286 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



Armadillo is found, are protected by strong double boards 

 to prevent the animal from penetrating; and devouring- the 

 body. It appears also that they eat young birds, eggs, 

 snakes, lizards, fyc. 



The new character given to the Armadillos, as to the 

 nature of their aliment, is confirmed, and perhaps explained, 

 by M. F. Cuvier's observations on the teeth of such of the 

 species as he has been enabled to inspect. The fact of 

 one division of them being found with incisive teeth, and 

 another with cheek-teeth of a different character to those 

 of the third, induce a great probability, however, that the 

 carnivorous habits of this genus are confined to some parti- 

 cular species ; and that the different sub-genera, when fully 

 understood and arranged, will be found possessed of different 

 habits, in accordance with different modes of procuring 

 their subsistence. 



The dentition of the genus varies, then, to a considerable 

 extent, in the different species, and assumes all the follow- 

 ing different formulae : — Incisors §, or canines %% ; cheek- 

 teeth 11, or ff , or ||, or >frfti or \i\i. 



All the species are South American, principally of the 

 province of Paraguay. Some inhabit the forests, others 

 are found in the open countries. Their flesh is eaten even 

 by the Spaniards. 



It is generally understood that the Armadillos bring forth 

 but once in a year, and differ in the different species as to 

 the number at a birth. D'Azara ascertained that one spe- 

 cies brought from seven to twelve young : the female, how- 

 ever, is said never to have more than four mammse, which 

 has induced an idea that, however numerous the litter, they 

 bring up only that number. 



The old mode of distinguishing the species by the num- 

 ber of the bands, is clearly objectionable, inasmuch as 

 D'Azara has established that not only the number of these 



