172 



LITTLE ANT-EATER. 



Myrmecophaga Didactyla. M. palmis didactylis, plantis tedradac- 



tylis cauda preliensili. 

 Ant-Eater, with two toes on the fore feet, four on the hind, and 



prehensile tail. 

 M. palmis didactylis, plantis tetradactylis , cauda njillosa. Lin, Syst. 



Nat. p. 5 1 . 

 Tamandua seu Coati Americana alba. Seb. i.f, 60. /. 37./. 3. 

 Little Ant-Eater. JEdiv.pl. 220. 

 Fourmiller. Buff". 10. p. 144.^/. 30. 



This is an animal of great elegance. It is not 

 superior in size to a squirrel; measuring little 

 more than seven inches from the nose to the tail, 

 which is longer than the body and head : the head 

 is small; the snout sharpened and slightly bent 

 downwards : the legs are short ; the fore feet have 

 only two claws on each, the exterior one much 

 larger and stronger than the interior: on each of 

 the hind feet are four claws of moderate size : the 

 ears are very small and hid in the fur : the eyes 

 are also small. The whole animal is covered with a 

 beautiful soft, and somewhat crisped or curled," fur, 

 of a pale yellow-colour, or rather yellow-brown : 

 the tail, which is very thick at the beginning or 

 base, gradually tapers to the tip; and the lower sur- 

 face, for about the space of four inches from the 

 tip, is bare, the tail in this species being prehensile, 

 and the animal commonly residing on trees, and 

 preying on ants, by means of its long tongue, in 

 the manner of other species. It is a native of 

 Guiana. This species has been most elegantly 

 figured both by Seba and Edwards ; but the figure 



