72 LECTURE III. 



golins are of a harmless nature, and are chiefly 

 found in various parts of India and the Indian 

 islands : they feed on the smaller kinds of insects, 

 and particularly on ants, which they obtain by 

 stretching out their long worm-shaped tongue 

 amidst heaps of those insects, and when covered 

 with them, suddenly retracting it, and swallowing 

 them. 



There seem to be only two or three distinct 

 species known, with some occasional varieties of 

 each. The principal species is the Mauls pen- 

 tadactyla of Linnasus, or the five-toed Pangolin ; 

 distinguished by having five claws on the fore- 

 feet, and four on the hind: the middle claws of 

 the fore-feet being extremely large and strong. 

 In India this animal is particularly called the 

 Pangolin; it is said chiefly to frequent woods and 

 marshy places, walking slowly, and when pursued, 

 rolling itself up into the form of an oval ball; and 

 thus becomes so strongly armed, that even the 

 Tiger and the Leopard cannot attack it with 

 impunity, but wound their own feet in the assault. 

 The colour of the five-toed Pangolin is a pale, 

 yellowish brown; besides the character of five 

 claws on the fore-feet, the tail, in this species, is- 



