316 
MAMMALIA. 
The Armadillos (Dasypus, Linn.) — This family is remark- 
able for the very peculiar nature of tbeir outward integu- 
ment, wbicb, at first sight, might lead to their being taken 
for Reptiles. Instead of being clad in hair, like other Mammals, 
they have the upper part of the head, the top and sides of the 
body and the tail protected by a scaly cuirass, very hard in its 
nature. This cuirass is composed of a number of bony plates, 
arranged in parallel rows and of various shapes ; it is not separate 
Eig. 124.— Pebas (D. peba , Desmarest). 
from the skin, hut forms a very curious modification of it. On 
the head, the fore-part of the body, and the croup, these plates 
are firmly fixed to one another ; hut on the middle of the back 
they are possessed of a certain amount of mobility, so as to 
move one over the other. In this way, the animal has the 
power of executing various bending and stretching movements, 
for instance, of rolling itself up into a ball whenever it is 
attacked, so as to hide under its cuirass all the vulnerable parts 
of its body, that is, those which are merely covered with hair. 
The other characteristics of the Armadillos are short legs, 
provided generally with five toes, terminated by long claws, 
