their hairy covering and total want of teeth. 

 The head of these animals is altogether different from that of the sloth's ; for not only do they want 

 the organs of mastication, of which they are deficient only in the incisors, but the bones of the fare, 

 which in them are short and round, like those of apes and monkeys, are prolonged in the Ant- 

 Eaters, particularly iii the one now to be described, to double the length of the skull. 



THE GREAT ANT-EATER. t 



A DESCRIPTIOX of this animal often called the Great Ant-Bear might have been met with in 

 Zoological works but in October, 1853, the visitors of the Gardens in the Regent's Park had an 

 opportunity of seeing the first living specimen brought into Europe, from the interior of Brazil 

 at a cost of 200. 



Proceeding to its apartment, if the creature were taking its siesta, they would be reminded, as 

 they saw it on its heap of clean straw, in one corner, of a large gray or grizzled Newfoundland do-;. 

 On looking more closely, the body appeared to be covered with long, flowing hair, proceeding from 

 the reverted tail a good defence from the sunbeams, nor less so from a heavy rain. 



If, however, it had shaken off its slumbers, it would have been seen that, if the Ant- Eater were 

 as tall as a Newfoundland dog, it was much longer in the proportion of the body to that of its 

 height. 



A broad black stripe, narrowing as it proceeded, passed obliquely from the chest over each shoulder. 

 The head, covered with close hair, looked, from the thick neck to its apex, like a long, slender prob 

 strangely contrasting with the massiveness of the animal's limbs. The eyes were small : the ears in a 

 direct line, and about one inch above them, were very close, and rather rounded. Over the withers 

 rose a mane of very long hair. The tail was as long, or even longer, than the whole body, and MTV 

 stout towards the base. It was held in a line with the body as the creature moved along, sometime* a 

 little depressed, and at others a little elevated ; but, even when raised, its long. wiry, densely-.-et hairs 

 swept the floor. The fore feet were armed with enormous hooked claws; but as these were doubled 

 up close on the thick pad of the sole, they were not at first visible, so that the fore feet looked like mere 

 stumps, while the hinder appeared like well-iormed feet. The gait was heavy, but not slow the 

 animal, indeed, being capable of hasty movements. According to Dr. Schomtmrgk, ' the ant-eater 

 runs with a peculiar trot, and, when chased, will keep a horse at a canter, while it does not tire 

 readily." 



* Myrmechr-i.haga, literally signifying Ant-Eater. 



f Jfyrmecopbaga jubata: Linnteus. French writers, I.e Grain! FuurniiliiT. 

 VOL. II. 



