178 ANT-BEAR. 



it. These glands are similar to those in the lower 

 jaw of a woodpecker: the secretion is very clammy 

 and adhesive, but on becoming dry it loses these 

 qualities, and may be easily pulverized. 



The ant-bear is a pacific creature. He never 

 begins an attack, but were he to apply to the Heralds' 

 Office for a coat of arms, his motto might be "Noli 

 me tangere." As both his habits and his haunts 

 differ materially from those of every other forest 

 animal, their interests never clash, and he might 

 live to a good old age, and die at length in peace, 

 were it not that the Indians wage with him per- 

 petual war for the sake of his flesh. A poisoned 

 arrow often lays him low while basking in the sun 

 or straying among his usual pasture-grounds, the 

 ant-hills, and he falls beneath a power which he 

 can neither circumvent nor overcome. But if 

 closely attacked, he can fight manfully; if likely to 

 be overcome by dogs, he throws himself upon his 

 back, and should he catch hold of his enemy with 

 his tremendous claws, the assailant inevitably pays 

 for his rashness with his life. 



Three species of ant-bear are recognised by natu- 

 ralists. One of these, the maned (Myrmecophaga 

 jubata), inhabits low and swampy grounds through- 

 out an extent of country reaching from Paraguay 

 to the river Plata ; amid those regions where nume- 

 rous trees killed by the beaver, or worn out with 

 age, are intermixed with the narrow fringe of beau- 

 tiful vegetation which marks the course of the river, 

 while their distorted and bleached trunks and stems, 

 strongly contrasted with the surrounding objects, 

 are often rendered doubly interesting by affording a 



