Epimetheus set to with a will. He gave armor to some animals—the rhinoceros, the pangolin, and the armadillo, for instance. To others, almost at random it seemed, he handed out heavy weatherproof fur, camouflage, venom, feathers, tusks, talons, scales, claws, gills, wings, whiskers, and goodness knows what else. He assigned speed and ferocity, he apportioned buoyancy and airworthiness—every animal was fitted out with its own cleverly designed and efficient speciality, from navigational skills to expertise in burrowing, nest-building, swimming, leaping, and singing. He was just congratulating
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