OEDEE OF EDENTATA. 



The designation of Edentated (toothless), applied to tte Mam- 

 mals which compose this Order, does not infer that they are 

 completely devoid of teeth, although this is really the case in 

 several species, but only that in them the incisors are always 

 wanting, so that there is an empty space in front of their jaws. 

 Another peci.diarity which characterises this Order is that their 

 teeth, when they have any, are, as nearly as possible, all alike, 

 and not of various shapes, as in most Mammals ; added to this. 

 the root of each tooth is single, having but one fang. 



In individuals of the Order Edentata, the limbs are terminated 

 by very strong claws, which are used for climbing or scratching. 

 These animals are, in general, of a clumsy form, slow in their 

 motions, and possessed of but little intelligence. Some, instead 

 of being clothed with hair, are covered with scales — a pecu- 

 liarity which adds to the strangeness of their appearance. 

 Their habits and system of feeding differ much in the various 

 families : some living on vegetables, others on animal substances ; 

 some burrowing in holes, others living on trees. All, how- 

 ever, are natives of the warm regions, both of the Old and New 

 World ; none exist in Europe, and the larger number of them 

 are found in South America. They never attain great size, 

 the largest species measuring about three feet in length, not 

 including the tad. This, however, was not always the case. 

 Deep in the bowels of the earth the remains of some of 

 this Order have been found, the races of which have long 

 been extinct, and their vast proportions are a just cause of 

 astonishment. Of this kind are the Glyptodon, the Mylodon, 

 the Megatherium, &c. Most of these fossil species are pecu- 

 liar to America, and their dimensions equal those of the Ox, 



