94 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



and although it is not accorded a high position in the scale of 

 animal life, being a slow and lowly organized creature, it has 

 proved itself capable of survival where other higher organized 

 animals have failed. This remarkable achievement has been accom- 

 plished by the Hedgehog at home, and that in spite of the fact 

 that the last-named is mercilessly persecuted by the gamekeeper 

 and its numbers considerably thinned out each season. 



The Armadillo is not particular as to the nature of its food, 

 being easily satisfied with whatever is easiest to procure, and it is 

 said that a particularly tasteful banquet is found to be the carcase 

 of a Horse, "for he" (the Armadillo) "will drive a shaft under 

 it and live in luxury, eating away at the carcase from beneath. 

 If his more natural animal food should fail, he will make shift 

 with herbage, and even maize has been found in his stomach." 



Although clumsily built, this animal can, if occasion demands it, 

 move over the ground at a good pace; it possesses great strength, 

 and is also further protected from enemies by its rapid burrowing 

 powers underground. 



"Armadillo" upon a bill of fare would look strangely out of 

 place, but the flesh is said to be good eating and to be not unlike 

 roast Pig! The animal is, however, very fat. 



Although used to a warm climate, these animals appear to be 

 hardy and tenacious, and succeed well in captivity, even outdoors, 

 during the rigours of an English Winter. That it is also a long- 

 lived creature is reasonable to suppose, as it has been known to 

 exist for twenty years in a Zoological Garden out of England. 



GIANT ARMADILLO. There are other species of Armadillos 

 that may be mentioned, but these mostly resemble the hairy kind, 

 excepting as regards size and the hairs on the carapace, which are 

 so characteristic of the latter. Few of them exceed the Hairy 

 Armadillo in point of size, although the Giant Armadillo is its 

 successful rival in this respect. The Giant species is more than 

 thirty-six inches in length, whilst the armour bands are more 

 pronounced and numerous. It is a resident of Brazil, and has 

 acquired a bad character by reason of its habit of burrowing after 

 the contents of graves, in which nefarious work it is largely aided 

 by the enormous claws. 



TATOUAY ARMADILLO. The Tatouay, or Broad-Banded Arma- 

 dillo (Fig. 72), comes from Surinam, Brazil, and Paraguay, and 

 its name sufficiently indicates its salient feature, the broad armoured 



