NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



out upon the veld, the diet of the Aard Wolf con- 

 sists of locusts, and termites which are generally 

 known as " White Ants." When these are scarce 

 or unprocurable, all edible forms of insect life are 

 eaten, supplemented by the eggs and tender young 

 of ground birds, the eggs of snakes, young rats, 

 mice, lizards, and carrion. However, there can be 

 no doubt that the main diet of this animal consists 

 of those often highly destructive creatures called 

 termites or '' White Ants." 



Like the ant-eater or Aard Vark, the Aard Wolf 

 in this respect renders man exceedingly valuable 

 service. The damage wrought by many of the 

 species of termites is immense, as those who have 

 resided in the parts of the country infested with 

 these pests have reason to know. The Aard Wolf 

 does not possess a special insect-collecting apparatus 

 like the long sticky tongue of an ant-eater, but it 

 can nevertheless dispose of a considerable number 

 of termites in a very short space of time. Digging 

 down right into the nest it searches until the queen 

 termite is found enclosed in her royal cell of clay. 

 This is broken by the animal's teeth, and the fat 

 queen, which is a dainty morsel the size of a man's 

 thumb, is devoured. Then the whole of the breed- 

 ing part of the nest is scattered, and the supplemen- 

 tary or reserve queens are eaten, or left exposed 

 upon the surface of the ground to fall a prey to 

 birds, small mammals, or carnivorous beetles. For 

 many years past, whenever a specimen of an Aard 



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