its structure, and of great breadth, separating very widely the thigh-bones; these parts, too, are directed obliquely outwards, while the limb, from the knee downwards, has an inward inclination. The wrist and ankle are so constructed, that the palm, or sole, instead of being directed to the surface of the ground, as in other animals, is turned inwards towards the body, in such a manner as to make it impossible for the sloth to place the sole of its foot straight down on a level surface, and it is compelled, under such circumstances, to rest on the external edge of the foot. The hip-joint, as in the orangutan, is destitute of the usual ligament,* that the head of the thigh-bone may have greater freedom of motion. In the Ai, or Three-toed Sloth, the neck consists of nine vertebræ, instead of seven, which is the usual number in the mammalia. Moreover, the two tables of the skull, in all the species, are separated by large air-cells, so that the small, bird-like brain is actually defended by a double case, so that, should the branch give way to which the sloth is clinging, it may be defended from injury. Professor Owen remarks: "The sloths illustrate the affinity, or tendency, to the oviparous

type, by the supernumerary cervical vertebræ, supporting false ribs, and by the convolution of the wind-pipe in the thorax, in the threetoed species; by the lacertine, or lizard-like character of three-and-twenty pairs of ribs in the Unau; and by the low, cerebral development, by the great tenacity of life, and longenduring irritability of muscular fibre in both species." The force of the muscles is scarcely credible, and perfectly harmonises with the skeleton, so entirely adapted to a life in trees. The long arms of the sloth, provided with strong hooks, which are drawn to the palm, just as it is with the claws of the hinder feet, by means of elastic ligaments, enable it to reach a distant branch, and there to fix, itself with facility; or, while clinging to one branch, it can draw towards itself another loaded with leaves, buds, or fruits, on which it can banquet at pleasure. Even its rigid paw can be used as a hand, and made to convey its food to its mouth with great address.

The sloths have no incisors, but canines and molars only; and in the Ai the canines are diminutive, and in all respects very similar to the other teeth. There are eight molars in the upper jaw, and six in the lower, four and three on either side respectively. They are cylindrical, unrooted, consisting, as Owen has shown, " of a centre of vascular dentine, or ivory, the whole enveloped by a layer of cœmentum, characterised by numerous minute calciferous cells." Ill fitted for grinding the food, the teeth merely bruise it, or break down the tender leaves and buds; their deficiency being probably compensated for by a singular complication of the stomach, which is sacculated. The Ai is three-toed.

The head of the Ai is short, the face small and round, the ears concealed in the long hair which surrounds them, the eyes small, and deeply sunk in the head, and the tail a mere rudiment. The Indians like its flesh, and constantly pursue it. Of the Ai, naturalists reckon two distinct species, and three or four varieties.

THE COLLARED SLOTH.+

THIS is a very distinct species, even in the bony structure of the skull. Its face is naked and of a black colour; the hair of its body less flattened and withered-looking than is the case in the common species;

the forehead, temples, chin, throat, and breast, are covered with reddish, or rust-coloured hair, slightly frizzled; on the crown of the head it is long and yellow, and on the rest of the body pale orange. But the most distinguishing mark of the species is a large black collar, which completely surrounds the neck, and from which its specific name collaris is derived. Beneath this outer coat there is an inner one, of very fine fur, which is of a dark-brown colour on the collar, but gradually diminishes in intensity towards the croup, where it is entirely white.

Both these species, when in motion in the forests, emit a feeble, plaintive cry, resembling the word Ai, and in this originates the name they bear among the Europeans settled in America.

The Unau, or Two-toed Sloth, closely resembles the Ai in its manners, and exceeds it in size. Mr. Burchell observed that some sloths he had captured assumed a perfectly safe and easy position on the fork of a tree, their arms embracing the trunk, their backs resting on the angle of a branch, and their heads reclining on their bosoms. The animal is thus rolled up nearly in the form of a ball; the entire vertebral column, including the neck, assuming a nearly circular curve; and not only is the weight of the whole body maintained in an attitude of ease and safety, but the head is

supported between the arms and chest, and the face lies buried in the long wool which covers those parts, and is thus protected during sleep from the myriads of insects which would otherwise attack it. "The Indians," says Mr. Waterton, "have a saying, that when the wind blows, the sloths begin to travel. In fact, during calm weather, they remain tranquil, probably not liking to cling to the brittle extremities of the branches, lest they should break while the animals are passing from one tree to another; but, as soon as the wind rises, the branches of the neighbouring trees become interwoven, and then the sloth seizes hold of them, and pursues his journey in safety. He travels at a good round pace, and were you to see him, as I have done, passing from tree to tree, you would never think of calling him a sloth."

A FAMILY group of these animals includes the true Armadillos, the Chlamyphorus, and also the Aardvark, or African Ant-eater, which, though not covered with armour, approaches in its structure nearer to the armadillo than to the American ant-eaters, with which animals it was formerly associated, and which it resembles very closely in manners and in its diet.

• Cholcepus didactylus.

THE ARMADILLO.*

THESE animals are exclusively confined to the warmer portions of America, and the species are tolerably numerous, but none attain a very large size. Instead of hair, the Armadillos are covered with a species of hard, bony crust, forming three bucklers, on the head, shoulders, and rump, respectively, the two latter being connected by several transverse movable bands, very similar in form and appearance to the plate-armour of the middle ages, from which, indeed, these animals have acquired their name, which is one of Spanish origin. These bucklers, likewise, hang down on each side, so as to form an effectual protection to the belly, and partially to cover the legs and feet; whilst

the pliancy produced by the movable bands interposed between the bucklers of the rump and shoulders, and which are themselves connected by the soft, pliant skin of the animal, permits the most varied and rapid motions. The head is broad between the eyes, whence it runs to a pointed muzzle ; the mouth is small; the teeth are cylindrical, feeble, without true roots, set apart from each other,

and, when the jaws are closed, mutually fit into the intervals. The tongue is smooth, slender, and moderately extensible; it is lubricated abundantly with a glutinous fluid.

burrowing habits.

The animal is of

Dasypus.

The ordinary food of the armadillos consists partly of vegetables. They are also very destructive to the eggs and young of such birds as build their nests on the ground, and greedily devour worms, frogs, and small lizards, and Azara says, even vipers. Their chief animal food is derived from the immense herds of wild cattle which cover the plains and savannahs of every part of South America. As these are only slaughtered for the sake of the hide and tallow, and as the carcases are left to rot, crowds of carnivorous animals are attracted by the smell, and among them the armadillos, who greedily devour the half putrid flesh.

Azara relates a singular story of their sagacity. "My friend Noséda," he says, "having arranged a trap for the purpose of taking chibigouzous, and having placed in it by way of bait a cock, with a small quantity of maize to support him, it so happened that a few grains of the maize fell through between the boards which formed the bottom of the trap. An armadillo arrived during the night, and, wishing to get at the maize thus accidentally spilt, opened a trench or burrow at some distance from the trap, and, without deviating a hair's breadth from the straight line of his direction, pushed it on to the very spot where the grain had fallen, and possessed himself of the booty."

The armadillo, roasted in its shell, is considered a great delicacy by the Spaniards and Portuguese of America.

Cuvier has divided the armadillos into five small groups, one of which is the Cachicames, and another the Priodontes.

The next genus of Edentata* is distinguished by their hairy covering and total want of teeth. The head of these animals is altogether different from that of the sloth's; for not only do they want the organs of mastication, of which they are deficient only in the incisors, but the bones of the face, which in them are short and round. like those of apes and monkeys, are prolonged in the AntEaters, particularly in the one now to be described, to double the length of the skull.

THE GREAT ANT-EATER.†

A DESCRIPTION of this animal-often called the Great Ant-Bear-might have been met with in Zoological works; but in October, 1853, the visitors of the Gardens in the Regent's Park had an opportunity of seeing the first living specimen brought into Europe, from the interior of Brazil, at a cost of £200.

Proceeding to its apartment, if the creature were taking its siesta, they would be reminded, as they saw it on its heap of clean straw, in one corner, of a large gray or grizzled Newfoundland dog. On looking more closely, the body appeared to be covered with long, flowing hair, proceeding from the reverted tail-a good defence from the sunbeams, nor less go from a heavy rain.

If, however, it had shaken off its slumbers, it would have been seen that, if the Ant-Eater were as tall as a Newfoundland dog, it was much longer in the proportion of the body to that of its height.

· A broad black stripe, narrowing as it proceeded, passed obliquely from the chest over each shoulder. The head, covered with close hair, looked, from the thick neck to its apex, like a long, slender proboscis, strangely contrasting with the massiveness of the animal's limbs. The eyes were small; the ears in a direct line, and about one inch above them, were very close, and rather rounded. Over the withers rose a mane of very long hair. The tail was as long, or even longer, than the whole body, and very stout towards the base. It was held in a line with the body as the creature moved along, sometimes a little depressed, and at others a little elevated; but, even when raised, its long, wiry, densely-set hairs swept the floor. The fore feet were armed with enormous hooked claws; but as these were doubled up close on the thick pad of the sole, they were not at first visible, so that the fore feet looked like mere stumps, while the hinder appeared like well-formed feet. The gait was heavy, but not slow-the animal, indeed, being capable of hasty movements. According to Dr. Schomburgk, “the ant-eater runs with a peculiar trot, and, when chased, will keep a horse at a canter, while it does not tire readily."

VOL. II.

Myrmechophaga, literally signifying Ant-Eater.

† Myrmecophaga jubata: Linnæus. French writers, Le Grand Fourmilier.

The white ants, or termites, so abundant in Brazil, constitute its chief food. When the creature meets with one of the tumuli constructed by these insects, it immediately pulls the fabric down with its large, strong claws, and, when the ants are thus exposed, its long, slender tongue is thrust out to collect them. The movements of the tongue, alternately protruded and retracted, are se rapid, that it is not surprising that so large an animal should be able to satiate itself with such minute insects. With instinctive economy, however, it does not destroy more than it wants. When it finds the ants' diminished on the surface, and each one seeks to escape in the numerous galleries of the ruined edifice, it uses its left foot to hold some large lumps of the nest, while with its right it leisurely pulls them, in pieces. With the insects it swallows a considerable quantity of the material of which the nests are constructed.

The Great Ant-Eater is found in all the warm and tropical parts of South America, from Colombia to Paraguay, and from the shores of the Atlantic to the foot of the Andes. He prefers the low, swampy savannahs, along the banks of rivers and stagnant ponds, and frequents the humid forests, but does not, as Buffon asserted, climb trees. Those who encounter him in the woods or plains, may drive him before them by merely pushing him with a stick; but, if pressed too hard, he becomes

obstinate, sits up on his hind quarters, like a bear, and defends himself with his powerful claws. His usual, and, indeed, only mode of assault, is, bear-like, by hugging his adversary; but his instinct is by no means equal to his strength, and hence stories told of his great exploits are manifestly

untrue.

Dr. Schomburgk domesticated a female ant-eater, which he found able to climb with great facility, and also to take up objects with its paws. It ate beef, and even fish, cut small. When not asleep, it rested on its haunches, but in feeding kneeled, as goats and sheep often do. Its height was three feet; the length of the head, one foot three inches; of the back, three feet seven inches; of the tail, three feet six inches. Other particulars he thus gives :

"It appeared to be of a very cold nature; not only the extremities, but the whole body felt cold to the touch, although we kept it wrapped up in a blanket. It preferred, however, to be nestled and to be taken up, and, on putting it down, it emitted a whining, but not unpleasant, sound; when it did not succeed in attracting attention, and was not taken up again, the whining sound was raised to a harsh and grating noise. In following a person, it directed its course more by the smell than by sight, and carried its snout close to the ground. If it found itself at fault, it wheeled round at right angles upon the hind legs, and sniffed the air in all directions