ANT-EATERS. 



211 



limbs and flanks it becomes still more elongated and pendent, but attains its 

 maximum development on the tail, where it may measure as much as 16 inches in 

 length. The general colour of the hair over a large part of the body is ashy grey 

 mingled with black, this tint prevailing on the head, neck, back, flanks and hind- 

 quarters, fore-legs and tail. The throat, chest, under-parts, hind-feet, and under- 

 surface of the tail are blackish brown ; while a broad black band, margined with 

 white, extends obliquely upwards and backwards to terminate in a point on the 

 loins. The length of the head and body is about 4 feet, the height at the shoulder 

 being about two. 



THE GREAT ANT-EATER, WITH THE TAIL ELEVATED (jy nat. size). 



In addition to these external features, there are certain points in the internal 

 anatomy of this ant-eater which demand some attention. In the first place, the 

 exceedingly elongated skull is characterised by the zygomatic or cheek-arch being 

 incomplete ; and also by the circumstance that the passage above the bony palate, 

 through which the creature breathes, instead of stopping short near the middle of 

 the skull, is prolonged nearly to its hinder extremity. This is brought about by 

 the union in the middle line of descending plates from the bones known as 

 pterygoids ; this feature occurring elsewhere among mammals only in certain 

 dolphins and one genus of armadillo. In consequence of this arrangement the 

 posterior or inner nostrils of the great ant-eater open at the back of the skull, 



