India; _Manis_, the pangolin or
scaly ant-eater, species of which are found in Africa as well as Asia.

_GENUS MANIS_.

Small animals from two to nearly five feet in length; elongated
cylindrical bodies with long tails, covered from snout to tip of tail
with large angular fish-like scales, from which in some parts of
India they are called _bun-rohu_, or the jungle carp; also in
Rungpore _Keyot-mach_, which Jerdon translates the fish of the
_Keyots_, but which probably means khet-mach or field-fish--but in
this I am open to correction. The scales overlap like tiles, the free
part pointing backwards. These form its defensive armour, for,
although the _manis_ possesses powerful claws, it never uses them
for offence, but when attacked rolls itself into a ball.

In walking it progresses slowly, arching its back and doubling its
fore-feet so as to put the upper surface to the ground and not the
palm. The hind-foot is planted normally--that is, with the sole on
the earth.

The tongue is very long and worm-like, and covered with glutinous
saliva; and, much of this moisture being required, the sub-maxillary
glands are very large, reaching down under the skin of the neck on
to the chest.

The external ear is very small, and internally it is somewhat
complicated, there being a large space in the temporal bone which
communicates with the internal ear, so that, according to Professor
Martin-Duncan, one tympanum is in communication with the other.

These animals are essentially diggers. The construction of their
fore-arms is such as to economise strength and the effectiveness of
their excavating instruments. The very doubling up of their toes
saves the points of their claws. The joints of the fore-fingers bend
downwards, and are endowed with powerful ligaments; and in the wrist
the scaphoid and semi-lunar bones are united by bone, which increases
its strength. As Professor Martin-Duncan remarks: "Every structure
in the creature's fore-limbs tends to the promotion of easy and
powerful digging, and, as the motion of scratching the ground is
directly downwards and backwards, the power of moving the wrist
half-round and presenting the palm more or less upwards, as in the
sloths and in man, does not exist. In order to prevent this pronation
and supination the part of the fore-arm bone, the radius, next to
the elbow, is not rounded, but forms part of a hinge joint." He also
notices another interesting peculiarity in the chest of