ZOOLOGY. 



The family of the Myrmecophagidfe^ or Ant- 

 eaters, have a pointed muzzle, with a long, glut- 

 inous tongue, admirably adapted for catching 

 burrowing insects, such as ants. The best known 

 is the M. jubata, or great Ant-eater, which feeds 

 upon ants. Its body is covered with hair, and its 

 jaws are without teeth. They belong to South 

 America. Nearly allied to this group is the 

 Pangolin (Mam's), or Scaly Ant-eater, which is 

 confined to Asia and Africa. Its tongue resembles 

 that of M. jubata, but its body is clothed with 

 overlapping scales, which constitute a defensive 

 armour when the animals roll themselves up into 

 a ball, as they do when alarmed. Another family 

 of the Armadillos (Dasypodida), are remarkable 



Armadillo (Dasypus sexcinctus). 



for the dense armour of hard scales arranged in 

 tranverse rows with which they are covered. The 

 molar teeth in D. gigas exceed ninety in number. 

 They have short legs, and long and powerful claws 

 suited for burrowing. A colossal extinct form, 

 Glyptodon, has been found in South America. It 

 had no bands in its armour, so that it was unable 

 to roll itself up, as the Armadillos do. They feed 

 chiefly on insects, and are confined to South 

 America. The Bradypodidce, or Sloths, have a 

 round head and short face, and the body covered 

 with hair. Their forearms are very long, and 

 armed with long claws, by which the animal is 

 enabled to suspend itself back downward from 

 the trees on which it lives. While walking, and 

 even in sleep, they retain this peculiar position. 







Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus trydattylus). 



They seldom leave a tree unless compelled 

 through force or accident. They are exclusively 

 South American. Fossil remains of two very 



large animals in this family have been discovered 

 in America the. Megatherium, Megalonyx, and 

 Mylodon nearly equalling the elephant in size. 



ORDER 4. Cetacea (Whales) are in general 

 bulky animals, with a fish-like form, and adapted 

 for an aquatic life. The anterior extremities are 

 fashioned into paddles or 'flippers,' for progres- 

 sion ; the posterior pair are absent. The tail is 

 a powerful, horizontally flattened organ (the tail 

 of fishes being flattened vertically), which en- 

 ables the animal to rise from the depths of the 

 ocean to take a breath on the surface, or to dive 

 suddenly below. Underneath the naked skin is 

 a layer of fat or 'blubber,' forming at once an 

 elastic padding, to enable the animal to resist the 

 pressure of the sea at great depths, and a comfort- 

 able wrapping, to save its natural heat from 

 escaping into the cold element amidst which it 

 lives. Whales are captured principally for the 

 oil which this blubber yields. Another feature of 

 the whales is the situation of the nostrils terminat- 

 ing at the crown of the head, and forming the 

 spiracles or 'blow-holes.' The phenomenon of 

 ' blowing ' is caused by the sudden condensation 

 in a cold atmosphere of the watery vapour con- 

 tained in the expired air. 



The family of the Balanidte (Whalebone), or 

 Toothless Whales, which sometimes attain the 

 length of 70 feet, are characterised by the total 

 absence of teeth in the adult, although teeth which 

 never cut the gum are present in the foetus. Their 

 place is supplied by a series of horny plates, 

 arranged round the jaws, and forming simply a 

 strainer. The animal, having taken in a huge 

 mouthful of water, containing small animals, 

 expels the water through this apparatus, leaving 

 the prey behind, which is then swallowed. From 

 this baleen, as it is called, is derived the article in 

 common use under the name of whalebone. It 

 gives a generic name to the group of animals 

 possessing it. The Common Whale (Balcena 



Greenland or Right Whale (Balana mysticetus). 



mysticctus') is an inhabitant of the Arctic Seas, and 

 its capture is the subject of a great trade. The 

 sailors transfix it with a harpoon, to which a line 

 is attached, and when it rises exhausted to the 

 surface, they kill it, and extract the blubber. The 

 great danger of this business is from the tail of 

 the whale, which is quite able to upset a boat, or 

 even to cut it in two. The Rorqual (Balcenoptera) 



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