THE AARD VARK 217 



problem had been so satisfactorily solved during 

 the voyage by a liberal diet of raw pounded meat, 

 that the animal arrived in London in splendid 

 health : he was followed in October of the same 

 year by a female obtained in the same locality, 

 and a third example was deposited in the Gardens 

 in 1872. The original specimen lived at least ten 

 years in England : in 1870 he was given a male 

 Ethiopian ant-bear as a companion, the two 

 bachelors agreeing well together, and affording 

 naturalists the only opportunity hitherto recorded 

 of comparing the two species of African ant- 

 eater side by side during life. 1 



During 1900-02 no less than ten aard vark 

 were offered for sale, but although duly adver- 

 tised by their owner nothing further seems to be 

 recorded of any of the members of this very large 

 series. The labour of capturing and feeding this 

 great number of troublesome animals must have 

 been immense, and that so many were offered 

 speaks well for the perseverance of those con- 

 cerned in the enterprise. 



It will have already appeared from this essay 

 that the inconvenient size and high price of these 

 animals together with the great difficulty of 

 managing them will effectually prevent them from 



i The Ethiopian aard vark is even rarer in captivity than the 

 Cape species, but the Paris Museum of Natural History contains a 

 fine example of the former which died in the Jardin des Plantes 

 menagerie. 



