182 DIGGERS 
From the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was 
covered with broad, flattened shield-shaped plates, or scales, 
of clear, gray horn.! Those plates, which were concave un- 
derneath and convex above, lay close down upon the skin 
and upon each other, and were arranged in rows or courses, 
perfectly imbricated (7. e., joint-breaking) like the scales of a 
big fish, or a hawk’s-bill turtle. We presently discovered that 
they were fully controlled by the voluntary muscles of the 
skin. The tail was very broad, measuring 51% inches across 
where it joined the body, slightly hollowed underneath and 
rounded on the top. It was a most useful appendage, and its 
special function was to protect the head. 
In walking, the Manis carried his back very highly arched 
in the middle. The long and powerful front claws were bent 
under the feet, until they pointed directly backward, and 
were literally walked upon. The heavy tail barely cleared 
the ground and the nose was always carried low, as if slyly 
searching for something. Often the creature stood erect on 
its hind legs, like a kangaroo, especially when looking about 
for insect food; and as it walked its armor clanked like that 
of an ancient mail-clad knight. 
Whenever he found a colony of ants, he would begin to 
dig most industriously. After digging a short distance into 
an ant-hill and exposing the interior, he would thrust his long 
and slender tongue into the passage-ways and draw it out 
thickly covered with ants. 
To me the most wonderful thing about the animal was its 
means of protection from its enemies, for it cannot truth- 
1 Museum specimens are usually of a yellowish-brown color. 
