﻿DR- J. MURIE ON THE THREE-BANDED ARMADILLO. Tf) 



Inchon. 



I. 



Fore limb. — Claw of fourth toe^ length in a straight line 0'8() 



Hindlin^b. — Length from groin to extremity of longest toe^ with limbs fully cxtcDtlcd . 4'nr) 



Length from knee to ankle ..•...•.. 2'50 



Length from extremity of heel to end of middle toe I'SO 



Length from extremity of heel to end of inner toe 1 '30 



Length from extremity of heel to end of outer toe 1'20 



Greatest breadth of the sole of foot 0'60 



III. Description of the Body Exteriorly. 



1. Aspects ichen in motion^ rolled tip, and extended. 

 Tlie 'attitude of tlie animal dvirins: life and wlien nmnin^ about was sucli tliat tliti 



g XiXV. Ct^V^ „^^^ .....x..^o 



cephalic shield looked almost directed forwards ; and the dorsal line of the body formed a 

 tolerably even curve from the one end to the other. The body Avas supported upon tlic 

 tips of the great claws of the fore limb and upon the anterior callosities of the hind limb, 

 the heel being raised. In this attitude it moved at a very rapid trot. PL XX. repre- 

 sents the animal in the said act. The drawing, an accurate copy from a photogrnph, is 

 very characteristic, although it is from the dead body, which I fixed ia as life-like a 

 posture as possible. 



The tail, in spite of its massive defensive armour almost indissolubly welded to the 

 bones at its termination, is nevertheless provided T\Hith the same musculo- tendinous dis- 

 trihution which obtains in such perfection in those mammals whose lengthened caudal 

 appendage is an instrument empowered with movement in every direction. ^ Lateral, and 

 especially upward motion of the tail in Tolypeutes is necessarily of a limited kind, and 

 lashing or curling is per force checked ; but, on the other hand, an almost hinge-like 

 movement is attained in perfection. Usually the tail hangs nearly perpendicular to 

 the end of the pelvic shield ; but in the roUing-up action of the body the tail is flapped 

 inwards, and lies flattened alongside the head upon the abdominal parietes. 



When the animal coiled itself up, the cephalic shield closed the anterior aperture of 

 the scapular shield, the ears being folded up in the interval between the two. The 

 ]?osterior angles of the scapular shield, passing over the lateral scutes of the free zonc^s 

 which closely overlap one another, fitted into the groove between the margmal scutes ot 

 the greater part of the pelvic shield and the incurved lateral scutes of the anterior trans- 

 verse row of that shield. The extremity of the tail passed up on One side of the head, 

 between the cephalic shield and the scapular shield ; a small interval, however, by which 

 the animal could breathe, was left between the head and tail and the approximated edges 

 «f the scapular shields. In this position the legs were retracted into chamtes, which 

 ^•ill after^vards be described. By extension I allude to the flaccid condition ol the body 

 ^■hen the spine is partially straightened the movable zones apart below. The head t lien 

 Jiangs loosely forwards, the tail backwards, and the limbs drop, folded or partiall) <^o, 

 into their respective chambers {vide PL XXII.) . 



2. The Dermal Armour. 

 Tlie dermal avmour is divisible into a cephalic shield, scapular shield, three moval.V 

 ^"nes, pelvic shield, and the caudal armour. But there are no nuchal scutes, sucli a« 



L 2 



