ANT-EATERS. 



413 



LITTLE ANT-EATER. 



There is another curious little ant-eater, about the size of a 

 squirrel,— which animal it resembles very much in its habits, 

 and somewhat in its appearance. It possesses a prehensile 

 tail, like that of the ateles and other American monkeys, with 

 which it can swing itself from branch to branch. The tail is 

 covered with fur, with the exception of about three inches 

 of the under surface at the extremity. It has a small head, 



LITTLE ANT-EATKlt. 



the snout sharpened and bent slightly downwards. A soft, 

 curled, and pale yellow-brown fur clothes its body. It has 

 only two claws on each of its fore-feet, the exterior one being 

 stronger and larger than the interior. With these weapons 

 it is enabled to hook out the small insects from the crevices 

 of the bark, or grubs from the nests of bees or wasps. Like 

 the squirrel, it sits upon its hind-limbs when eating, support- 

 ing itself with its prehensile tail. It may more properly be 

 called the twisted-tail ant-eater (Cyclothurus didactylus"). 



