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Giant Sloths and Armadillos: Woodbine

Later on, however, the zeal and energy of Sir Woodbine Parish, his late Majesty's chargé-d'affaires at Buenos Ayres, 1 Greek-megas, great; therion, beast. greatly helped to augment the materials for arriving at a just conclusion with regard to its proper place in the animal kingdom. According to one writer, Spain formerly possessed considerable parts of three different skeletons. The first and most complete is that which is preserved in the royal cabinet at Madrid. This was sent over in 1789, by the Marquis of Loreto, Viceroy of Buenos Ayres, with a notice stating that it was found on the banks of the river Luxan. In 1795 a second specimen arrived from Lima, and other portions, probably not very considerable, were in the possession of Father Fernando Scio, to whom they had been presented by a lady from Paraguay. But two German doctors, Messrs. Pander and D'Alton, who published in 1821 a beautiful monograph on the subject, state that they were unable in 1818 to find any traces of either the Lima specimen or that which had belonged to Fernando Scio.

The remains collected by Sir Woodbine Parish were discovered in the river Salado, which runs through the flat alluvial plains (Pampas) to the south of the city of Buenos Ayres, after a succession of three unusually dry seasons, "which lowered the waters in an extraordinary degree, and exposed parts of the pelvis to view as it stood upright in the bottom of the river." 1 This and other parts having been carried to Buenos Ayres by the country people, were placed at the disposal of Sir Woodbine Parish by Don Hilario Sosa, the owner of the property on which the bones were found. A further inquiry was instituted by Sir Woodbine; and on his application, the governor granted assistance, the result of which was the discovery of the remains of two other skeletons on his Excellency's properties, at no great 1 "Some Account of the Remains of the Megatherium sent to England from Buenos Ayres, by Woodbine Parish, Jun., Esq., F.R.S.," by Wm. Clift, Esq., F.R.S., Geological Transactions, second series, vol. iii., p. 437. PLATE L.