68 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP. 
official purpose being to protect the animal’s head. 
In walking, he carried his back very highly arched 
in the middle, and . . . his heavy tail barely cleared 
the ground... . 
“Tf ever a small animal was especially created 
to resist the attacks of destroyers, that manis must 
have been the one. In such plate-armor as he 
wore he could roll himself up and defy the teeth 
of the jackal, or leopard, or the fangs of the cobra. 
Having no teeth at all, and claws fashioned only 
for digging, he would have fared badly in the 
jungle without his defensive coat of mail. From 
the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail he was 
covered with broad, flattened, shield-shaped plates 
of clear, gray horn... . 
“Not having any one to introduce me, I under- 
took to get along without that formality; but it 
was of no use. He immediately tucked his head 
down between his fore legs, brought his tail under 
his body and up over his head, and held it there, 
forming of himself a flattened ball completely cov- 
ered with scales. 
“TI said to him, ‘My fine fellow, I really must 
insist upon knowing you more intimately; so here 
goes.’ 
“JT then undertook to uncoil him, but found I 
could not accomplish the task alone. I called 
Henrique to help me, but the tail stuck to the 
body, as if it had been riveted there. 
“T also called Canis to help, and while I held 
