GIANT SLOTHS AND ARMADILLOS 291 
■I! 
bones of other extinct animals ; and in the same cavern were 
implements of stone and bone, remains of fires, and even the 
bones of man himself. The Argentine explorers, in fact, con- 
cluded that the Grypotherium had actually been kept in the 
cavern and fed by man, who eventually killed the animals for 
food.” At the hTatural History Museum may be seen a series of 
specimens illustrating this discovery. The pieces of skin are 
covered with coarse hair on the outside, and on the inside are 
small nodules of bone. These bony nodules (found with other 
skeletons in the Pampas formation) are of special interest: first, 
because their presence had never before been even suspected, and 
secondly, because they serve to some extent to strengthen the 
bonds of relationship between Sloths and Armadillos, which 
have a heavy armour (see p. 292). An extinct horse was also 
found in this cave. 
We now pass on, to the old gigantic representative of the 
armadillo, the Glyptodon.^ To the eye it resembles more or less 
an armadillo, and has a huge cuirass, or large plate of armour, 
covering the whole of the body, but allowing the head to show in 
front, while the legs come out beneath. Both head and tail were 
also protected with armour. The great shield, or carapace, in 
most of the extinct armadillos, is composed of bony plates of 
regular shape, closely united at their edges (sutures) so as to 
form a solid piece. It is evident, therefore, that this creature, 
having no movable bands, as living armadillos have, could not 
roll itself up into a ball. The fore feet have thick, short toes, 
instead of long ones, such as their modern representatives have ; 
and from this we may infer that they were not in the habit of 
burrowing or of seeking their food underground. The family of 
^ So named by Sir R. Owen, in reference to the sculptured aspect of the 
grinding surface of the teeth. Greek — glupho, I carve ; odous^ odontos^ tooth. 
