MAMMALIA—ARMADILLO. 269 
fore legs. ‘Come, poor fellow,’ said I to him, ‘if thou has‘ got into a 
hobble to day, thou shalt not suffer for it; I’ll take no advantage of thee in 
misfortune; the forest is large enough both for thee and me to rove in; go 
thy ways up above, and enjoy thyself in these endless wilds; it is more 
than probable thou wilt never have another interview with man. So, fare 
thee well.’ On saying this, I took up a large stick which was lying there, 
held it for him to hook on, and then conveyed him toa high and stately 
mora. He ascended with wonderful rapidity, and in abouta minute he was 
almost at the top of the tree. He now went off in aside direction, and 
caught hold of the branch of a neighboring tree; he then proceeded towards 
the heart of the turest; I stood looking on, lost in amazementat his singular 
mode of progress. I followed him with my eye till the intervening branches 
closed in betwixt us; and then I lost sight forever of the two-toed sloth. I 
was going to add, that 1 never saw a sloth take to his heels in such earnest; 
but the expression will not do, for the sloth has no heels.” 

THE SIX-BANDED ARMADILLO! 

Unver the general name of armadillo, we may reckon several species 
which seem to us really distinct; in all of them the animal is protected by 
a crust resembling bone; it covers the head, the neck, the back, the flanks, 
the buttocks, and the tail to the very extremity. This crust is covered oute 
wardly by a thin skin, sleek and transparent; the only parts that are not 
sheltered by this buckler, are the throat, the breast, and the bel!y, which 
presents a white grainy skin, like that of a plucked fowl ; and, in consider- 
ing these parts with attention, you will perceive the appearance of scales 
which are of the same substance as the crust. This crust is, however, not 
1 Dasypus sexcinctus, Lis. The genus Dasypus has two upper asl four lower incisors, 
sometimes nene ; molars varying in the several species from twenty-eight lo sixty-eight 
simple, cyindrical, separate, without enamel on the inner side; heal long; mouth an 
eyes small; body enveloped ina hard scaly shell in three compartinents coverin the 
head, body, and tail, with moveable transverse bands hetween them ; five toes on the hi 
feet; four or five on the fore feet, with long nails for digging. 
