30 
LITTLE FOLKS 
DROLL LITTLE COATS OF MAIL. 
You've read of Knights in old times who wore suits of mail, 
but did you ever see these droll little animals whom nature has 
dressed in similar coats ? They look like awkward and heavy cloaks, 
but the little wearers are far from being awkward. They are ex- 
tremely lively, and run as fast as a man. They are called Arma- 
dillos. 
The odd suit of mail is made of a bony substance, in small 
pieces, lapping over each other like the scales on a fish. 
They are so hard that a bullet will not go through them ; at the 
same time they move so freely that the little creature can get around 
as easily as though his coat was of fur. 
Every animal — you know — has some way to protect himself, 
but the Armadillo has two ways ; one is to dig a hole and escape in 
