28 THE BIOLOGY OF TWINS 



head with its long ears looks a Uttle like that of a mule. 

 The feet are armed with heavy claws adapted for burrow- 

 ing, and the legs, which are incompletely covered with 

 scales and hair, are comparatively short. Many thou- 

 sands of the adult animals are slaughtered annually for 

 their armatures, which are shaped into baskets, the tail 

 being arched over and tied to the snout for a basket 

 handle. Armadillo baskets are now fairly familiar 

 curios the world over. By co-operation with the basket 

 merchants it has been possible to obtain an abundance 

 of material for embryological study without in any way 

 augmenting the slaughter, of this species, which is going 

 on at an alarming rate. 



The armadillo spends its life on the defensive and its 

 equipment for defense consists of numerous structural 

 and functional adaptations to a very special environ- 

 . ment. The armor is significant chiefly as a protection 

 from the thorns and spines of the arid vegetation in 

 which the animal feeds and into which it retreats for 

 shelter from enemies and from the tropic sun. Doubt- 

 less, too, the armor is of service as a defense against 

 predacious enemies, but, if one may judge by the 

 armadillo's method of defense against hunting dogs, 

 the armor is less effective than the claws. Stories of 

 the armadillo rolling up into a bal? when attacked 

 are totally inapphcable to this species, for the animal 

 turns over on its back and kicks viciously and effectively 

 with its powerful and heavily armed feet. Although 

 an advocate of defensive armament, the armadillo, 

 believes in active as well as passive defense. 



' The Uttle armadillo Tolypeutes is the only one that rolls up into 

 a ball. 



