( 23 
branches of trees between its heels and 
claws. Its ears are fmall and round, hard- 
ly appearing above the hair. Its hinder 
legs are longer than thofe forward. 
The drawing was taken from the fluffed 
fkin of this animal, well preferved, in the 
pofleffion of his Excellency Count Perron, 
Ambaffador from the King of Sardinia, who 
was informed it was brought from the Spa- 
nifh main in America. Another of thefe 
fame animals, preferved in fpirits, I bought 
by commiflion for the late Sir Hans Sloane, 
out of the late Duke of Richmond’s collec- 
tion, in whofe catalogue it was called a 
fpecies of the Sloth. It will continue in 
the Britifh Mufeum, where it may be ex- 
amined by Naturalifts. By the help of 
thefe two, a more perfect figure, &c. is 
here given, than could have been taken 
from either of them alone; the fir ft being 
only a fkin, and the other clofely fealed up 
in fpirits of wine, which I was not permit- 
ted to open. I could not examine the mouth 
of it ; but, according to C. Linnaeus, it is 
without teeth. See his Syftema Nature, 
Lipfiae, A. D. 1748, p. 8. Ord. 3. Agrije, 
dentes nulli , lingua longijjima cylindrical 
15. Myrmecophaga, corpus pilofuny, au - 
res fubrotundce. His fecond fpecies feems to 
me to be the above figured and defcribed 
animal. 2. Myrmecophaga, manibus 
didaBylis , plantis tetradaBylis : which in 
Englifh may be rendered, the Ant-Eater , 
(a family of the order of field-animals, of 
which Linnaeus makes this the fecond fpe- 
cies) with hands having two fingers , and 
feet having four toes . I find no figure, or 
any account of this animal, farther than 
what Linnaeus has given above, which 
amounts to no more than a name : fo that 
I believe this figure is the fir ft that hath 
been made publick. 
) 
a faifir les petites branches des arbres. Les 
or ei lies fontrondes et petites fie montrant d peine 
audejfus du poiL Aurefte les jambes de der- 
riere font plus longues que celles de dev ant, 
Le dejfem a ete tire d y apres une peau rem~ 
bourree de cet animal , et tres bien confervee : 
elle appartenoit d fon excellence Mr, le Comte 
Perron , Ambafiadeur du Roi de Sardaigne , 
d qui on avoit ajfure \ quelle venoit de P Ame- 
rique Efpagnole, Jai aufii achette par corn - 
mifiion , pour le Chevalier Hans Sloane , un de 
ces animaux conferve dans une liqueur fpiri- 
tueufe , et qui provenoit du cabinet du feu 
dernier Due de Richemond : il etoit annonce 
fur le catalogue fous le nom d y efpece de Potto : 
il efi abluellement da? 7 s le fameux Mufeirn 
Britannique , ou les Naturalifies pourront le 
voir, Moyennant le fecours de Pun et de 
P autre, j’ai ete en etat de porter la figure a 
un degre de perfection , ou je naurois pu 
atteindre , fi je neuffe eu que Pun ou P autre, 
le premier netant qiiune fimple peau , et 
P autre etant renferme dans un vafe quil ne 
m etoit pas permis d'ouvrir. Je nen ai pu 
examiner la gueule ; maisfielon CP Linnaeus, il 
ny a point de dents*. Agrije, dentes nulli, 
lingua longiftima cylindrica. 1 5. Myrme- 
cophaga, corpus pilofum, aures fubrotundae. 
Sa feconde efpece me paroit etre P animal 
dont on voit ici la figure et la defeription, 
2. Myrmecophaga, manibus didatftylis, 
plantis tetradadylis ; ce qui pent fe traduire 
en Francois , Mangeur de Fourmis, (cefi 
une f ami lie de P or dr e des animaux champetres , 
dont Linnaeus fait de celui-ci la feconde efpece ) 
ayant deux doigts aux pates de devant, et 
quatre orteiis a celles de derriere. Je nai 
encore trouve nulle part de figure de cet 
animal , ni aucune defeription plus etendue , 
que ce que Linnaeus en a dit , et que je viens de 
rapporter , ce qui nejl guere quun nom : ainfi 
je crois que cette figure efi la premiere qtton 
en ait publiee, 
* Vid. Syftema Nature, Lipfiae, 1748, p. 8. Old. 3, 
G 2 
