268 



THE BAJJERKEIT. 



Ants, termites, and various insects are the favorite food of the Pha- 

 tagin, which sweeps them up by means of its long and extensile tongue, 

 caring nothing for their formidable jaws, the bite of which is powerful 

 enough to drive a human being almost distracted with pain. The 

 claws are employed not only in destroying the nest of the termite, but 

 in digging burrows for its own residence — a task for which they are 



The Phatagin {Manis tetradactyla). 



well adapted by reason of their great size and strength, and by the 

 vigor of the limbs to which they are attached. 



The Phatagin is a native of Western Africa, and is of considerable 

 dimensions, reaching five feet in average length, of which the tail occu- 

 pies three feet. From the great length of the tail, it is sometimes called 

 the Long-tailed Manis. 



The Bajjerkeit, or Short-tailed Manis, is a native of various 

 parts of India, and is also found in Ceylon. Of this species Sir Emer- 

 son Tennent gives the following short account : " Of tjie Edentates, the 

 only example in Ceylon is the scaly ant-eater, called by the Singalese, 

 Caballaya, but usually known by its Malay name of Pengolin, a word 

 indicative of its faculty of 'rolling itself up' into a compact ball by 

 bending its head toward its stomach, arching its back into a circle, and 

 securing all by a powerful hold of its mail-covered tail. When at lib- 

 erty, they burrow in the dry ground to a depth of seven or eight feet, 

 where they reside in pairs, and produce annually two or three young. 



" Of two specimens which I kept alive at different times, one from 

 the vicinity of Kandy, about two feet in length, was a gentle and affec- 



