the principal passage, each of which is terminated by a store-house, in which its winter food is deposited; in one is contained acorns, in another nuts, in a third maize, and in a fourth chestnuts, which are its favourite food.

These animals seldom stir out during winter, nor so long as their provisions last; when these fail, they sometimes work their way into places where apples are laid up, or in barns where maize is stored, and make great havoc. During harvest, they fill their mouths so full with corn, that their cheeks are quite distended; and in this manner, carry it to their concealed store. They give great preference to certain kinds of food; and if after filling their mouths with rye, they chance to meet with wheat, they discharge the one, that they may secure the other.

This animal is marked with a stripe of black, which runs along the ridge of the back; and on each side is a yellow stripe, bordered with black; its head, body, and tail, are of a reddish brown; breast and belly, white; its nose and feet of a pale red colour: its eyes full and lively. It is very wild; bites severely; and is tamed with dif ficulty. Its skin is of no value.

THE armadillo is found is South America, where there are several varieties of them.-They are all covered with a strong crust or shell, and are distinguished from each other by the number of flexible bands of which it is composed. It is a harmless, inoffensive animal; feeds on roots, fruits, and other vegetables; grows very fat; and is greatly esteemed for the delicacy of its flesh.

The Indians hunt it with small dogs, trained for that purpose. When surprised, it runs to its hole, or attempts to make a new one, which it does with great expedition, having strong claws on its fore feet, with which it adheres so firmly to the ground, that if it should be caught by

the tail, whilst making its way into the earth, its resistance is so great, that it will sometimes leave it in the hands of its pursuers. To avoid this, the hunter has recourse to artifice; and by tickling it with a stick, it gives up its hold, and suffers itself to be taken alive. If no other means of escape be left, it rolls itself up within its covering, and drawing in its head and legs, and bringing its tail round them as a band, to connect them more forcibly together, in this situation it sometimes escapes by rolling itself over the edge of a precipice.

THIS animal differs from the preceding in size, it never being known to exceed that of a young pig; and the number of its bands being less; between the folds of which, there are a few scattered hairs. Its tail is thick at the base, tapers to a point, and is shorter than the rest of its species. It is found in Brazil and Guiana.

To give a minute description of the shells or coverings of the armadillos, would be extremely difficult, as they are all composed of a number of parts, and differ greatly from each other, in the order and disposition of the figures with which they are distinguished; but it may be necessary to observe, that, in general, there are two large pieces that cover the shoulders and the rump, between which lie the bands, which are more or less in number in different kinds. These bands are not unlike those in the tail of a lobster; and being flexible, give way to the motions of the animal.

These singular quadrupeds are naturally harmless and inoffensive, unless they find their way into a garden, where they do a great deal of mischief by eating the melons, potatoes, and other vegetables. Their motion is a swift walk, but they can neither run, leap, nor climb trees; so that if pursued in an open place, their only resource is to make towards their holes as fast as possible.

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THIS singular animal is defended by a coat of mail, which protects it from the attacks of the most powerful animals. All the upper parts of its body are closely covered with scales of different sizes, which it can erect at pleasure, opposing to the adversary a formidable row of offensive weapons. The tiger, the panther, or the leopard, in vain attempt to force it. The moment it perceives the approach of an enemy, it rolls itself up like a hedge-hog, and by that means secures all the weaker parts of its body. Its long tail, which, at first view, might be thought easily separable, serves still more to increase its security, for being lapped round the body, and defended with shells even more cutting than any other part, the creature remains in perfect security.

Incapable of being carnivorous, since it has no teeth, or of subsisting on vegetables which require much chewing, the pangolin lives entirely upon insects; for which Nature has fitted it in a very remarkable manner. As it has a long nose, it may naturally be supposed to have a long tongue; but to increase its length still more, it is doubled in the mouth, so that when shot out, it extends above a quarter of a yard beyond the tip of the nose. When, therefore, the pangolin approaches an ant-hill (for these are the insects on which it chiefly feeds) it lies down near it, concealing as much as possible the place of its retreat, and stretches out its long tongue among the ants, keeping it for some time immoveable. These little creatures, allured by its shining appearance, and the unctuous substance with which it is smeared, instantly gather upon it in great numbers; and when the pangolin supposes there is a sufficiency, it quickly withdraws the tongue, and swallows them at once. This curious method is repeated

either till it be satisfied, or till the ants, grown more cautious, will be no longer allured to their destruction.

The pangolin chiefly resides in the most obscure parts of the forest, and digs itself a retreat in the clefts of rocks, where it brings forth its young in security. It is about three or four feet long, or taking in the tail, from six to eight. Like the lizard, it has a small head, a very long nose, a short thick neck, a long body, short legs, and a tail of considerable length, thick at the insertion, and terminating in a point. It has no teeth, but its feet are armed with long white claws. It is found in the warm latitudes of the East, as well as in Africa; but as it is rarely met with, its fecundity, in all probability, is not great. The negroes of Africa, when they find it, beat it to death with clubs, and consider its flesh as a peculiar delicacy.

THIS animal is found in many parts of Africa, in Greece, and almost all the countries bordering on the Mediterranean; also in Sardinia, Corsica, and all the European islands in the Archipelago. The length of its shell seldom exceeds eight or nine inches, nor does it weigh in general more than three pounds. The shell is composed of thirteen middle pieces, and about twenty-five marginal ones; it is of an oval form, extremely convex, and broader behind than before. The middle part is of a blackish brown varied with yellow; the under part, or belly of the shell, is of a pale yellow, with a broad dark line down each side, leaving the middle plain. The head is not large, nor does the opening of the mouth extend beyond the eyes; the upper part is covered with irregular scales; the legs are short, and the feet moderately broad, and covered with strong scales; the tail, which is rather shorter than the legs, is also covered with scales, but terminates in a horny tip.

This animal resides principally in burrows that it forms in the ground, where it sleeps the greatest part of its time, appearing abroad only a few hours in the middle of the day. In the autumn it hides itself for the winter, remaining torpid four or five months, and not again making its appearance till the spring. About the beginning of June, the female scratches a hole in some warm situation, in order to deposit her eggs; these are hatched in September, at which time the young are about the size of a large walnut.

The tortoise has an arbitrary stomach, as well as lungs, and can refrain from eating as well as breathing, for a great part of the year. It is particularly remarked for its longevity, being known to exist upwards of a hundred years. Its principal food is lettuces, dandelions, and all plants of a milky nature.

THE porcupine is about two feet long, and fifteen inches high; it appears a mass of mis-shapen flesh, covered with quills, from ten to fourteen inches long, resembling the barrel of a goose-quill in thickness, but tapering at both ends. These quills generally incline backward, like the bristles of a hog, but when the animal is irritated, they rise and stand upright. As to the rest of the animal's figure, the muzzle bears some resemblance to that of a hare; the legs are very short, and these, as well as the belly, the head, and all other parts of the body, are covered with a short hair like prickles.

Some persons have indeed imagined that it possessed the power of discharging its quills, but this has been long detected and exploded. It is true, that on the near ap