528 



EDENTATA. 



but always five on the hinder. Their tongue is soft, and but little 

 extensible ; a few hairs are scattered between the plates of their 

 armour, or in those parts of the body where these plates are de- 

 ficient. The Armadillos vary in size, from that of a terrier dog, to 

 that of a hedgehog. They are stout in their body and low on their 

 legs ; they dig burrows, and feed partly on vegetables, partly on 

 insects and dead animals. They belong to the warm, or at least the 

 temperate, parts of America. 



The Ant-eaters (Myrmecophaga) inhabit the same countries as the 

 Armadillos, from which, however, they are readily distinguished. 

 Their body is hairy, and their muzzle, drawn out into a long, cylin- 

 drical tube, is terminated by a small mouth, entirely destitute of 

 teeth. In consequence of the smallness of their mouth, their jaws 

 can scarcely be separated from each other, nor can the creatures 

 use them to seize or compress their food; but they are provided 

 with a very long tongue, which, wh en extended, resembles a great 

 earth-worm : this they are able to protrude to a considerable distance, 

 and as it is always covered with a viscid tenacious slime, they use 

 it for the purpose of catching the ants upon which they feed. By 

 the assistance of their long and powerful nails, the Ant-eaters tear 

 up the nests of the Termites or White Ants, and at the moment 

 when these insects sally forth in crowds from their retreat, protrud- 

 ing amongst them their viscid tongue, seize them by hundreds, and 

 thus convey them into their mouth. When at rest, the claws, that 

 serve also as defensive weapons, are folded against the wrist, so 

 that as the animal only rests the foot upon the side, its gait is slow. 

 Some species are furnished with a prehensile tail, by which they 

 suspend themselves from the branches of trees. The largest of the 

 tribe, 



FlG 455 GREAT ANT-BEAR. 



