WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA: 225 



will immediately convince you of the mistake artists and 

 naturalists have fallen into, by putting his fore-feet in the 

 same position as those of other quadrupeds ; for you will 

 perceive that the whole outer side of his foot is not only 

 deprived of hair, but is hard and callous ; proof positive 

 of its being in perpetual contact with the ground. Now, on 

 the contrary, the inner side of the bottom of his foot is 

 soft and rather hairy. 



There is another singularity in the anatomy of the ant- 

 bear, I believe, as yet unnoticed in the page of natural 

 history. He has two very large glands situated below the 

 root of the tongue. From these is emitted a glutinous 

 liquid, with which his long tongue is lubricated when he 

 puts it into the ants' nests. These glands are of the same 

 substance as those found in the lower jaw of the wood- 

 pecker. The secretion from them, when wet, is very 

 clammy and adhesive, but on being dried it loses these 

 qualities, and you can pulverize it betwixt your finger and 

 thumb ; so that, in dissection, if any of it has got upon the 

 fur of the animal, or the feathers of the bird, allow it to dry 

 there, and then it may be removed without leaving the least 

 stain behind. 



The ant-bear is a pacific animal. He is never the first 

 to begin the attack. His motto may be, " Noli me tangere." 

 As his habits and his haunts differ materially from those 

 of every other animal in the forest, their interests never 

 clash, and thus he might live to a good old age, and die at 

 last in peace, were it not that his flesh is good food. On 

 this account the Indian wages perpetual war against him, 

 and as he cannot escape by flight, he falls an easy prey to 

 the poisoned arrow, shot from the Indian's bow at a distance. 

 If ever he be closely attacked by dogs, he immediately 

 throws himself on his back, and if he be fortunate enough 

 to cat-ch hold of his enemy with his tremendous claws, 



