THE ANT-BEAR. 



441 



CHAPTER LXXI. 



THE ANT-BEAR. 



THERE are many animals that live upon 

 ants in Africa and America ; the pangolin or 

 scaly lizard of Guinea may be considered 

 among this number; but there are a greater 

 variety in America, which make those minute 

 insects their only subsistence. Though they 

 are of different figures and sizes, yet, in 

 general, they go under one common name of 

 the ant-bear ; the peculiar length and sleri- 

 derness of their snout, their singular appe- 

 tites, and their mariner of taking their prey, 

 striking us too strongly to attend to the mi- 

 nute differences of their size or form. 



They have been classed by Mr. Buffbn into 



the LARGER TAMANDUA, the SMALLER TAMANDl'A, 



and the ANT-EATER. The longest of this kind 

 is four feet long, from the tip of the snout to 

 the insertion of the tail; their legs are short, 

 and armed with four strong claws; their tail 

 is long and tufted, and the animal often throws 

 it on its back like the squirrel. The second 

 of this kind is not above eighteen inches 

 long, the tail is without hair, and it sweeps the 

 ground as the animal moves. The ANT-EATER, 

 which is the third variety, is still smaller than 

 either of the former, as it is not above seven 

 inches from the tip of the snout to the inser- 

 tion of the tail. The two former are of a 

 brown dusky colour, but this of a beautiful 

 reddish, mixed with yellow. Though they 

 differ in figure, they all resemble each other 

 in one peculiarity, which is the extreme 

 slenderness of their snout, and the amazing 

 length of their tongue. 



The snout is produced in so disproportion- 

 ate a manner, that the length of it makes near 

 a fourth part of the whole figure. A horse 

 has one of the longest heads of any animal 

 we know, and yet the ant-bear has one above 

 twice as long, in proportion to its body. The 

 snout of this animal is almost round and 

 cylindrical : it is extremely slender, arid is 

 scarcely tlw ker near the eyes than at its ex- 

 tremity. The mouth is very small, the nos- 



trils are very close to each other, the eyes 

 are little in proportion to the length of the 

 nose, the neck is short, the tongue is ex- 

 tremely long, slender, and flatted on both 

 sides; this it keeps generally doubled up in 

 the mouth, and is the only instrument by 

 which it finds subsistence; for the whole of 

 this tribe are entirely without teeth, and find 

 safety only in the remoteness and security of 

 their retreat. 



If we examine through the various regions 

 of the earth, we shall find that all the most 

 active, sprightly, and useful quadrupeds, have 

 been gathered round man, and either served 

 his pleasures, or still maintained their inde- 

 pendence by their vigilance, their cunning, 

 or their industry. It is in the remote soli- 

 tudes that we are to look for the helpless, the 

 deformed, and the monstrous births of nature. 

 These wretched animals being incapable of 

 defending themselves, either by their agility 

 or their natural arms, fall a prey to every 

 creature that attacks them ; they, therefore, 

 retire for safety into the darkest forests, or 

 the most desert mountains, where none of the 

 bolder or swifter animals choose to reside. 



It may well be supposed that an animal so 

 helpless as the ant-bear is. with legs too short 

 to fit it for flight, and unprovided with teeth 

 to give it a power of resistance, is neither 

 numerous, nor often seen ; its retreats are in 

 the most barren and uncultivated parts of 

 South America. It is a native only of the new 

 continent, and entirely unknown to the old. 

 It lives chiefly in the woods, and hides itself 

 under the falien leaves. It seldom ventures 

 from its retreat, and the industry of an hour 

 supplies it with sufficient food for several 

 days together. Its manner of procuring its 

 prey is one of the most singular in all natural 

 history: as its name implies, it lives entirely 

 upon ants and insects ; these, in the countries 

 where it is bred, are found in the greatest 

 abundance, and often build themselves hills 



