AARD-VARK, OR ANT-BEAR 



is walking, in consequence of their being turned inwards 

 and upwards. The strength, and so to speak the hardness 

 of these and many other wild animals, and the little im- 

 pression that a man can make upon them unless armed 

 with some deadly weapon, is a thing few persons not ex- 

 perienced in these facts can possibly credit or imagine. 

 Their tenacity of life is often the cause of their suffering 

 a frightful amount of torture from the savages who capture 

 them, who sometimes mutilate them by cutting off their 

 feet to disable them, and keep them alive for days in 

 order to have them fresh for eating. 



These so-called ant-eaters are, however, not so in- 

 sectivorous as they are generally supposed to be, as will 

 be seen by the fact that the captive animals are fed upon 

 raw meat, and of this each of them will consume about 

 three pounds daily; the South African species not only 

 eats raw flesh, but a small quantity of grain^ and this its 

 remarkable molar teeth are well suited to grind on their 

 flattened crowns. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR FEEDING AND KEEPING THE AAHD- 

 VAEK. 



Having experienced the great difficulty of finding 

 suitable food for the Edentata generally, I am able to 

 state that, after many experiments, I have discovered the 

 most appropriate food for the great ant-eater of South 

 America, food upon which that animal has not only lived 

 in perfect health, but has also increased in size in a very 

 remarkable manner. This result induces me to believe 

 and expect that a similar food and mode of treatment 

 would be likely to meet with success in keeping the 

 African species. I would therefore advise that this latter 

 species be fed upon raw flesh (perfectly fresh); it is most 



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