Genus Dasypus. (Linn.)
The Encouberts, as they are called by Cuvier, are distinguished from other Armadillos by having five toes on the fore feet, of which the exterior and interior are the smallest; by having nine or ten teeth on each side of each jaw; and especially by having two teeth in the inter-maxillary bones of the upper jaw, representing, as it were, the incisors of ordinary Mammalia, and thus forming a remarkable exception, not only to the other animals of this Family, but also to those of the whole Order Edentata. The tail is of moderate length, for the most part covered with scales, arranged in guincunx, that is, in the form of the five upon dice. The limbs are very short; the body is broad and unusually flat; yet these Armadillos are so swift of foot that few men can outstrip them. They also burrow with incredible rapidity.
The Weasel-headed Armadillo (Dasypus encoubert, Desm.) has been repeatedly brought to Europe, and several specimens have lived in the gardens of the Zoological Society of London. The head and body are about sixteen inches in length, and the tail is about six inches more The head is large, flat, and nearly triangular, with the muzzle rounded; the eyes are small, the ears are erect, and of moderate size. This species has been commonly known as the six- banded Armadillo, but the number of the bands is now found to be an uncertain character: seven or elght are the ordinary number of this species. It is restless, unquiet, and curious: if any noise is made at the entrance of its burrow,
