124 



NATURE S TEACHINGS. 



A glance at the preceding illustration will show how the 

 scale armour of the human warrior has been anticipated by 

 Nature. 



On the right hand is an example of ordinary scale armour, 

 while on the opposite side is a portion of a scaly surface. 

 This figure represents some of the scales of a Manis. These 

 scales are wonderfully hard, and scarcely to be penetrated. I 

 have in my collection the skin of a Short-tailed Manis, which 

 had been kept for some time in an Indian compound, but which 

 made itself such a nuisance by its perpetual burrowing, that 

 its owner was forced to condemn it to death. 



So he took a Colt's revolver, and fired at it from a distance of 

 a yard or two. The only result was to knock over the Manis, 

 which rolled itself up, and appeared to be none the worse. A 

 second and a third shot were fired with similar results, and the 

 last bullet recoiled upon the firer. At last, the animal was 

 killed by introducing the point of a dagger under the scales, 

 and driving it in with a mallet. The Manis itself is given in 

 the illustration on page 189. 



SKIN OF SINGLETHORN. 



SCALE-MAIL. 



Again, the scales of most fishes afibrd excellent examples of 

 scale armour. I have selected one, the Japanese Singlethorn, 

 on account of the strength of the scales, each of which is deeply 

 ridged and furrowed. The reader will probably have noticed 

 that the skin of the animal, into which are inserted the bases 

 of the scales, is analogous to the linen or leathern foundation 

 upon which the artificial scales are sewn. 



Even feathers give a better protection than might be 

 imagined from their individually fragile structure. This is 

 well shown in the case of aquatic birds, whose feathers are very 

 closely pressed together, each overlapping the next, and set in 



