1.The two curious animals of which we are now to read live in the part of South America between the two great rivers Amazon and Orinoco.
2.If we could fly like birds to that region and look down upon it from above,we should see a vast plain covered with trees,and having numberless streams flowing through it.
3.A cooling north-easterly wind from the sea helps to temper the heat of the sun;and the vast forests cast a refreshing shade over the well-watered ground.The rivers are full of alligators,and the forests of wild beasts.It is there that our two animals with arm our have their home.
4.The first is called the armadillo.He burrow.in sand-hills like a rabbit.The South American Indian is very fond of his flesh,and to get it he digs him out of his hole.He makes sure that the animal is at home before he begins to dig,and this he finds out in a very clever way.
5.He puts a short stick down the mouth of the hole.
If a number of mosquitoes come out,the Indian knows
that an armadillo is in.When there are no mosquitoes in the hole,there is no armadillo.
6.When he is sure that the armadillo is there,the hunter cuts a long and slender stick,and pushes it into the hole.He watches the direction the stick takes,and then digs a pit in the sand to reach the end of it.
7.He then puts the stick further into the hole,and digs another pit.In this way he at last comes up with the armadillo,which has been making for itself a passage in the sand till it is quite tired out.The hunter sometimes takes most of a day to dig out one armadillo.
8.In laying hold of the armadillo,he must avoid his feet;they are armed with sharp claws,and will give a severe wound.When left alone,he is a very harmless creature.He can swim well in time of need,but he does not go into the water from choice.He is very seldom seen abroad during the day,and he keeps close to the mouth of his hole.
9.The armadillo,however,carries his best defence about with him.He has neither fur,nor wool,nor bristles;but in place of them he has a shell,on which there are scales very much like those of fishes.
10.This covers every part except the ears.It is very supple,so that the animal is able either to stretch himself out or to roll himself up into a ball.When looked at closely,it puts one very much in mind of a coat of arm our.It is not only strong but also very pretty.
11.The second of our armour-wearing animals is the land-tortoise.He,too,is often seen in these South American wilds,and is another harmless animal.He feeds on the fallen fruits which he finds in the forest.
12.When an enemy draws near,he never thinks of moving,but quietly draws himself under his shell,which is so strong that even the teeth of the jaguar can not pierce it,nor can a stroke of his paw do it any harm.
13.The tortoise seems to have only two foes who can do him any damage.One of these is the boa-constrictor.This snake swallows the animal alive,shell and all.But there are very few large enough to do this,and thus there is not much to fear from that quarter.The other enemy is man,who takes up the tortoise and carries him away.But man also is scarce in these wilds ,and so the animal seldom receives harm at his hands.
