ANT-EATER. ] 79 



support to the nest of the bald-eagle, elevated like a 

 beacon in the horizon. There the Maned Ant- 

 Eater may be seen, proceeding on his way with a 

 slow and heavy step, scenting the ground as he 

 goes, till, hearing the cry of the hunter, he bounds 

 off in a kind of measured gallop; but if closely 

 pressed, he sits down to receive the enemy, and 

 extends his powerful claws as if daring them to 

 approach. 



This quadruped, in a wild state, subsists almost 

 entirely on ants. It seems incredible how such di- 

 minutive insects can support so large an animal, 

 but the wonder ceases when we consider the myriads 

 which swarm in a single ant-hill, and that the face 

 of the country is often covered with them. 



The Tamandua of Buffon differs in his habits 

 from the Maned. Instead of moving slowly on the 

 ground, he climbs high trees by the aid of his pre- 

 hensile tail, to feed on the honey which is often 

 secreted by stingless bees in the hollow of the 

 time-worn trunks. The Little Ant- Eater (M. 

 didactyla), also lives in the forest, where he at- 

 tacks such ants and insects as hide beneath the 

 bark. You may see him clinging to the branches 

 with his tail and paws, peeping cautiously into the 

 lichens which cover the stems of aged trees; and 

 when he finds a quarry of trembling fugitives, he 

 pulls aside every intervening barrier, and destroys 

 them without mercy. 



Unlike such animals as live on grass, the Ant- 

 Eater has a mouth lengthened out, so as to be 

 somewhat of a tubular form, and his tongue is 

 cylindrical and extensile. Though provided with 



N 2 



