A \T-KATKU. 





.:- 



This auimal has strong disagreeable odour, which is ao powerful 

 that it may be peteeJTed t a Tory great distance, particularly when tlio 

 animal U irritated. Tamandua in the name by which it is known to 

 the Portuguese of Brazil; the French call it Founuillier .-ml the 

 English the Little Ant-Bear. 



8. The Little or Two-Toed Ant-Eter (3f. d.W i.-V-r. Linn.) u easily 

 distinguished from the other two specie*, not only by its size, whi.-h 

 does not exceed that of the common European squirrel, but likewise 

 by the number of its toes, four on the posterior and only two on the 

 anterior extremities. The form and general proportions of its body 

 resemble those of the Tamandua, only on a very reduced wale. Its 

 whole length, from the snout to the origin of the tail, is but 6 inches, 

 that of the head not quite 2 inches, and of the tail ~\ inches. This 

 organ it consequently rather longer than the body ; it is thick at tho 

 root, and covered with short fur, but tapers suddenly towards the 

 point, where it is naked and strongly prehensile. The muzzle in not 

 so long, in proportion, as in the other two species ; the tongue also is 

 shorter, and has a flatter form ; the month opens farther back in the 

 jaws, and has a much larger gape, the eye being situated close to its 

 posterior angle ; the ears are short, rather drooping, and concealed 

 among the long fur which covers the head and cheeks ; the legs are 

 short and stout, and the hair very fine and soft to the touch, three- 

 quarters of an inch in length on the body, but much shorter on the 

 head, legs, and tail. The general colour is that of straw, more or less 

 tinged with maroon on the shoulders, and particularly along the 

 median line of the back, which usually exhibits a deep line of this 

 shade. This species is said to have four mivmime, two pectoral, as in 

 those already described, and two others on the abdomen. It is 

 reported, nevertheless, to have but a single cub at a birth, wliii-li it 

 conceals in the hollow of some decayed tree. The native countries of 

 the Little Aut-Eater are Guyana and Brazil, beyond which it appears 

 not to extend farther towards the south, since Azarn is n 

 unacquainted with it, but imagines from Buflbn's and l>.m' 

 descriptions that it must be the young of his Tamandua. The habits 

 and manners of this little animal are thus described by Von Sack, in 

 his ' Narrative of a Voyage to Surinam' : 



Little AnUEater (if. iidactyla). 



" I have had," says he, "two Little Ant-Enters or Kourmilliers, 

 which were not larger than a squirrel: one was of a l>nVht yellow 

 colour, with a brown stripe on the back ; the other was a silvery -gray 

 and darker on the back ; tho hair of each was very soft and silky, a 

 little crisped ; the head was small and round, the nose long, gradually 

 beoBng downwards to a point; it had no teeth, Imt a very long round 

 tongue; the eyes were very small, round, and black; the legs rather 

 short; the fore-feet had only two claws on each, the exterior ! -inn 

 much larger and stronger than the interior, which exactly filled t In- 

 curve or hollow of the large one; the hind-feet hail COOT claw* of 

 moderate size; the tail was prehensile, longer than the Ixidy, thiek at 

 the base and tapering to the end, which, for some inches >m tin- under 

 side, was bare. This little aninml in Surinam is called Kissing Haml, 

 as the inhabitants pretend that it will never eat, at least when > 

 but that it only licks its paws, in the same manner as the bear ; that 

 all trials to make it eat hare proved in vain, and that it soon dies in 

 confinement. When I got the first, I sent to the forest for a neat ol 

 ants, and, during tho interim, I put into its cage some eggs, Imney. 

 milk, and meat ; but it refused to touch any of them. At length the 

 ants' nest arrived, but the animal did lint pay the slightest attrnii'-i 

 to it either. By the shape of its fore-paws, which resemble nip] ' i 

 and differ very much from those of nil the oil nt species ol 



ant-eaten, I thought that this little creature might perhaps live on the 

 nyinpha* of wasps, Ac. ; I therefore brought it a wasps' nest, and then 

 it pulled out with its nippers the nymphw from the nest, and began tc 

 eat them with the greatest eagerness, sitting in the |>osturu of a squirrel 

 I showed this phenomenon to many of tin- inlial itaiiU, who all assurec 

 me that it was the first time they had ever known that specie* o 

 animal to take any nourishment The ants with which I tried it were 

 the large white termites, upon which fowls are fed In TV. 



" As the natural history of this pivtty little animal is not much 



known, I thought of trying if they would breed in a c*-. : but when 



I returned from my exem-ion into the country. 1 found them both 



dead, perhaps occasioned by tho trouble given to procure the wimps' 



nests for them, though they are here very plentiful : wherefore I can 



give no further description of them than that they slept all the day 



ong curled together, and fastened by their prehensile tails to one of 



tie perches of the cage. Wli.-n touched they erected themselves on 



heir hind-legs, and struck with the fore-paws at tin- otij.-et whirh 



isturbed them, like the hammer of a clock striking the bell, with 



x>th paws at the same time, and with a great deal of strength. They 



ever attempted to run away, hut were always ready for defence, w ln-n 



attacked. As soon as evening came they awoke, and with the greatest. 



activity walked on the wire of the cage, though th< . n'-.-T jump- d. nor 



lid I ever hear th- 



ANTACONIST Ml'SCI.i: ifr-m irrl, against, and i^ffouu, to 

 strive), a muscle the action of which is opposed to that of some other 

 muscle. Muscles are the instruments by which, in the animal body,, 

 motion is effected. The object of each muscle is to produce some 

 pecific motion. Among the various motions which are needed in tho- 

 Miimal economy, it necessarily happens that some are directly opposite 

 o others, and the muscles which accomplish these directly opposite, 

 movements are said to be with relation to each other Antagonists. 

 ANTKI. (>!']:. [Axrn.i.rK.K.] 



AVIT'.NN .!!. horn-like members placed on the head, and peculiar 

 o Insects and Crustaceous Animals. Their functions are not 

 understood, and have given rise to several different opinions aiming 

 naturalists. The term is derived from the Latin ante, MM tor.- ' In insects 

 they are uniformly two in number ; but in crabs and lobsters there are 

 more than two. They are connected with the head, always near the eyes, 

 >y means of a ball (bulbtu) and socket (torultu). They are composed of 

 minute cylinders or rings successively added to each other, to t lie nunilier 

 of 30 in some butterflies, and thus forming a tube which incloses 

 'or sensation, muscles for moving, as well as air-pipes and cells. 



The form of the antenna; is exceedingly various, some being simple 

 ind some feathered, clubbed, comb-shaped, in endless diversity. In 

 moths, the female is distinguished from the male by tho antenna 

 more simple. In some moths and beetles the antenna 1 

 coui|>ared with the length of tho body, whereas in the house-fly, ami 

 some other two-winged flies, they are very short. Their length does 

 not depend on the number of joints, for they may be long when 

 composed of only three or four pieces, and short when composed of 

 ten or more pieces. 



With respect to the functions of the antenna!, it is the most com- 

 mon opinion, sanctioned by such authorities us Linnocus and Bergmann, 

 that they are organs of touch, and are on that account often t 

 feelers ; " but," as M. Straus-Durckheiin justly remarks, " this con- 

 jecture is founded upon facts imperfectly in vestigated, if not altogether 

 false. I hare made numerous researches on this fmbjeet. and I ha\e 

 never been able to satisfy myself that insects examine object* by 

 feeling them with their auteniue. On the contrary, 1 have rarely 

 observed these animals touch anything with these organs, and when 

 this did happen, it appeared to be only by accident, and not at all 

 from design. Many insects, besides, have their antenna; so short, that. 

 they would be obliged to stand erect upon their heaxls in order to eonie 

 at the bodies which they might thus wish to explore, ami for this 

 their feet are certainly much better adapted. 



" Si lire," continues M. Straus-Durekhcim, " almost all Articulated 

 Animals possessing a solid skin (/>iu\ have antenna'. whi<h are fin 

 with nerves of an extraordinary thickness in proportion to their own 

 size, there cannot remain a doubt that they are organs of some 

 and that too a very acute one. 



" I have said that insects are proved, by observation, to lie t'unii-li- d 

 with an organ of hearing. The solidity of the envelope of an 

 renders these organs well adapted to undergo the same vibrations as the 

 air, in the same manner as the strings of an Julian harp vihr.-it 

 emit various sounds according as they are differently .struck l>\ ' 

 In this \i.-\v. ho\\e-. i i. we might infer that nature would 

 antenniv in the form of roils, consisting of a single pieee. in milerthat 

 they might be more susceptible of vibrations; but it ought 

 ei.n-idered, that these organs would, by such a conformation, have 

 been much exposed to breaking, while, in consequence of their j 

 form, they have the advantage of regulating the degree of vibration 

 at pleasure, as may indeed be observed when insects listen with 

 tion; I mean, that the joints of the antennas perform the same fin 

 as the chain of small Imnes in the chamber of the human ear, iuasmurh 

 as they form a .similar chain, and transmit the vibrations of the air to 

 the auditory pulp." 



I'rofessor llnn.-ilnrll of Al>o in Finland, and other naturalists, though 

 opposed to the views of l.inn.-i'ns and Bergman n, have adopted tin: 

 same opinion, and regard the antenna; as organs of hearing. 



There is one ot her >nl,jeet eonne<-t<>d with tln-antei, piin s 



notice. The younger Hulier ha .< attrihut 



Miade with these organs, \-. hi, h hr t-nn- 'antennal language,' 

 understood not only among ants themselves, bnt also 

 aphides, mi whieh they depi'inl for the excretion popularly t 

 I- w. The motion.- oft! \\hieh h- 



in proof of his views, do not, so far as we call judge, au>' 

 conclude that they are used in the way of language, any more than 



