THE 



PORCUPINE ANT-EATER. 



Generic Character. 



Body (in mo ft fpecies) covered with hair. 

 Snout tubular ; mouth fmall ; no teeth. 

 Tongue cylindric, long, extenfile. 



Specific Character. 

 SPINY ANT-EATER with very ihort tail. 



This extraordinary animal may well be confidered 

 amongft the moft curious and interefting quadrupeds 

 yet difcovered ; fince it is not only an abfolutely new 

 and hitherto unknown fpecies, but is alio a moft ftriking 

 inftance of that beautiful gradation, fo frequently ob- 

 ferved in the animal kingdom, by which creatures of 

 one tribe or genus approach to thofe of a very different 

 one. It forms a connecting link between the very dif- 

 tant genera of Hyftrix and Myrmecophaga ; having 

 the external coating and general afped of the one, with 

 the mouth and peculiar generic characters of the other. 

 This animal, fo far as can be judged from the fpeci- 

 mens hitherto obferved, is about a foot in length : the 

 ftVure confequently reprefents it of nearly half the natu- 

 ral fize. The whole upper parts of the body and tail 



are 



