THE STORY OF THE ANT-EATER . 
359 
it can hardly be captured, for it gathers all its legs under its body, and employs 
its digging claws with such extraordinary vigor that it sinks in the ground 
as if by magic. It is tolerably widely spread over the sandy wastes of Aus¬ 
tralia, but has not been seen in the more northern portions of that country. 
The ant-eaters, or, as they are often called, ant-bears, differ so widely 
THE PORCUPINE ANT-EATER ROLLED UP. 
in appearance and structure from the sloths that it is difficult to believe at 
first sight in their close relationship; indeed, had it not been for the fortunate 
preservation of the remains of the ground-sloths, it may be questioned 
whether even zoologists would have fully understood the alliance of the 
two. 
