MAMMALS OP THE MEXICAN BOUNDARY. 157 



armed with strong, slightly curved, foiiical, obtusely pointed nails. 

 The third, longest, then the second and fourth; the first and fifth 

 much shorter than the others. 



Genus TATU Blumenbaeh (i799). 

 Tatu Blumenbaph, Handb. der Naturgescla., 1799, p. 73. 



Type. — Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus. 



Characters, those of the subfamily Tatuinaj given above. 



This genus differs from all the other armadillos in having a pair 

 of inguinal mammae, in addition to the usual pectoral pair, and in 

 producing a large number (4 to 10) of young at a birth, all the otters 

 having usually but one or two. {Flower and Lydekker.) 



TATU NOVEMCINCTUM (Linnaeus). 

 TEXAS AKKABILLO. 



[Dasypus] 'novemcinctus Linn^us, Syst. Nat, 10th ed., I, 1758. p. 51. 

 [Tatu] novemcinctus, Blumenbaci-i, Handb. der Naturgesch, 1799, p. 73. 

 Tatnsia novemcinctus. True, Troc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VII (1884), 1885, p. 588. 

 Tatu novemcinctus, T. S. Palmer, Proc. Biol. Soc, Wash., XI, p. 174, June 



9, 1897. 

 Tatu novemcinctum. Miller and Rehn, Proc. P.ost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XXX, 



No. 1, Dec. 27, 1901, p. 11. 

 Cahassous novem-cinctus, Elliot, Field Col. Mus., Zool. Ser., II, 1901, p. 4, 



pi. I (Synop. Mam. N. Am.). 

 Tatu novemcinctum, Elliot, Field Col. Mus,, Zool. Ser., IV, 1904, p. 33, 

 figs. 9, 13 (Mam. Mid. Am.). 

 Type-locality. — Brazil, South America. 



Distribution. — Rio Grande of Texas, west to Devils River, south 

 across Mexico. This species is found on the Mexican border in th^- 

 Tamaulipan Tropical Tract. 



Description. — Dentition : M. |=| or ^/ = 32 or 28. Shield composed 

 of -eight movable scutes in the middle and nine on the sides. Tail 

 as long as body without head; covered by twelve rings, and not 

 enveloped in a cone. Length, 240 mm. ; tail vertebrae, 90 ; hind foot, 

 ?iO; ear, 20; carapace, 320 by 400. Cephalic shield pale brown; 

 carapace black, with the scutes on the sides yellowish white; tail 

 brownish black, with the anterior half of scutes yellowish white ; ears 

 brown; toes yellowish, claws white; skin of head flesh color with 

 a few yellowish hairs. 



Habitat and habits. — Armadillos were quite common in the region 

 about Fort Clark, Kinney County, Texas. They burrow in oak mats 

 that grow along water courses. The Seminoles, who esteem them 

 highly as food, hunt them at night with dogs trained for the pur- 

 pose. Many carapaces were seen nailed to huts of the Seminole 

 Indians. 



