276 THE ADVENTURES OF 



Lucien rushed to me in terror. Sumichrast had just cocked his 

 gun, and the noise made the ant-eater turn tail and prepare to 

 run off, when it found itself face to face with I'Encuerado. It 

 stood up on its hind legs, with its snout in the air, and then 

 stretched out its arms ready to strike any one who was imprudent 

 enough to come within reach of them. Nothing could be more 

 strange than the appearance of the animal in this defensive 

 position. Suddenly a shot was fired, and the ant-eater crossed 

 its fore-legs and fell down dead. L'Encuerado had once been 

 nearly throttled by an ant-eater, and hence it would have been 

 of no use for me to have attempted to prevent his shooting it. 



" Do not come near, Tata Sumichrast," cried the Indian ; 

 " these beasts die very hard, and I still bear the marks of their 

 claws on my skin. Let me just tickle him up with the point of 

 my machete." 



" You need not have been afraid," said Sumichrast ; " its ugli- 

 ness is no proof that it is vicious. It will not attack human 

 beings, and only makes use of its strength to defend itself. It 

 is of the order Edentala, and akin to the Armadilloes.'' 



" Does it eat anything but ants 1 " asked Lucien. 



" Ants and other insects. It climbs trees, and its bushy 

 tail distinguishes it from its brothers, the little ant-eater {M. 

 dydadyla), which seldom visits the ground, and eats more insects 

 than ants, and the tamandua {Tamandua tetradadyla)." 



" But how many ants does it take to satisfy it 1 " 



" Thousands ; and it would die of hunger if it had to take 

 them one by one ; but, thanks to the length of its tongue, it is 

 enabled to pick up hundreds at a time." 



" What a very peculiar meal." 



" Didn't you know that some Indians are ant-eaters 1 In the 

 Terre-Froide, for instance, dishes are made of red ant's eggs, and 

 there is one species which secrets a sweet liquid, of which chil- 

 dren are very fond." 



On the shore of the lake a fresh surprise awaited us. The bank 

 to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with 

 spoonbills with delicate pink plumage, one of which Lucien shot. 



" Oh, what beautiful birds ! " said he. 



