er equally well
protected creatures, have long ago disappeared from the earth, but how
and why nobody knows. This total disappearance of these marvellously
protected giants, which seemed capable of defending themselves against
any and all kinds of enemies that might have arisen, is one of the
strangest and most unsolvable problems of science.

Another mail-clad animal of importance is the armadillo of the tropical
and temperate regions of South America. He is nocturnal in habits,
sleeping in his underground home during the day, and coming out at night
to seek for food. This underground home is rather large, and the nursery
is well protected from enemies by its location. In it the mother
armadillo rears her young until they are large enough to care for
themselves.

All species of the armadillos are powerful burrowers, and they are well
equipped for their tunnelling in the earth with strong fore limbs. They
feed upon all kinds of insects and animal substances. It is claimed that
the giant armadillo is a veritable grave-robber and sometimes digs up
dead bodies for the purpose of eating them.

These animals are plentiful upon the savannas of South America, and they
feast upon the bodies of dead cattle. So hard are their coats of armour
that the Gauchos sharpen their Spanish knives, which they always carry,
upon them. Should the armadillo be attacked by a man on horseback, he
will burrow so rapidly that only by the quickest movements of the man
can he be caught; and if he is, watch out for his terrible claws!

No animal is better protected by nature from its enemies than the
pichiciago, whose scientific name is _chlamyphorus truncatus_. This
strange little mantle-bearer wears a coat of mail which is as flexible
as the human-made coats of armour of olden times, and he is as safe
under its cover, which allows him perfect freedom, as if he were under
the ground. He is about the size of the ordinary mole, and his general
habits are not unlike those of the mole. He is an underground-dweller,
with enormous fore-paws, palm-shaped, upon which are five powerful
claws. These he uses to great advantage in digging in the earth for
insects and for building his home. He has a small snout, reminding one
of that of a pig; while his piercing little eyes are deeply hidden in
his fur. He is a native of Chile, and because of his shy nature and
subterranean habits is rarely seen.

The most interesting feature about this little creature is t