NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



they are, at least, of little or no economic value to 

 him, except for the fact that the material of their 

 mounds is sometimes used in the making of tennis- 

 courts and the floors of outhouses. jThese termite 

 hills are so numerous in many parts of the country 

 that they cause serious obstructions to carts, wagons 

 and horsemen traversing the veld, besides reducing 

 the value of the land as pasturage for stock. 



The diet of the Aard Vark consists of termites 

 and it, in consequence, is of considerable economic 

 value to man, and, unlike many other animals which 

 are in the main very useful, but at times do consider- 

 able damage, the Ant Bear has few vices, from a 

 human point of view. On occasion a rider gets a 

 bad fall through his horse stepping into an Ant 

 Bear burrow, or a young stock animal falls into one 

 and perishes unless discovered in time. Sometimes 

 the Ant Bear digs holes under Jackal-proof fences. 

 The Jackals avail themselves of these holes, and, 

 entering the enclosures, they destroy small stock 

 such as sheep and goats. 



The entrances of Ant Bear burrows are usually 

 concealed beneath shrubs or in long grass. Out on 

 the grass-veld the holes can invariably be located, 

 as the grass and other herbage around the entrance 

 grows more luxuriantly than elsewhere, owing to 

 the rich subsoil thrown out by the occupant of 

 the burrow. 



The skin of an Ant Bear is thick, tough and fibrous, 

 and the blade of a penknife will usually snap if an 



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