ANT-EATERS. 213 
its slow and measured walk,” writes Sclater, “the tail is stretched out in a 
straight line with the back (as in the illustration on p. 211), and the animal then 
presents a length of between 6 and 7 feet, of which the head occupies 1 foot, and 
the tail 3.°. The small mouth and face are cleaned from any of the viscid saliva 
which may have adhered to them by being rubbed from time to time against 
the slightly bent knee. The flesh of the great ant-eater, although black in 
colour, and musky in odour, is largely eaten by the natives and negroes of South 
America. 
The lesser ant-eater, or tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) is 
an animal of scarcely half the size of the preceding, from which it is 
distinguished by its much shorter head, longer ears, uniformly short bristly hair, 
Tamandua. 
























































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THE TAMANDUA (1 nat. size). 
and the prehensile tail, of which the extremity, together with the whole length 
of the inferior surface, is naked and scaly. The three middle toes of the fore- 
foot have well-developed claws, of which that on the third is much larger than 
either of the others; while the first toe has only a minute claw, and the fifth is 
clawless, and concealed within the skin. The hind-foot is very similar to that of 
the great ant-eater, and has five subequal clawed toes. The structure of the skull 
is essentially the same; and the collar-bones are likewise rudimentary. The whole 
length of the head and body is about 2 feet, and that of the tail 6 inches less. 
As regards coloration, there is a great amount of individual variation. The 
general hue of the fur is, however, yellowish white, with a more or less marked 
rusty tinge; but a broad black band extends from the sides of the neck along the 
flanks, and becomes so deep on the hind-quarters as to appear the predominating 
colour. The tip of the snout, together with the lips, eyelids, and the soles of the 
feet, are naked and black: and the ears are but sparsely haired. 
