[Illustration: THE NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO.]
Armadillos are almost exclusively natives of South America, principally
of the province of Paraguay. Some inhabit the forests; others are found
in the open country. There are several species, all of which are
invested with a coat of mail, or a kind of plate armour resembling the
covering of the pangolin, or scaly ant-eater, and the shell of the
tortoise. This crust or shell covers the upper parts of the animal, and
consists of four or five different parts or divisions. The head may be
said to have a helmet, and the shoulders a buckler, composed of several
transverse series of plates. Transverse bands, varying in the different
species from three to twelve, which are movable, cover the body; the
crupper has its buckler similar to that on the shoulders, and the tail
is protected by numerous rings. The hairs of the body are few, springing
from between the plates; the under parts, which are without armour, have
rather more hairs. In a living state, the whole armour is capable of
yielding considerably to the motions of the body; the pieces or plates
being connected by a membrane, like the joints in a tail of a lobster.
The under parts present a light grainy skin. The legs are thick and
strong, but only long enough to raise the body from the ground; the
nails are very powerful, and calculated for digging; and, according to
Buffon, the mole is not more expert in burrowing the earth.
Some of the species have nocturnal habits and are very timid, flying to
their burrows the moment they hear a noise. Other species quit their
retreat equally by day and night, and these are said not to be so rapid
in their motions as the others. All the species walk quickly, but they
can neither leap, run, nor climb; so that, when pursued, they can only
escape by hiding themselves in their holes; if these be too far off, the
poor hunted creatures dig a hole before they are overtaken, and with
their strong snout and fore claws in a few moments conceal themselves.
Sometimes, however, before they are quite concealed, they are caught by
the tail, when they struggle so powerfully that the tail often breaks
short, and is left in the hands of the pursuers. To prevent this the
hunter tickles the animal with a stick, till it looses its hold, and
allows itself to be taken without further resistance. At other times,
when pursued, and finding flight ineffectual, the Armadillos withdraw
the head under the edge of the buckler of the shoulders; their legs,
except the feet, are naturally hidden by the borders of the bucklers and
the bands; they then contract the body as far towards the shape of a
ball as the stretching of the membrane which unites the different
movable pieces of the armour will permit.[8] Thus defended, they
frequently escape danger; but if near a precipice, the animal will
sometimes roll itself over, and in this case, says Molina, in his
Natural History of Chili, it generally falls to the bottom unhurt.
[8] It should here be observed that the Three-banded Armadillo
is remarkable for the faculty of rolling itself up more
completely than the other species. It can, in so doing, totally
conceal the head, the tail, and the fore feet, which none of the
other species can completely effect.--_Cuvier._
Armadillos were formerly thought to feed exclusively on vegetables; but
they have since been found to devour insects and flesh. The directions
of their burrows evince that they search after ant heaps, and the
insects quickly disappear from near the hole of an Armadillo. The
largest species, the great black Armadillo, common in the forests of
Paraguay, feeds on the carcasses of animals; and the graves of the dead
which are necessarily formed at a distance from the usual places of
sepulture, in countries where the great Armadillo is found, are
protected by strong double boards to prevent the animal from penetrating
and devouring the body. It appears, also, that it eats young birds,
eggs, snakes, lizards, &c. The Indians are very fond of the flesh of the
Armadillo as food, especially when young; but, when old, it acquires a
strong musky flavour. Mr. Waterton, who tasted the flesh, considered it
strong and rank. The shells or crusts are applied to various useful
purposes, and painted of different colours are made into boxes, baskets,
&c.
Cuvier remarks that that old mode of distinguishing the species of
Armadillos by the number of the bands is clearly objectionable, inasmuch
as D'Azara has established that not only the number of these bands
varies, in the different individuals of the same species, but further,
that there are individuals of different species which have the same
number of bands. Eight species mentioned by D'Azara are admitted as
distinct, but the whole number is very doubtful.
(The species represented in the Cut,[9] or, the Nine-banded, is the most
common. In the Zoological Gardens, in the Regent's Park, and in Surrey,
are several specimens. They are usually kept in cages, but on fine sunny
days are let out upon the turf. Their general pace may here be seen to
advantage: it is a sort of quick shuffling walk, and they get over the
ground easily, notwithstanding the weight of their shelly covering.)
[9] From a specimen figured in Dr. Shaw's Zoological Lectures,
with plates, by Mrs. Griffith, vol. i.
In conclusion, it is interesting to remark that the whole series of
these very singular animals offers a notable example of one genus being
confined to a particular country. We have observed that they all belong
to South America; nor do we find that in any parts of the old world, or,
indeed, in the great northern division of the new, any races of
quadrupeds at all to resemble them, or in any manner to be compared with
them. They may be said to stand perfectly insulated; they exhibit all
the characters of a creation entirely distinct, and except as to the
general characters of mammiferous quadrupeds, perfectly of their own
kind. There is no break in the whole circle of them, no deviation or
leaning towards any other organized form; so that the boldest conjecture
will hardly venture to guess at any other than a separate creation for
these animals, and a distinct allocation in South America. This
peculiarity is rendered the more striking by the facility with which it
seems to endure removal, even to our latitudes; thereby proving that its
present confined identity with South America is not altogether the
result of its physical necessities.[10]
[10] Popular Zoology. Comprising Memoirs and Anecdotes of the
Animals of the Zoological Society's Menagerie. With many
Engravings. 1832.
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