'Can the parrots defend themselves against snakes?'
'Yes, they can, and sometimes even kill them. I have noticed this, but as a rule they prefer to scare them off by screaming. And they can scream, too. "As deaf as an adder," is a proverb; well, I believe it was the parrot that first deafened the adder, if deaf it be.'
'Have you many birds of prey?'
'Yes, too many. But, see here.'
'I see nothing.'
'No, but you soon shall. Here in the sunniest bank, and in this sunniest part of the wood, dwell a family of that remarkable creature the blind armadillo, or pichithiego. I wonder if any one is at home.'
As he spoke, the hermit knelt down and buried his hands in the sand, soon bringing to the surface a very curious little animal indeed, one of the tenderest of all armadilloes.
It shivered as it cuddled into the hermit's arms.
Dugald laughed aloud.
'Why,' he cried, 'it seems to end suddenly half-way down; and that droll tail looks stuck on for fun.'