1880.] MR. E. W. WHITE ON CHLAMYDOPHORUS TRUNCATUS. 9 



(y) The lateral edges of the dorsal chitinous shield are represented 

 as though forming a continuous wave-line, whereas these lateral 

 edges are sharply serrated. 



(S) In some drawings the body is figured as almost nude, or at 

 most covered only with scanty short hair ; the truth is, the body is 

 covered throughout, even down to the extremities of the humerus 

 and femur, and beneath the dermo-skeletoa to the dorsal ridge, with 

 a thick silky downy mantle. 



(e) lu all drawings that have come under my observation the eye 

 is delineated as distinctly visible — whereas, in nature it is rudi- 

 mentary, besides being completely covered by the intermingling of 

 the fring;e and mantle. 



(() In all published representations there is a general deficiency 

 of apparent solidity aud roundness towards the truncated portion ; 

 the body is too much flattened. The fact is, the basal rings of the 

 dorsal coat-of-mail increase in circumference until they coincide with 

 the outer edge of the truncated extremity, the sections gradually 

 rising from an elliptic to a circular form ; further, the projection of 

 this slightly convex truncated extremity is very exactly a sector of a 

 circle, the centre of which is in the point whence issues the tail, the 

 whole of this truncated armour-plate forming a very hard, solid, bone- 

 like structure, which at once suggests the use to which, in my opinion, 

 it is devoted, viz. to act as a rammer to consolidate the sand and fill 

 up the entrance to its burrow from the inside and thus prevent the 

 ingress of its enemies. 



(ri) The nature of the ground frequented is generally represented as 

 rocky; now a Chlamydophorus on a rocky eminence is an anomaly, as it 

 is only found on and in medanos (sand-dunes), or in their proximity, 

 the characteristic vegetation of which is low thorny brushwood and 

 cacti. 



When walking, the Chlamydophorus plants both the fore and hind 

 feet on the soles, and not on the contracted claws, as is the case with 

 the Ant-eater, carrying its inflexible tail, which it has no power to 

 raise, traihng along the ground and much inclined downwards from 

 the body. As it commences to excavate, the fore feet are flrst 

 employed ; and immediately afterwards, supporting its body on the 

 tripod formed of these and of the extremity of the tail, both hind 

 feet are set to work simultaneously, discharging the sand with 

 incredible swiftness. 



The burrows, which are never left open, usually have but slight, if 

 any, inclination to the horizon. 



Although analogy aud form would seem to indicate it, I never 

 could detect the tail aiding in the operation of excavation ; in fact, 

 its inflexibility precludes this idea : the only use of the flattened ex- 

 tremity appears to me to be, to furnish it with a more secure point of 

 support in the shifting sand. 



Sluggish in all its movements except as a fodient, in which capacity 

 it perhaps excels all other burrowing animals, the Chlamydophorus 

 performs the operation of excavation with such celerity that a man 



