GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND DESCENT. 



189 



legs. The pangolins are nocturnal in their 

 habits. They have a singular habit of fre- 

 quently running only on their hind -legs, 

 balancing their body with their tail while so 

 doing. They also climb very well. Their 



food is the same as that of the true ant- 

 eaters. 



An illustration is given of the Long-tailed 

 Pangolin {Manis longicaudata), fig. 246, 

 which is a native of Guinea. Its tail is 



Fig. 246. — The Long-tailed Pangolin (Manis longicaudata). 



even longer than the body, and the paws 

 are only slightly hairy. The Short -tailed 

 Pangolin {Manis pentadactyld), fig. 247, has 



very broad scales, a shorter tail, and short 

 legs completely covered with scales. With 

 respect to the form of the body this creature 



Fig. 247. — The Short-tailed Pangolin (Manis pcntadadyla 



is exactly like a squat lizard with short legs, 

 for instance the skink. This pangolin 

 inhabits India and Ceylon. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND 

 DESCENT OF THE EDENTATES. 



The geographical distribution of this order 

 is extremely simple. At the present day 



we find only two groups of them in the hotter 

 parts of the Old World. One of these, the 

 Pangolins, spread over the whole of Africa 

 south of the Sahara, as well as over the East 

 Indies, including the Sunda Islands, as far as 

 China, while the other, that of the Earth-hogs, 

 is confined to Africa. All the other families, 

 the True Ant-eaters, the Armadillos, and the 



