COLLECTION OF MAMMALIA. 323 



feed on the leaves whilst one remains ; and it is 

 said, that when they pass from one tree to an- 

 other, they let themselves fall to the ground, rather 

 than be at the trouble of descending the trunk. 

 When they sleep, they sit down, and cross the 

 fore paws round the forehead, which hangs down 

 on the breast ; this attitude has been given to one 

 of them, which we see on the middle shelf. 



Returning to the second room, in the case to 

 the left of the door, we see the armadillo of 

 America (dasypus), covered with hard horny 

 plates, united in the front and hind part of the 

 body in the form of a shield. These plates arc 

 disposed in transverse zones on the middle of the 

 back, and move one upon another, thus per- 

 mitting the animal to roll itself into a ball like 

 the hedge-hog. The three lower shelves contain 

 the manis, originally from India, where they in 

 some degree represent the armadillos; but their 

 bodies are covered with imbricated scales. This 

 animal also rolls itself into a ball, folding its tail 

 under its belly, the skin of which is naked. 



The first case, on the same side of the room, 

 contains the ant-eaters. The very long muzzle of 

 the ant-eater is terminated by a mouth without 

 teeth, whence issues a filiform tongue, which 

 it can considerably elongate, and which it intro- 

 duces into the nests of termites and ants, and 



21. 



