MAMMALIA— ANT-EATER. 271 



Indians know to a certainty that the armadillo is in it ; whenever there are 

 no musquitoes in the hole, there is no armadillo." 



These animals are fat, and very prolific ; the female brings forth, as it is 

 reported, four young ones every month, which makes their species very 

 numerous. They are good to eat, and are easily taken with snares laid for 

 them on the banks of the rivers, and in the marshy grounds, which they 

 inhabit in preference. It is pretended, that they are not afraid of the bite 

 of the rattlesnake ; it is likewise pretended, that they live in peace with 

 these reptiles, which are often found in their holes. The savages apply 

 their scales to different purposes, and make of them baskets, boxes, and 

 other small vessels light and solid. The armadillo is only found in South 

 America. 



THE TAMANOIR, THE TAMANDUA, AND THE 

 FOURMILLIER, OR ANT-EATER. 



South America produces three species of animals, with a long snout, a 

 small mouth, and no teeth ; their tongues, of a round form, are remarkably 

 long; with which they catch the ants, which are their principal food. On 

 coming to an ant hill, the animal scratches it up with his claws, and then 

 protrudes his slender tongue, which has the appearance of an exceedingly 

 long earth-worm. It is covered with a viscous saliva. To this the ants 

 adhere, and, by retracting it, he swallows thousands of them. He also 

 tears up the nests of woodlice, and often climbs the trees in pursuit of them, 

 and of the wild bees and their honey. The first of these ant-eaters is that 

 which the Brazilians call tamandua guacu, or great tamandua, to whom the 

 French settled in America have given the name of tamanoir. The English 

 call it 



THE GREAT ANT-EATER. i 



This animal is about four feet in length from the extremity of the snout 

 to the origin of the tail ; his head is fourteen or fiften inches long, his snout 

 stretches out to a great length ; his tail, two feet and a half long, is covered 

 with rough hair, which is more than a foot in length ; his neck is short ; 

 his head narrow ; his eyes black and small ; his ears round ; his tongue 

 thin, more than two feet long, which he folds again in his mouth, after he 

 draws it entirely out. His legs are but one foot high ; the fore legs are a 

 little higher and more slender than those behind ; he has round feet ; the 



1 Myrmecophagu jubata, Lin. Animals of the genus Myrmecophaga are utterly tooth- 

 less ; they have the head elongated ; muzzle tapenng to a point ; tongiie long, protractile ; 

 toes united, four before and five behind, or two before and four behind, armed with strong 

 nails ; two pectoral and two ventral mammHe ; tail long ; sometimes prehensile. 



