THE TRUE ANT-EATERS. 



187 



swallow its prey. But though ants and ter- 

 mites arc its favourite food, it by no means 

 despises other larger insects or even eggs 

 and small vertebrates. On the approach of 

 danger it burrows with remarkable strength 

 in the ground in order to escape. Its dwell- 

 ing consists of a roomy chamber, which it 



leaves only at night. The aard-vark attains 

 the length of 6^ feet. Its name, meaning 

 carth-hog, it owes to the Dutch settlers at 

 the Cape, who thought that its flesh resembled 

 that of a young pig. For the sake of this 

 llcsh, as well as its hide, which yields an ex- 

 cellent leather, it is much hunted. 



Fig. 244. The Aard-vark or Cape Ant-bear (Oryctcropus capensis). 



All the other worm-tongued edentates have 

 no teeth at all. The mouth is in general 

 very small, the lower jaw long but weak. 



The True Ant-eaters (Myrmecophagida). 



The members of this group are characterized by their very 

 thick hair covering. Several genera are distinguished. 



The Great Ant-eater or Ant-bear, the 

 Yurumi of the inhabitants of Paraguay 

 (Myrmecophaga jnbata), which is represented 

 in a full-page illustration (Plate XXXIX.), 

 is the largest species. Its body measures 

 about 4 feet 3 inches, the tail with the hair 

 nearly a metre (3 feet 3 inches). The crea- 

 ture has a very peculiar form, but is by 

 no means ugly, as many naturalists assert. 



The long thin head is cylindrical in shape 

 and has a scarcely observable curvature ; the 

 mouth is so narrow that a finger just fits into 

 it; eyes and ears are both very small. The 

 short legs have four toes in front and five 

 behind, all the toes armed with large sharp 

 sickle-shaped claws. The fore-paws are so 

 twisted and curved that in walking or running 

 they touch the ground only with the outer 

 edge. The animal is specially distinguished 

 by its splendid bushy tail with long hair like 

 that of a horse. The tail is carried erect 

 over the back. The rest of the body has a 

 luxuriant growth of coarse shaggy hair; a 

 mane hangs down from the back on both 

 sides. The whole animal is in fact little more 



