A PET IN A SHELL 
The children were helping Uncle Jack put away the 
lunch things in the car when Fred suddenly cried, “Look, 
everybody! Isn't that a Box Tortoise and her babies 
walking through the brush yonder?" 
“Let's catch them!" shouted Buddy. 
“Wait a minute!" said Uncle Jack. “Don't be in such 
a hurry. That can't be a Box Tortoise because they never 
go walking with their babies. They just lay their eggs 
in the ground and then go off and forget them. When 
the eggs hatch, the babies have to take care of them¬ 
selves. No, that must be something else." 
“I can see they have shells on their backs," remarked 
Fred. 
“We may be able to get close enough to see what they 
are if we walk quietly and keep behind the brush," said 
Uncle Jack. 
Soon the children were peeping over a bush near the 
animals. They had shells, but not like the box tortoise. 
These shells grew in rings so that the animals could bend 
their backs. 
“It's Mother Armadillo and her family," whispered 
Uncle Jack. “See how they stick their noses into the 
ground at almost every step they take. They are hunt¬ 
ing for insects and earthworms." 
101 
