THE ANT-BEAR. 3Q9 



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 insertion 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 slender- 

 ness of their snout, and the amazing length of 

 their tongue. 



The snout is produced in so disproportionate 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 pro- 

 portion to its body. The snout of this animal is 

 almost round and cylindrical ; it is extremely 

 slender, and is scarce thicker near the eyes than 

 at its extremity. The mouth is very small, the 

 nostrils are very close to each other, the eyes are 

 little in proportion to the length of the nose, the 

 neck is short, and the tongue is extremely 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, 



