THE ANT-EATERS— TREE CLIMBING 



387 



ing remedy for lumbago and sciatica and for this 

 purpose place it under their sheets. The Great 

 Ant-eater is rarely hunted; but if one chances to 

 meet it in the field, it is easy to kill it by a few blows 

 on the head. These animals ought to be protected 

 rather than persecuted, however; instead of being 



THE TAUANSUA, This repulsive looking creature, which is also known as the Caguare, is an inhab- 

 itant of South American forests and is a species of the Tree-climbing Ant-eaters. The powerful claws, elongated 

 snout and long, prehensile tail are notable features of the animal here depicted. {Tamandua teiradaciyla.) 



harmful, they are exceedingly useful in diminishing 

 the numbers of the Termites and Ants, which have 

 multiplied to such an extent in some portions of 

 Paraguay that entire plantations are overrun and 

 devastated by them. The Jaguar and the Cougar 

 probably are the only enemies of the Yurumi, ex- 

 cept Man. The fabulous stories 

 of the natives of Paraguay con- 

 cerning combats between it and -v,.^ 

 the Jaguar, were long ago re- 

 futed by Azara." 



Home and Habits y^e learn from 

 of the Ant- other naturalists 

 eaten that the Ant-eat- 



er inhabits nearly the entire east 

 of South America as well as Par- 

 aguay and therefore ranges from 

 the La Plata to the Caribbean 

 Sea. It is said to walk holding 

 its head very low, seeking food 

 by scenting the ground. It car- 

 ries its tail stretched out straight 

 behind and the mane on the 

 back stands erect, so that it pro- 

 duces the impression of being 

 very much larger than it is. 

 Modern observers have found 

 not only Ants and Termites in 

 its stomach but also considera- 

 ble quantities of earth and par- 

 ticles of wood, which the animal 

 swallows with the insects. There 

 is no doubt that the Yurumi, besides its principal 

 food, is fond of devouring chrysallids, millipeds and 

 worms, when these latter are not too large. 



Adaptability of Captive Ant-Bears have repeatedly 



Ant-Beata to been taken to Europe and have been. 



Captivity. by ji^t of adequate care, kept living 



for years. The captive specimens of the London 



Zoological Garden are fed raw, finely shredded meat 

 and yolk of egg; the one that Noll observed in 

 Hamburg was also very fond of a mush made of 

 Indian meal and hot milk and sweetened, with a 

 spoonful of molasses, and it was a sight to see the 

 strange-looking animal standing before its dish, eat- 

 ing with its queer tongue. 

 The blackish, cylindrical 

 tongue is ejected out of 

 the mouth to a length of 

 about twenty inches, with 

 almost incredible rapidity, 

 its alternations reaching a 

 speed of about one hun- 

 dred and sixty times a min- 

 ute; it is revolved in the 

 mush and withdrawn with 

 small particles of food ad- 

 hering to it. 



The Ant-eater is not only 

 a queer-looking creature in 

 human eyes; it excites sur- 

 prise and even terror in 

 most animals also, as was 

 proven in one case at least, 

 when in one of the German 

 zoological collections the 

 animal was first quartered 

 in the Monkey house. A 

 panic of fright prevailed 

 among the inmates of the 

 house; the Monkeys cre- 

 ated such a noise that their cages had to be cov- 

 ered and even a Chimpanzee hid itself in the straw. 



THE TREE-CLIMBING ANT-EATERS. 



Among the other Ant-eaters which are of arbo- 

 real habits, the Tamandua or Caguare {Tamandua 



LITTLE ANT-EATEK. This queer little animal, about the size of a squirrel, is about as well 



equipped for holding on to a tree as a mammal can well be. Besides his two-toed fore-feet and five-toed 

 hind paws, both of which are curved so as to make the hold secure, the animal has a prehensile tail by 

 which he can take hold, as shown in the picture. (Cycloturus didactylus.) 



tetradactyla) most resembles the species already de- 

 scribed; nevertheless it is classified as a distinct 

 species, as it has four toes on its fore-feet and five 

 on its hinder ones, and possesses a prehensile tail. 

 It inhabits the same country as the species just 

 described, but extends over a great area of territory, 

 ranging westward to Peru, Its length is about three 



