. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. 528 EDENTATA. but always five on the liinder. Their tongue is soft, and but little extensible; a few hairs are scattered between tlie plates of their armour, or in those parts of the body wliere these plates are de- ficient. The Armadillos vary in size, from tliat of a terrier dog, to that of a hedgeliog. They are stout in their body and low on their legs; tliey dig burrows, and feed partly on vegetables, partly on insects and dead animals. They belong to tl)e warm, or at least the temperate, parts of America. The Ant-eaters (M
. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. 528 EDENTATA. but always five on the liinder. Their tongue is soft, and but little extensible; a few hairs are scattered between tlie plates of their armour, or in those parts of the body wliere these plates are de- ficient. The Armadillos vary in size, from tliat of a terrier dog, to that of a hedgeliog. They are stout in their body and low on their legs; tliey dig burrows, and feed partly on vegetables, partly on insects and dead animals. They belong to tl)e warm, or at least the temperate, parts of America. The Ant-eaters (Mijrmecnphaga) inhabit the same countries as the Armadillos, from which, however, they are readily distinguislied. Their body is hairy, and their muzzle, drawn out into a long, cylin- drical tube, is terminated by a small mouth, entirely destitute of teeth. In consequence of the smallness of their moutlj, their jaws can scarcely be separated from each other, nor can the creatures use them to seize or compress their food; but they are provided with a very long tongue, which, wlien extended, resembles a great earth-worm : this they are able to j^roti-ude to a considerable distance, and as it is always covered with a viscid tenacious slime, they use it for the purpose of catching the ants upon which they feed. By the assistance of their long and powerful nails, the Ant-eaters tear up tlie nests of the Termites or White Ants, and at the moment wlien these insects sally fortli in crowds from their retreat, protrud- ing amongst them their viscid tongue, seize them by hundreds, and thus convey them into their mouth. When at rest, the claws, that sen'e also as defensive weapons, are folded against the wrist, so that as the animal only rests the foot upon the side, its gait is slow. Some species are furnished with a prehensile tail, by which they suspend themselves fr(im the branches of trees. The largest of the tiibe. %,\-^\a^ ^ v^ ^^-. J^-=-V^/A \V Fig 455 —great Pleas
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectzoology
