The Development of the NineBanded Armadillo From the Primitive Streak Stage to Birth With Especial Reference to the Question of Specific Polyembryony Classic Reprint

Excerpt from The Development of the Nine-Banded Armadillo From the Primitive Streak Stage to Birth: With Especial Reference to the Question of Specific Polyembryony

It is not our present purpose to attempt any comprehensive review of the literature dealing with the development of the Edentata, nor even of that treating especially of the armadillos. It seems advisable, rather, to limit our survey to those contri butions, a knowledge of which is essential to an understanding of the problem of specific polyembryony.

That certain species of armadillos bring forth at a birth young all of one sex has been known for over a century. According to Azara,2 a writer of the eighteenth century, the natives of Paraguay and of the Argentine Republic knew that this was true for the Mulita (tatu hybridum). Any observant hunter, who had been fortunate enough to capture a litter or two of young animals in a burrow with the mother, might readily have no ted such a unique state of affairs, for the sexes are easily distinguishable.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century Herman von J her ing, and met with similar statements on the part of the natives of Brazil and was sufficiently interested to attempt a scientific confirmation of what had been until then merely an interesting piece of folklore. Two pregnant females came under his observation, the uterus of each of which contained eight male foetuses, all in exactly the same stage of development. Each foetus was described as having its own separate amnion; but all were surrounded by a common chorion.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.