ANT 
iheir hills, which are formed of a vifcid kind of 
clayj to an amazing height, fometimes from fix to 
twelve feet, tapering into a pyramidal form: the ha- 
bitations are conftrufted with great art ; and the 
.cells are fo numerous and regular, that more in- 
genuity and indiiftry is fcarcely perceptible in the 
formation of a honeycomb. Thefe infects appear 
to be fubje£t to the ftri6lefl: regulations : for, on the 
flightefl warning, they fally forth upon whatever 
objedt difturbs them; and, if they can find means 
to arreft their enemy, he is fure to experience no 
knity. Sheep, fowls, and rats, are often deftroyed 
by thefe infedls, and their fieHi flript off to the veiy 
bones. 
Brazil contains a variety of Ants, fome of which 
are nearly as deftruftive as tlae termites of Africa, 
Their colours are various, and beautiful ; and fe- 
verai fpecies are furniflied with wings. In the ori- 
ental regions, likewife, the numbers of Ants are 
prodigious; fome being remarkably large, and of 
a ruddy colour inclining to fable: tJiey are ex- 
tremely defbmftive to the fruits of the earth, as well 
as to domeftic articles^ 
Ant Horse. The largeft fpecies of Ant foUfid 
in Great Britain, being twice the magnitude of 
the common fort. It is not only diftinguifhed by 
it's fize, but by the blacknefs of it's head, and the 
du'fky iron-grey colour of it's breaft. It's legs are 
iikewife an iron-grey ; and the fcale benveen the 
body and the breall is of an oval figure, pointed at 
the top, and undivided. The body is entirely 
brown, and compofed of five fegments. This fpe- 
cies generally harbours in hollow trees, but in it's 
ordinary habits differs very little from the reft of 
the genus. 
Ant, Red. This infeft, which is of inferior 
fize to the common Ant, has a very fmall head, and 
a broad breaft in proportion to it's body. The 
fcale is flightly dentated, and nearly circular; the 
legs are flender; the wings extremely fine, and of 
a brownifti hue. It frequents dry paftures, and is 
often found on the leaves and ftalks of the hum- 
bler plants. 
Ant, Black. The black Ant is of a middle 
fize between the horfe and the red fpecies. It's 
head is large in proportion to it's body, and it's 
breaft fomewhat depreflfed. The fcale is of an oval 
fhape, having it's edges entire; and the legs are 
longer and more flender than in the other fpecies. 
This Ant abounds in heaths and large dry plains. 
Ant, American. The common Anis of 
America are very large and voracious. They are 
'furniftied with two crooked teeth, which meet each 
other like nippers, and with which they cut the 
leaves of trees and other fubfcances on which they 
fubfift. ■ A colony of thefe creatures fometimes 
ftrip a ftately tree of it's foliage in a fingle night, 
carrying away great part of the leaves to feed their 
young. When they arrive at full maturity, they 
Ihed their external coats, like flies on quitting their 
caterpillar ftate, and then become winged infecls, 
tinder which form they depofit their eggs ; exca- 
vating their retreats in the earth to a great depth, 
and conftrufting their nefts with wonderful inge- 
nuity. They carry on continual hoftilities with 
every other fpecies of infe£ls ; and when they rove 
abroad in bodies, which is always once a year, they 
penetrate every corner of the houfes in their vici- 
ftity, anddeftroy whatever infeds they contain. 
Ant, Amer t can Velvet, A very elegant in- 
fed about the fize of the hornet, the body bein^ beau- 
tifully marked with black and crimJbn fpots of a vel- 
ANT 
vet glofs. The breaft is extremely ftrong and hard, 
and will bear a confiderable preffure without ma- 
terial injury. The fting of this fpecies inflids a 
wound which occafions extreme pain and inflain- 
mation. 
ANT-EATER, or ANT-BEAR, A genus 
of animals of which there are feverai fpecies: die 
diftingnifhing charaderiftics are, that the body is 
covered with hair, the mouth fmall, and the tongue, 
which is long and cylindric, calculated to fupply 
the want of teeth. 
Among the many animals v/hich prey on ants, 
none are lb deftrudive to that indejfatigable race 
as thofe which go under the appellation of Ant- 
Bears or Ant-Eaters; and which, though confi- 
derably different in fize and figure, agree in the 
peculiar length and flendernefs of their fnouts, tlieir 
fingular appetites, and the manner of feizing their 
prey. , 
Thefe have been clafiedby Buffon into the larger 
tamandua, the fmaller tamandua, and the Ant- 
Eater ; we fnall, however, follow the more accu- 
rate divifions of Pennant, who diftin2;uiflies this 
genus of animals into the Great, the Middle, the 
Striped, and the LefTer Ant-Eater. 
In reviewing the ]-iiftory of this genus of animals, 
it is obferv3.ble, that the fhoutis fo difproportionate 
to the reft of the cresture, that it's length makes 
near a fourth part of the whole. Though the horfe 
has as large a head as almoft any other Europeaa 
animal, the Ant-Eater has one twice as long in 
proportion to it's magnitude. The fncut of this 
animal is almoft round and cylindrical, extremely 
flender, and fcarcely thicker near the eyes than at 
it's extremity. The mouth is very fmall ; the nof^ 
trils are clofe fet; the eyes are little; and the neck 
is fhort. The tongue, which is long and flender, 
is generally doubled up in the mouth, and is the only 
inftrumcnt by means of which the animal finds a 
fubfiftence ; as the whole of this tribe are entirely 
deftitute of teeth, and derive their fafety princi- 
pally from the remotenefs of their retreats. In- 
deed, if we carefully furvey the various parts of die 
earth, we fhall find that the moft adive, and moft 
fprightly, as well as the moft beneficial quadnjpeds, 
have been placed contiguous to man, and have 
been either made fubfervient to his pleafures, or 
have maintained their independence by their vigi- 
lance, their cunning, or their fcrength; and it is 
only in the remoteft folitudes that we are to look 
for tlie helplefs, the deformed, and the monftrotis 
births of nature. Thefe wretched animals, being 
incapable of defending themfelves either by their 
ftrength or cunnings eafily become a prey to others 
which polTefs fuperior agility or fortitude; and, 
therefore, they retire for fafety into the darkeft fo- 
refts, or the moft deferted mountains. From this 
obfervation, it may naturally be fuppofed diat 
the Ant-Eater, a creature fo helplefs and defti- 
tute thiit it's legs are too fhort to accelerate it's 
flight, and which poffefTes no natural arms for de- 
fence, is neither very numerous, nor often feen. 
It is principally found in the new world, though it 
is alfo fometimes difcovered in the old ; but, in 
whatever country the animal is met with, it al- 
ways chufes the woods for it's retreat, and conceals 
itfelf under the withered leaves. From this afylum 
it feldom ventures, as the induftry of an hour fup- 
plies it ■with food to fupport exiftence for feverai 
days. The manner of it's procuring it's prey is^ 
one of the moft fingular which natural hiftory 
furniflies. It lives,, as it's name implies, entirely 
pa 
