THE GREAT ARMADILLO.[73]
This is an inhabitant of Brazil, and of the northern parts of Paraguay and of Surinam, and is a dweller in the forest, being never found far out on the plains. The head is seven inches and a half long, and the ears, usually pointed and laid backwards, are not quite two inches in length. The head and body, without the tail, measure three feet and some inches, whilst the thickly-rooted but rapidlytapering tail is about a foot and a half in length. Hence the head is small for the body in this Armadillo, and the forehead is protuberant, and the face is very tubular and cylindrical-looking. The shoulder and croup shields are not expanded and solid, but consist of nine and eighteen rows of plates respectively, and the intermediate part of the body has twelve or thirteen movable bands, each of which is made up of rectangular scales, or scutes, about half an inch square. The circumference of the root of the tail is upwards of ten inches, and the organ is covered with plates, disposed in rings at the root, and not farther down, but forming spiral or crescent-shaped lines throughout the rest of its length.
The Great Armadillo is a persevering and most rapid burrower, and the fore limb and hand are singularly modified for the purpose of enabling rapid digging and removal of the soil. The olecranon process of the ulna is enormous, and the muscle of the deep flexor or tendon of the claws is ossified and turned into a hand bone. The metacarpal bones of the thumb and first finger are small, and so are the slender digits, but that of the middle finger is irregularly rectangular, and is broader than long, and the digit which it supports is extraordinarily short, stout, strong, and broad. Its corresponding bones of the fourth finger are similarly formed, but are somewhat smaller, and the fifth finger is very small. The nail phalanx of the middle finger is large and strong, being curved outwards, and having a large horny hood, or core, at its base, for the lodgment of the claw. There are five claws on the hands and feet, and the Armadillo moves on the flat of its feet, being plantigrade. There is no doubt that, aided by these digging weapons, and being of considerable stoutness, the animal makes long and deep burrows. It feeds on roots, fallen fruit, and insects, and there is a story that it seeks carrion, and it used to be said that the collectors of Cinchona bark in the dense forests, when they lost a companion by death, were obliged to bury the body in a grave surrounded with a double row of stout planks, to prevent its being scratched up and devoured by the Great Armadillo. Planks must be scarce, however, in those localities, and difficult to carry; and probably there are other inhabitants of the woods besides the Armadillos which would discover and drag out a corpse. To assist the scratching and digging, the soles of the feet are partly covered with flat scales.
The Kabassous have the fore and hind extremities furnished with an equal number of (five) fingers and toes respectively, but the number of teeth is, altogether, from thirty to forty.
THE TATOUAY.[74]
This Kabassou has the five fingers disposed obliquely; and the great middle and fourth claws resemble those of the gigantic Armadillo. It is named in allusion to its tail, which is more or less naked, and nearly uncovered with rings or plates, so that it has not the usual tube-like protection, or beautifully ornamented crust seen in some Armadillos. The tail is about seven inches and a half long, and is round and pointed, having only a few hard crusts beneath, near the outer third, where it often trails on the ground. The rest of its root is covered with soft brown fur, interspersed with a few stiff short hairs on the upper surface. The ears are large, being nearly two inches in length, and they form a segment of a circle in figure. The body is round, and the shields of the shoulder and croup have seven and ten rows of scales respectively, each scale forming an oblong rectangle, those near the root of the tail being the largest. The movable bands are thirteen in number, and are composed of much smaller scales than those of the shields, and they have a nearly square outline. The head is long and larger in proportion than that of the Great Armadillo, and it has not the very cylindrical appearance noticed in that and some other species. The arrangement of the claws resembles that of the Great Armadillo, whose they almost equal in size. The female has two pectoral mammæ.
It inhabits Guiana, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, and Surinam, and but little is known of the habits of these Armadillos. They burrow easily and rapidly, and their great claws enable them to grasp the earth, and fix themselves so thoroughly that a great amount of exertion is required to pull them out of a burrow. They live on insects and on vegetable matters.
The Encouberts of Cuvier have five toes on the fore and hinder extremities, and nine or ten teeth on each side of the jaws, and there are two teeth in the intermaxillary bones of the upper jaw, representing the incisor teeth of ordinary Mammals, and thus forming an exception, not only to the other Armadillos, but even to the order of Edentata, as represented in the recent period.
THE POYOU, OR YELLOW-FOOTED ARMADILLO.[75]
This little Armadillo, which in captivity and in the natural state is remarkable for its boldness and restlessness, is a native of Brazil and especially of Paraguay, where it is common. It has a large, flat, nearly triangular top to its head, the face is short, the muzzle obtuse, and the ears erect and of moderate size. It has sharp little eyes. It measures about sixteen inches from the nose to the tail, and this is about seven or eight inches long. The number of movable bands is often six, but this is not the invariable number, for there may be seven or eight. The tail is surrounded, at its base, with three or four bony rings, and throughout the rest of its length is nearly covered with regular tuberculous scales, the separations between the bands showing some long bristly grey hairs. The body is flat and broad, and has short legs, and the creature runs with a very active and determined gait. It is a strong little thing, and it is said that when it is chased, it will often get away from a man by sheer speed and activity. When any noise is made at the entrance of its burrow, or if it is teased by spectators around its cage, it comes forth and grunts like a Pig, and looks at the disturber with a bold inquiring look. When it is attacked it is powerless, and seems incapable of making any defence, but it retreats to its burrow, and getting to the bottom of it, digs deeper still. Its power of burrowing does not seem to be much diminished by the limited rotation of the fore-arm, to which there is no pronator quadratus, but a well-developed pronator teres.