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THE ARMADILLO . 
BAJJERKEIT . — Manis pentadactyla. 
The manis affords a curious example of scale-armor formed by nature, and a still more 
singular instance of natural plate-armor is found in the following little group of animals. 
The Armadillos are inhabitants of Central and Southern America, and are tolerably 
common throughout the whole of the land in which they live. The general structure of the 
armor is similar in all the species, and consists of three large plates of horny covering ; one 
being placed on the head, another on the shoulders, and the third on the hind quarters. These 
plates are connected by a series of bony rings, variable in number, overlapping each other, 
and permitting the animal to move freely. Each plate and band is composed of a number of 
ARMADILLO.— Ddsypus sexcinctus. 
small plates, joined together, and forming patterns which differ in the various species. The 
whole of the animal, even to the long and tapering tail, is covered with these homy scales, 
with the exception of the upper part of the legs, which are concealed under the armor of the 
body, and need no other protection. At and soon after birth, the infant Armadillo is quite 
soft, like parchment, but the skin is marked in a similar manner to that of the adult animal, 
excepting that the hairs that protrude between the shelly plates are more numerous. 
The common Armadillo, or Poyoit, is about twenty inches in total length, the tail occu- 
pying some six or seven inches. It is very common in Paraguay, but is not easily captured, 
owing to its remarkable agility, perseverance, and wariness. Encumbered as it appears to be 
