34-O ECONOMIC MAMMALOGY 



turkeys and other wild birds, but Graham says he never either saw one 

 do so or found anyone who had. 2 Texas nine-banded armadillo (Dasy- 

 pus novemcinctus texanus) : "The excrement of the armadillos found 

 scattered along the trails in the form of clay marbles and with the 

 texture of baked mud gives some clue to the food habits of the ani- 

 mals. Careful examination shows only the remains of insects, mainly 

 ants and a few small beetles, embedded in a heavy matrix of earthy 

 matter." These animals are "much sought after for eating purposes 

 . . . very tender, without any gamy taste." 3 This useful and interesting 

 species is being rapidly exterminated for its skin, which is used in the 

 manufacture of ornamental baskets. 4 



The food of the South American armadillo (D. zillosiis) is flesh, 

 fruit, and vegetables, according to Jennison. 5 Ingersoll says the arma- 

 dillos of the Amazon Valley live chiefly on ants and termites, while 

 the smaller pampas species is fond of carrion and eats much plant food, 

 but its chief diet is insects and worms. 6 



FAMILY MYRMECOPHAGIDAE SOUTH AMERICAN ANTEATERS 

 The great South American anteater (Myrmecophaga jubata) is 

 four feet long, its head over a foot long, its mouth "a mere tube 

 through which is projected the long and sticky tongue," w r hich is espe- 

 cially adapted for catching ants. "The anteater, finding its whole 

 nourishment in these little insects, is wonderfully adapted for the pur- 

 pose. The head is thrust into the aperture and the viscid tongue, shot 

 in and out with great rapidity, carries thousands of the creatures to 

 the stomach. The anteaters are exceedingly valuable in a country where 

 the ant in its billions is an absolute peril." Stomachs examined by 

 Roosevelt "contained adult and larval ants, chiefly termites, with earth 

 and leaves." 7 So large an animal must devour a great number of ter- 

 mites to satisfy its appetite. In Ecuador the giant anteater is used 

 as food by the natives. 7 " 3 



The tamandua (Tamandiia tetradactyla) , of South America, is simi- 

 lar to the anteater in its habits. "Its food consists mainly of termites, 



2 Graham, The armadillo and the wild turkey, The Oologist, XLI, 90, 1924. 



3 Bailey, North American Fauna, No. 25, pp. 53, 56, 1905. Anthony, Field book 

 of North American mammals, p. 552, 1928. 



4 McDaniels, Beautiful baskets from ugly hides, Amer. Forests and Forest Life, 

 xxxv, 44-45, 1929. Criticized in Journ. Mammalogy, x, 89, 1929, as "nothing more 

 than an advertisement for the destruction of an interesting and harmless animal." 



6 Jennison, Natural history: animals, p. 316, 1927. 

 13 Ingersoll, The life of animals, pp. 476-477, 1907. 



7 Jennison, Natural history: animals, pp. 317-318, 1927. 

 " a Tate, Journ. Mammalogy, xn, 249, 1931, 



