150 



DasypidvE.- 



-MAMMALU.- 



-Dasypid^. 



namely, the sloths. The armadillos are readily recog- 

 nized by their hard coat of mail, consisting of nmnerous 

 many-sided plates closely soldered together. The 

 individual scales have most commonly a hexagonal 

 form, are osseous in structure, and so combined as to 

 form a series of bucklers completely investing the 

 superior and lateral parts of the body. In order, 

 however, to allow a certain degree of movement, a 

 series of slightly elastic bands, varying in number, are 

 foimd intersecting the dermal shield at the centre of 

 the back. These zones are partly bony and partly 

 mtegumentary, the latter structure having a dense 

 pliable, and leathery consistence. The front and 

 upper parts of tlie head are also furnished with a small 

 shield, the scutes resembling tesselated pavement. 

 The internal skeleton likewise displays several points 

 of interest. The clavicles are well developed, the 

 first rib on either side being remarkably broad. An- 

 other peculiarity is seen in the presence of a second 

 spinous-like ridge, projecting from the posterior and 

 outer surfaces of the scapula. This is also seen in 

 the true ant-eaters, but not in tlie aard-vark. The 

 acromion process of the shoidder-blade is like\vise 

 unusually prominent. The teeth have a cyUndrical 

 form, and vary considerably in ditTcrent species. The 

 feet are in some cases all furnished with five toes ; 

 but in others the anterior pair are tetradactylous. 

 The under parts of the belly are loosely clothed with a 

 thin fur, whilst a few thin wiry hairs also project from 

 between the scutes of the dermo-skeletal buclders, and 

 from the soft parts of the semi-elastic zones. The tail 

 is long in a few species, but in others very short. It is 

 usually protected by rings of small scutes, which in 

 certain forms degenerate, so to speak, into mere tuber- 

 cles, whilst in others this organ is altogether naked. 

 The armadillos are natives of South America ; and in 

 that country we find the fossil remains of an allied 

 genus called the Glj'ptodon, which was a large animal, 

 possessed ot immense strengtli and a proportionately 

 tliick and comiilicated dermal armour. The arma- 

 dillos feed on vegetable matters, and constnict burrows 

 into which they retreat when pursued. 



THE PEBA (Dasypus /Jc&a)— Plato 17, fig. 56 — or 

 Black Armadillo, is very abmidant in the district of 

 Paraguay ; being also found in Guiana and Brazil, but 

 not to the south of the Rio de la Plata. This species 

 has likewise been designated the Long-tailed Arma- 

 dillo, tlie Black Tatou, the Tatouhou, and the nine, 

 eight, or seven banded armadillo, according to circum- 

 stances ; these bands having been regarded as criteria 

 of specific distinctness, and the same animal described 

 as so many separate species. The Peba is not quite 

 a foot and a half in length, exclusive of the tail, 

 which measures other fomteen inches. The head 

 is elongated, and much narrowed towards the snout. 

 The ears are consj)icuous, long, shaiply pouited, and 

 closely approximated. The limbs are short, and the 

 feet comparatively small. The dennal armature may 

 be divided into three portions, namely, the cephalic, 

 humoral, and iliac bucklers, according to the regions 

 they invest. The two latter are made up of semi- 

 circular parallel rings, whose concavity is directed 

 forwards towards the head, and between them are the 



bands which occasionally overlap each other duiing 

 the turning movements of the body. The molar teeth 

 are thirty-two in number ; tliat is, eight on each side 

 of either jaw. The Peba is an expert burrower, and 

 when pursued its only chance of escape depends upon 

 its gaining access to its dwelling. It is generally 

 found in the more open gromids and cultivated dis- 

 tricts. The olfactory powers of this little animal are 

 extremely acute ; and as affording an example of this 

 fiiculty, D'Azara relates the following incident — " My 

 friend Noseda," he says, " having aiTanged a trap for 

 the purpose of taking chibigazous, and having placed 

 in it, by way of bait, a cock with a small quantity of 

 maize to support him, it so happened that a few grains 

 of the maize fell through between the boards which 

 formed the bottom of the trap. An armadillo arrived 

 during 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 irom the straight line of liis direction, 

 pushed it on to the very spot where tlie gi'ain had 

 fallen, and possessed himself of the booty." The food 

 of the Peba and its allies consists principally of vege- 

 table matters, such as maize, potatoes, roots of the 

 mandioc, fallen fruits, &c. ; but it also at times par- 

 takes freely of animal food in the shape of ants, worms, 

 frogs, lizards, vipers, eggs of birds, dead and half- 

 decomposed cannon of wild cattle — in short, almost 

 anjdhing, including even the contents of human gi'avcs 

 when access can be gauicd to them. Notwithstanding 

 all this, the South American natives and colonists 

 generally, pronounce its flesh to be a real delicacy, 

 especially when roasted in tlie shell. 



THE PICHEY {Dasypus mimUtis) is a very diminu- 

 tive species of armadillo, measuring only ten inches 

 from the tip of the muzzle to the root of the tail, 

 which latter organ is about half tlio length of the 

 body. It is an udiabitant of the Pampas Ijing to the 

 south of Buenos Ayros, extending nearly to the borders 

 of Patagonia. The bands between the humeral and 

 iliac bucklers vary in number according to the age of 

 the animal. Generally speaking, these are either six 

 or seven, each ring consisting of a number of lineally 

 arranged quadrangular plates. The t^iU is scaly, and 

 tolerably well furnished with hairs. The limbs and 

 claws are of moderate size. Tlie Piehey constructs 

 burrows, but is often seen abroad even during the day, 

 and only occasionally rethes into its habitations. In 

 other respects its habits are believed to resemble tliose 

 of its congeners generally ; and in common with the 

 majority of them its flesh is higlily esteemed, being 

 exceedingly delicate and well-flavoiu-ed. 



THE TATOTJAY {Dasypus Tatonay) is a compara- 

 tively rare species fomid in Brazil and Guiana. It is 

 called the Wounded ArmacUUo, from a notion enter- 

 tained by the natives that its t;iil has been deprived of 

 the osseous covering seen in other species. This 

 organ is about eight inches in length, and is almost 

 entirely destitute of any protecting crust, the naked 

 skin being thinly clad with short browm hairs above, 

 and a few scales on the lower surface. The body is 

 about a foot and a half long, the head being less nar- 

 rowed anteriorly than in the preceding species. TliQ 



