,64 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69 



referred by Allen ( 1904, p. 59) to Tatnandua tetradactyla and later 

 in the same year were described by him (1904b, p. 395) as a new 

 subspecies. Regarding the distribution of the new form he says: 

 " An adult female from the Rio Cauquita, southwestern Colombia, 

 is exactly like the Boqueron [type locality] specimens in size, colora- 

 tion and cranial details. A skull, without skin, from near San Jose, 

 Costa Rica, is also indistinguishable from the adult Boqueron skulls. 

 Apparently T. t. chiriquensis will be found to range from Costa Rica 

 to the Cauca region of western Colombia." As Tamanduas tetra- 

 dactylus the species was recorded by Thomas (1903a, p. 42) from 

 Gobernador and Cebaco islands, near the coast of southwestern 

 Panama. Anthony (1916, p. 364) listed specimens from Chepigana 

 and Maxon Ranch (Rio Trinidad). 



Specimens examined : Boqueron, 3 ' ; Boquete, 1 1 ; Chepigana, 

 1 *; Divala, 1 2 ; Gatun, 1 ; Maxon Ranch (Rio Trinidad), 1 *; Porto 

 Bello, 1 ; Volcan de Chiriqui, 1." 



Genus MYRMECOPHAGA Linnaeus. Great Anteaters 

 The anteaters of the genus Myrmecophaga are externally easily 

 recognizable by their large size and bushy horse-like tail. As in the 

 genus Tamanduas the fore foot is provided with three toes. 



MYRMECOPHAGA TRIDACTYLA CENTRALIS Lyon 



Central American Great Anteater 



Myrmecophaga centralis Lyon, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 31, p. 570, 

 November 14, 1906. Type from Pacuare, Costa Rica. 



Owing to its large size and bushy horse-like tail the great anteater 

 is not likely to be confused with any of the other mammals of the 

 region. Although apparently rare it doubtless ranges in suitable 

 localities throughout Panama. No specimens were obtained, but I 

 examined the skin of an animal said to have been killed in the forest 

 near Gatun. According to a native hunter the great anteater crouches 

 down on the ground and covering itself with the long-haired tail 

 becomes very inconspicuous in the forest cover. 



The first published notice of the animal in Panama was by Dampier 

 (1698, p. 60) who found it on the " Sambaloes " or " Samballoes " 

 as the islands in the present Gulf of San Bias were known to English 

 navigators of the latter part of the 17th century. Dampier's quaint 

 account of the great anteater, quoted by Alston (1879, p. 192) seems 

 worth repeating here : 



1 Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 * Collection Mus. Comp. Zool. 



