TOOTHLESS ANT-EATERS 263 



of any foe excepting those of man himself, for the head, which is the 

 only undefended part of the frame, is tucked away beneath the body, 

 so that a fatal wound cannot be inflicted. 



Like the hedgehog, the nianis curls himself up by means of the 

 curious and powerful muscle which surrounds the body, and which, 

 in the whale, is so useful in diminishing the bulk when the animal 

 wishes to dive. 



The fore paws of the manis are armed with most wonderfully 

 large and strong claws, or rather talons, and for a very good reason, 

 for the animal feeds upon the curious insect which is called the white 

 ant (or, more properly, the termite), and which is in the habit of 

 making huge nests of clay something like those of the wood ant in 

 shape. Now, the clay of which these nests are formed quickly 

 becomes baked by the intense heat of the tropical sun, so that the 

 walls are hard enough to resist the attacks of almost any foe. But 

 they cannot bid defiance to those of the manis, whose powerful limbs 

 and long, sharp claws quickly break their way into the interior of the 

 nest, the inmates of which are eaten in thousands by the successful 

 animal. 



The manner in which these termites are devoured is very curious. 

 The manis has no teeth, and one might well think that it would find 

 great difficulty in capturing enough of the active little insects for its 

 needs, more especially as the paws are formed for the one great pur- 

 ])Ose of digging alone, and cannot be of the slightest use in capturing 

 prey. The tongue, however, is far more useful than the paws could 

 possibly be, for not only is it very long and slender, so that it can be 

 passed into every little passage or aperture, but it is moistened with 

 a very sticky spittle, or saliva, which causes the termites to adhere to 

 it as soon as they are touched. When the animal is feeding, it sweeps 

 the insects into its mouth by hundreds, the gummy tongue moving 

 rapidly to and fro, and licking up the little creatures much as that of 

 a cat or dog licks up water. 



Owing to the peculiar structure of the claws, this animal is not at 

 all swift of foot, for its paws can with difficulty be used for the pur- 

 pose of walking, so that its progress is very slow. We thus see how 

 necessary it is that armor of some kind should 1)e given to it, for it 



