- ANT 
is compofed of fand and filk blended ; the internal 
of filk only, of a fine pearl colour, extremely deli- 
cate and beautiful. But though the work is fo cu- 
rious widiin, the outfide has only the appearance 
of a plain lump of fand ; and thus efcapes the no- 
tice of fuch other voracious animals as migiit be 
tempted to difburb the inclofed guefl:. In this in- 
active ftate,the infecft continues fix weeks or two 
months, gradually lofing it's eyes, it's feelers, it's 
feet, and it's flcin; all which are left in the interior 
apartment. The infedl then appears almoft in it's 
winged frate, a thin fkin only enfolding the wings, 
which feem to be merely a thin liquid dried on 
the outfide. The little animal, however, being yet 
too delicate and tender to venture from it's retreat, 
fbill continues inclofed for a lliort time; but, at 
length, it's members having acquired the neceffary 
confiftence and vigour, it tears open it's prifon, 
and breaks through the external wall. To efFeft 
this, it has two teeth, like thofe of graflioppers, 
^ith v/hich it eats through and enlarges the aper- 
ture, till it finds it fufficiently capacious to admit 
it's efcape. The body, which is turned like a 
fcrew, occupies only a quarter of an inch in length] 
while the wings, which feem confined within the 
fmalleft limits, foon begin to unfold, and now ap- 
pear longer than the whole body. In fhort, it be- 
comes a large and beautiful animal of the libellula 
fpecies, called the Ant-Eater Fly. 
ANT-EATER FLY. This infeft is large, 
remarkably fwift in all it's motions, and fierce and 
deftrucrive in a degree not inferior to that of the 
reptile from which it derives it's origin. It fre- 
quents the meadows and bufnes in France and Italy 
during the latter part of fummer, and is fo exceed- 
ingly rapacious, that it feizes on every thing which 
comes in it's way. The head is of a chefnut co- 
lour; the eyes are large and green; and the ant- 
lers, which are compofed of twenty-four joints, 
growing larger to the tip, are of a deep brown. 
The feelers, of which there are four in number, 
are long and duflcy; the jaws are yellow, hard, and 
ftarp; and the two tufks are brown. The trunk 
is of a greyifli brown, with a gilt variegation ; the 
fcutcheon is blueifli ; the body, which is inelegant, 
is of a pearly deep grey; the lines, or rings, are 
black; the air-holes are fringed round with brown; 
and the legs are fhort, compa6t, and ruddy, with 
long dark hairs. The wings are grey; each of the 
fuperior ones being marked with four fpots of a 
dufl<;y brown, and there are likewife two on each 
of the inferior. The nippers at the tail are corneous 
and chefnut-coloured. 
ANTACyEUS. A term applied by Strabo to 
exprefs the ichthyocolla pifcis, or the ifinglafs-filli; 
and afterwards uied by Johnfon and others, not 
only to fignify this fifli, but the common fturgeon 
likewife. 
ANTALIUM. A fmall fea fliell of a tubular 
form, whence it is alfo denominated tubulus ma- 
rinus. The Antalium, fometimes written Antale, 
is about an inch and a half in length, being of the 
thicknefs of a large quill at one extremity, and of 
a fmall one at the other. This Ihell, which is 
fluted from end to>end, is of a greenifh white co- 
lour, and is found as v/ell on rocks as at the bot- 
tom of the fea. It poflefles the qualities of an al- 
kali ; and was anciently held to be of confidexable 
medicinal ufe. 
■ _ The Antalium bears a ftrong affinity, in it's ori- 
gin, conformation, and ufes, to the dentalium. 
ANT 
ANTELOPE, or GAZELL. A fpecies of 
animals which can neither be referred to the goat 
nor the deer race, though partaking of the nature 
of both. 
The diftinguifhing charadlers of this tribe of 
animals (of which fome naturalifbs enumerate more 
than forty fpecies, though Buffon makes them only 
twelve) are thefe: their horns are differently con- 
ftrufted from thofe of the deer and goat tribe, being 
annulated, or ringed round, at the fame time that 
there are longitudinal depreffions running from the 
bafe to the apex. They have bunches of hair on 
their fore-legs ; a ftreak of black, red, or brown, 
running along the inferior parts of their fides; and 
three ftreaks of whitifh hair on the internal fides of 
their ears. Thefe are general characters; but, be- 
fides thefe, there are feveral others v/hich they are 
commonly found to poiTefs, and which are obvious 
to eveiy beholder. 
Like the goat, and unlike the deer, they never 
filed their horns, have a gall bladder, and delight 
more in feeding on flhrubs than grafs. On the 
other hand, they are lilce the roe-buck in fize, as 
well as in delicacy of conformation; they have 
deep pits under the eyes, like that animal ; and re- 
femble it in the nature and colour of their hair, as 
well as the bunches on their legs, which only differ 
in being on the fore-legs of the Antelope and on 
the hind-legs of the roe-buck. They feem, there- 
fore, to be of a middle nature; an intermediate 
link between the goat and the deer; whence it is 
difficult to pronounce where the goat ends and the 
deer begins. 
Moft of thefe animals inhabit the torrid regions; 
thofe parts, at leaft, of the temperate zone which 
lie fo near the tropics as to form a doubtful climate. 
It is, however, remarkable that, notwithftanding 
the warmth of South America is well fuited to 
their nature, not a fingle fpecies of Antelope has 
ever been difcovered in any part of the new world. 
Their native countries feem, therefore, to be Afia 
and Africa; where they multiply prodigioufly, and 
their fpecies are very numerous. Almoft every 
fpecies of the Antelope have the following general 
agreements : they are all animals of an a6live and 
elegant make, of reftlefs and timid difpofitions, 
extremely vigilant, of great vivacity, and remark- 
ably fwift and nimble. 
The eyes of the Antelope are fo extremely bril- 
liant, and at the fame time of fuch a mild afpe£t, 
that the oriental poets compare the eyes of their 
miftrefles to thofe of this quadruped. Nor can it 
appear ftrange that fuch a comparifon fliould be 
reckoned the height of gallantry among the eaft- 
ern nations ; when we refledt that the Greeks, thofe 
mafters of literature, tafte, and elegance, thought 
it no inelegant compliment to refcmble the eyes 
of a beautiful woman to thofe of a cow. 
The Antelope is, in general, more delicate and 
finely limbed than the roe-buck; it's hair is as 
fhort, but it is finer and more gloffy. It's hind-legs, 
like thofe of the hare, are longer than the fore ones, 
which not only give additional fwiftnefs, but greater 
fecurity, in afcending and defcending precipices; 
a practice in which it greatly delights. It's fwift- 
nefs is equal, if not fuperior, to that of the roe; 
though the latter bounds forward, while the An- 
telope runs along in one uninterrupted courfe. 
The greateft number of fpecies are brown on tiie 
back, and white under the belly, with a blaclc 
ftripe feparating thofe colours. The tail is of va- 
rious 
