184 DIGGERS 



that my servant went to them to investigate; and it was that 

 animal. It had torn a hole in one corner of its tin prison, 

 and escaped; and, but for the very dogs that had so often 

 annoyed me by trying to steal my specimens, it would have 

 been lost to me forever. 



THE AARD-VARK FAMILY 



This Family contains but one genus and two species, the 

 Cape Aard-Vark, 1 of South Africa, and the Ethiopian 

 Aard-Vark, of East Central Africa. 



With their usual facility in misnaming wild animals, the 

 Boer pioneers in Cape Colony bestowed upon the species 

 found there the name Earth-" Pig," and it has become a 

 fixture. 



The Cape Aard-Vark is as much like a pig as it is like a 

 jack "rabbit," but no more. Cut off its extremely long and 

 rabbit-like ears, cover it with imbricated scales to fit its body, 

 and externally we should have a rather tall pangolin, about 

 5 feet long. Unlike the pangolins, the jaws are provided 

 with teeth. The tail is long, thick and heavy, and its special 

 use is not quite apparent. 



In the usually wise economy of Nature, these insect- 

 eating animals were developed in Africa for the special pur- 

 pose of checking the ants of that region. Their powerful 

 front claws enable them to dig with great success into the 

 tall and also numerous ant-hills of Africa, and before the 

 days of universal game destruction, the Aard-Vark was often- 

 est found where ant-hills were most numerous. 



1 O-ryc-ter'o-pus a'fer. 



