■MAMMALIA.- 
14G 
M.vnid.*:. 
Manid.®. 
Ohdek VIIL- 
The group of mammalian individuals to which the 
above title is applied, vary considerably in their skeletal 
characters, while the ordinal sign by which the}" are 
indicated is altogether a misnomer. It is doubtless 
unnecessary to inform our readers that the term Eden- 
T.\TA implies that the animals tlms called are toothless ; 
nevertheless, in a work like the present, it is not only 
correct that as few w'ords as possible should remain 
unexplained, but that when an ambiguous phraseology 
is, through general acquiescence, adopted, an explana- 
tion of its meaning and the cause of its retention 
should both be satisfactorily explained. We have to 
remark, therefore, that the Edentata are so called 
merely from the circumstance that the several species 
of the order possess neither incisors nor canine teeth ; 
tliough, indeed, an exception to this rule occurs in the 
case of two kinds of armadillo, the jaws of which displa}^ 
two incisors above, f. e., one on either side at the 
posterior part of the intermaxillary bone, and two 
correspondingly opposed on each side towards the 
anterior part of the lower jaw ; these latter apparently 
being entitled to come under the same serial category. 
Be that as it may, if any one doubts this statement let 
him procure and examine the skidl of the six-banded 
armadillo, or in the event of not being able to pro- 
cure the cranium, let him turn to the exceedingly 
accurate figure given in the 212th Plate of Cuvier’s 
“ Ossemen Fossiles;” and he will, we are assured, be 
convinced as to the incisive cliaracter of the superior 
pair just mentioned, from a consideration of the posi- 
tion which they occupy. He will at the same time be 
satisfied as to the very slender grounds on which the 
members of the present family are called Edentates. 
In all of them, we admit, there is a more or less con- 
spicuous deficiency of dental organs at the fore part of 
the mouth (tig. 49) ; but, as if further to demonstrate 
the absurdity of the common title, the molars are in 
Fig. 49. 
Skull of the Armadillo. 
some species remarkably numerovrs, no less than one 
hundred small grinders being observed by Frederick 
Cuvier in the jaws of the great armadillo of Surinam ! 
But without dwelling further on this point, we pass on 
to notice that the teeth, if considered by themselves, 
are extremely simple both in their structure and exter- 
nal configuration, presenting no roots at their basal 
surfaces ; this part of their conformation being hol- 
lowed out so as to favour a continuous and progressive 
growth from below upwards. Histologically speaking, 
they are made up of dentine and cement, and have 
no enamelled cappings or ridges on their crowns. In 
regard to the skeleton, strikuig difierences occur hi the 
EDENTATA. 
various genera, according as to whether they pursue 
arboreal habits, feeding on vegetable matters, as in 
the sloths— Plate 34, fig. 112 — or, on the other hand, 
exhibit insectivorous propensities, and do not possess 
the power of climbing, as in the ant-eaters — Plate 
33., fig. 107. Among the most striking of these dif- 
ferences are those which refer to the structure and 
configuration of the osseous element entering into the 
constitution of the head, tail, and extremities. Can 
anything be more significant than the attenuated, nar- 
row, and long cranium of Myrmecophaga, and the 
abrupt, short, and broad skull of Bradypus ? Observe 
how conversely the comparison holds good in respect 
of the limbs — drawm out and armed with long claws 
in the sloth ; shortened and furnished with trowel-like 
nails in the ant-eater ! And, lastly, remark the power- 
ful tail in the last-named animal, -while the caudal 
development of the former is reduced to a mere useless 
appendage. It is needless to enlarge further on these 
distinctions, yet we cannot quit this introductory part 
of our subject without calling attention to the gigantic 
sloths of a former epoch. The skeletal elements of the 
Mylodon and Megatherium exhibit a relative massive- 
ness which utterly throws into the shade any features 
of a similar kind seen in the stoutest living Edentates, 
Avhile pachyderm skeletons look slender and feeble 
in comparison with their monstrous bones! The 
dwarfish living representatives of that giant race still 
occupy the swamps and woods of South America ; and, 
whilst not a few of the scaly tribe also occur in the 
tropical regions of the eastern hemisphere, none of any 
sort are knowm to inhabit the continent of Europe. 
Family I.— MANIDiE. 
The Scaly Ant-eaters or Pangolins aie. in every 
sense of the term, true Edentates, being altogether 
destitute of teeth. They have a long, round, extensible 
tongue, and very small ears, which in some instances 
are scarcely visible. Speaking generally, their most 
characteristic feature consists in the possession of an 
integumentary armature of trenchant, horny, imbricated 
scales. These are disposed in rows somewdiat like tiles 
on the roof of a house, and when the animals roll them- 
selves up, after the manner of hedgehogs, into the form 
of a ball, the sharp posterior edges of the scales project 
like so many points of a cupping lancet, and together 
constitute a powerful means of defence. Numerous light- 
coloured hairs project from between the scales. The 
head is elongated and narrowed in front. The limbs 
and feet are short, pentadactylous, or tetradactylous, and 
furnished with curved fossorial claws. The tail is largely 
developed and of very remarkable strength. The 
skeleton displays no clavicles, and there is no coecum 
in connection with the intestinal canal. The Pangolins 
are natives of the warmer regions of Asia and Africa. 
Their movements are comnaratively slow; they feed 
upon various kinds of insects, and more especially upon 
ants and termites. 
