434 



THE ARMADILLO. 



The species are distinguished from one another chiefly by 

 the number of bands on the trunk of the body, between the 

 shield on the fore-shoulders, and that on the rump. Baron 

 Cuvier, however, divides the whole genus into five small 

 groups, — distinguishing one from another by the number and 

 form of their teeth and claws. 



The great armadillo (Dasypus gigas) has enormous claws 

 and unequal toes, with twenty-four broad teeth on both sides 





I UK GREAT ARMADILLO. 



of its jaws. Tt measures, exclusive of the tail, nearly three feet 

 in length. 



Darwin describes another, living on very dry soil, the pechy 

 (Dasypus minutus), which wanders by day over the open plains, 

 and feeds on beetles, leaves, roots, and even small snakes. So 

 rapidly does it burrow, that scarcely is one seen before its hind- 

 quarters disappear in the sand. It likewise tries to escape notice 

 by squatting down close to the ground. 



