PROFESSOR HUXLEY OH THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE GENUS GLYPTODON. 33 
been compelled by the local authorities to send to Bio Janeiro all the bones and the 
finest pieces of the carapace, which he discovered in association with the fragments of 
dermal armour figured by Weiss*; but, by good fortune, these additional materials at 
length found their way into the Berlin Museum, and afforded D’ Alton the materials 
for his memoir, in the first section of which the pieces of the carapace of the fossil 
animal are described ; while the second section is devoted to an account of the structure 
of the dermal armour of living Armadillos, and the third to a description of the 
fossil bones found in juxtaposition with that dermal armour. 
The results of the comparison of the fossil armour with that of existing Armadillos 
are thus stated : — 
“ If we compare these fossil dermal plates with those of living species of Dasypus , it 
becomes obvious that all the peculiarities of the former may be paralleled by the latter; 
but with this difference, that while, as appears from Sellow’s report, all the fossil plates 
belonged to one and the same animal, their peculiarities are not all found associated 
together in any one living species. The majority of the fossil plates which were distant 
from the margin, e.g. those represented by Weiss in figs. 1, 4, & 5, and many described 
above, exhibit the greatest similarity to the dermal plates of Dasypus niger ; and thence 
it may be concluded that the epidermis of the Dasypus of the ancient world (if for 
brevity’s sake I may so name the animal), like that of the Dasypus niger , was divided 
differently from the bony plates, and that strong hairs were arranged in the interstices 
of the epidermic scales. 
“ The pieces which belonged to the edge, or the pointed marginal scutes (Zacken), 
most nearly resemble those of D. Poyou (fig. 12 of our first Plate), and D. grandis shows 
a somewhat similar formation. In addition, the thoracic shield and the moveable zones 
of D. villosus (fig. 18) are also provided with pointed marginal scutes; and, according to 
Azara, the Tatou pichey exhibits similar structures. But in all the animals provided 
with such pointed scutes, they are directed from above, and forwards, downwards, and 
* Professor Owen writes (On the Olyptoclon clavipes, Geol. Trans, vol. hi. pp. 82, 83), “ The portions of 
the tessellated bony armour figured by Professor Weiss, pi. 1 and 2, and described at p. 277 of his memoir, 
were obtained by Sellow' on the Arapey-Chico in the province of Monte Yideo ; but no bones either of the 
Megatherium, or any other animal, are mentioned as having been associated with them. A third series of fossils, 
in which fortunately some bones of the extremities were discovered associated with the tessellated bony case,, 
was presented to Sellow by the President of the province of San Pedro, with the information that they had 
been originally discovered in the proximity of Rio Janeiro.” 
■ This, however, appears to be a misapprehension of the state of the case.. The armour figured by Weiss in pi. 1 
and 2 of his memoir, and the “ third series of fossils ” were associated together : and so far from the President 
of the province of San Pedro having presented anything to Sellow, it was Sellow who was obliged to present 
the fossils to the President, or at any rate, to dispose of them according to his orders. “ Denn die Aufforderung. 
des damaligen Prasidenten der Provinz San Pedro, des Yisconde des S. Leopoldo, nothigte ihn [Sellow] den 
hauptsachlichsten Theil dieser fossilen Ueberreste nach Rio Janeiro abzuliefern.” 
It is therefore sufficiently obvious that the fossils were not found at Rio Janeiro, but were sent to that 
place from Arapey-Chico. 
G 2 
