. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. r;2 NATUllAL HISTORY. bones : but all the others have only molav teeth, which do not, however, go very far back, tor there are 510116 on the ascending mmus of the lower jaw. They are not, therefore, animals which prey upon their , but are vegetable, insect, and probably carrion eaters. Tliey dig and burrow, and their sense of smell is acute. This is assisted by the position of the nostrils in the long muzzle, for they iive not at its tip, but rather underneath, so that they open downwards. In fact, the ends of the bones of the nose
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. r;2 NATUllAL HISTORY. bones : but all the others have only molav teeth, which do not, however, go very far back, tor there are 510116 on the ascending mmus of the lower jaw. They are not, therefore, animals which prey upon their , but are vegetable, insect, and probably carrion eaters. Tliey dig and burrow, and their sense of smell is acute. This is assisted by the position of the nostrils in the long muzzle, for they iive not at its tip, but rather underneath, so that they open downwards. In fact, the ends of the bones of the nose project in front of the pre-maxillary bones. The armour is doubtless useful against the attacks of their many carnivorous and reptile enemies ; it assists them in burrowing, keeps off pressure, and may protect those which live in forests against a falling bough. They are passive creatures, mostly nocturnal in their habits, and their skeleton is strengthened in some parts in relation to its armour and its office. Thus the spine of the second vertebra is tall and compressed, and reaches backwards over those of. SKELETON OV THE AKMADILLO. the third and fourth vertebrse, and it coalesces with them. The bodies of these vevtebr» also join more or less solidly, and there are no (or very minute) spines on the la-st three cervical vertebrae. This gives a strange appearance to the skeleton, which is increased by the length of the spine of the first vertebra of the back (dorsal). In order to support the back shield, the projections from the back bones are greatly developed, and two side processes stand out on either side of the spinous one. Moreover, there is much fixity between the last dorsal and lumbar vertebrae, and the strong and long sacrum beneath the last shield is formed by the junction of the back bones of the root of the tail with the true sacral vertebrae. Finally, the transverse processes of some of the upper tail vertebrae are united to the pelvic bones. Tliere is a corres
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