2S CURIOUS HOMES AND THEIR TENANTS. 



it is true, substitute a bony for a hairy covering, but 

 even they — because some species are partly covered 

 with hair, others have prominent ears, and all that 

 possess tails show a marked division where these ap- 

 pendages join the body — do not suggest reptiles as 

 forcibly as do the pangolins. 



Like the aard-vark, a description of whose habits 

 answers equally well for that of the pangolin, the 

 species of strange animal here shown lives in South 

 Africa. They range from two to nearly five feet long. 

 The scales with which their body, limbs, and tails are 

 covered are triangular, notched, bluntly angular, or 

 rounded at the tip ; they form a very complete suit of 

 impenetrable scale armor, and must be of the greatest 

 possible use to a toothless creature like the one de- 

 scribed, which has no weapon with which to defend 

 itself. When surprised outside its burrow tlie pan- 

 golin instantly rolls itself into the shape of a ball, 

 taking particular care to tuck its small head, which is 

 the only part unarmored, out of harm's way between 

 its forelegs, wrapping its tail over it, and offers noth- 

 ing but an array of sharp-edged scales projecting out- 

 ward in every direction to the enemy. 



The natives regard these animals with sxipersti- 

 tious awe, which, however, does not prevent them 

 from roasting the poor creatures alive as burnt offer- 

 ings, in order that the powers above may cause the 

 cattle of the worshiper to thrive and increase in 

 number. Thus the oddity of the animals in appear- 

 ance, by awakening superstition, has proved the cause 

 of their destruction, for they have become very rare 



