The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-14
THE SKIN OF ANIMALS.
In Some IL Is IA Defensive ArmOr
Made of Horn and Bone.

From the Brocton CMass) Times.
Osteologist Lucas of the National mu-
scum is preparing a new exhibit, which is
designed to show the various mod!lca-
tions OF the skin of animals.
To begin with, says the Washington
Star. there will be q queer sort of ali-
gator from South America, called the
alligator of North America, belonging 10
q peculiar genus that has bony plates
on the under side as well as on the up
per side of the body. This is a distin-
gushing mark of the tribe. such alliga-
tors as are known elsewhere in the world
being thus armored only on their back.
The armor plates of the alligator are o.
true bone-the same sort of bone as thar
of the animals skeleton.
If you will examine the skin on the
back Of your hand you will find that 1t
lines in such a way that you can easily
imagine its texture transformed by eA-
only to gaze upon an armadillo in or
der 10 see such a modification OF the
skin. In Africa is found a yet more
curious animal, called the ''manis ma
crura." which is the most scaly of ali
scaly beasts. From the tip of his nose
to the end of a very long tail It is clad
in big horny scales that overlap one an
other. When alarmed it curls itself NJ,
into tight little ball, and the scales
being quite sharp 1t is pretty safe against
attack. In this case also the scales are
tionng, by the way, that the manis ma
crura possesses a greater number of
vertebrate than any other mammal
Mr.. Lucas will show, in the same case
with the jacari and the armadillo. a
'schcltopusic" This is a lizard from
Sicily The casual observer would take
it for a snake, its legs being rudimentary
and concealed beneath its skin. The en-
tire body of the reptile is covered with
little Iplats of bone. As in I'M case of
the alligator above described the bony
mates of the lizard only Y11n1iGafs
skin. The same is true of the very re-
markable box fish, of the West Indies,
which is clad in complete armor OF
six sided plates of bone, which are fas-
tened TO the skull and to the bases of the
dorsal and anal fins. An odd point about
this fish is that it cannot bend its body
at all, the VertebTae, save only three or
four near the TAIL being used together.
Thus the banckbone is a solid rod
The scales of the armadillo are Of bone.
covered with horn, the bone and the horn
corresponding, respectively, to the true
skin and the epidermis of human being
or other animal Bony plates and spines
are notifications of the true skin. while
horn is modified epidermis. Human beings
sometimes develop horns. but they are alb
normal growths. Another queer fish that
will be shown in connection with this ex-
hibit is the globe fish" which Is found in
waters off the coast of South Carolina. !
is clad in an armor of interlocked spines.
which are made TO stand erect at the viii
Of the animal thus rendering the latter an
unattractive n1orsel to swallow. In a world
like this, where every living creature is
the prey and food of others, animals are
often Obliged to put on coats Of hail if
they would survive.
Mr. Lucas will make fur and feathers q
part of the exhibit. Feathers and hair are
the same thing, differently modified, OF
course. stuffed and fretful porcupine
will illustrate the fact that mammals as
well as birds have quilts. This is true of
several species of mammals notably the
European hedgehog, which is disagreea-
bic creature to handle without gloves.
Awhile ago there were couple of porcu-
pines in the geological collection in the
rear OF the Smithsonian institution One of
them assailed an attendant, and struck
about thirty of its quilts inc his legs He
the attendant, not the porcupine-tod a
writer for the Star that the quilts came out
of the porcuptne much more easily than
they came out of his leg.