53 a 
The Hijlory ef ANIMALS, 
Myrmcophaga manibus dida&ylis , plantis tetrada&ylis. 
The Myrmecophaga , w/VjJ only two toes on the fore-feet , and four on 
the hinder feet . 
This is fmaller than the other, and the legs alfo are fhorter, in proportion ; other- 
wife it greatly refembles it in fhape : the head is fmall, oval, and continued at the 
front into a very long and {lender fnout of a rounded figure, and conic, or growing 
gradually fmaller all the way, from the top of the head to the extremity: the ears are 
fhort, naked, and rounded, their apertures very large j the eyes are moderately large, 
and very bright and fparkling : the body is rounded and flefhy ; the legs are fhort and 
robuft, and the tail is very long, and of a flatted figure, and very bufhy, or covered 
thick with long hairs. 
The back is of a very dark colour, and there run all along it a fort of briftles point¬ 
ing backward; the reft of the body is covered with fhorter, but very rigid and ftiff, 
hairs: the creature is not fwift of foot; either this or the other, indeed, may be over¬ 
taken, at their beft fpeed, by a man who runs but a moderate pace: this has a long 
Hefhy tongue like the other, and feeds in the fame manner, by thrufting it out, where 
there are plenty of infeds, which gather about it, and are devoured, when it is taken 
in again. 
It is a native of the Brafils, and fome other parts of South America, but has been 
defcribed by none of the writers on this fubjed. We have fkins of it fent over to us 
preferved. 
Myrmecophaga manibus tetrada&ylis , plantis pentada&ylis . 
The Myrmecophaga , with four toes on the fore-feet , and 
five on the hinder . 
)e leffer 
3ttit4tcar. 
This is a very beautiful animal; it's fize is that of the fox, or fmaller, and it's fi¬ 
gure not greatly unlike that of that animal: the head is moderately long, the neck 
fhort, and the body about a foot in length, and very flefhy : the tail is like that of the 
other fpecies, and is nearly equal to the body in length : the legs are fhort, and are not 
fo thick and ftrong as in the others. 
The head is altogether of a conic form, but not entirely ftraight; it bends a little 
downwards ; the bafe towards the ears is thick, and from thence it gradually grows 
fmaller to the other end, when it is very fharp; the mouth is fmall, and there are no 
teeth in it: the ears ftand ered, they are fhort and open; the eyes are very fmall and 
black ; the tongue is eight inches long, rounded, and tapering gradually from the bafe 
to the point. 
The animal is, in general, of a pale whitifh-yellow colour; the fur is deep, and 
the hairs of which it is compofed are rigid and ftiff, only the back and belly have in 
the male a tinge of blacknefs, and the hairs are longer there than in any other part: 
the tail is well covered with hair all over, except at the extremity, where it is naked : 
there are two broad lines of black on the fides of the neck, one on each fide $ they 
are continued down to the fhoulders, and thence run to the extremity of the back, 
where they unite. 
This creature lays very faft hold of any thing with it’s fore-feet $ it has alfo a way of 
hanging itfelf to the boughs of trees, by twifting the naked extremity of the tail round 
them. It fleeps all the day with the head between the fore-legs 5 in the evening it 
goes in fearch of food. 
It is common in many parts of South America. Marcgrave call it Tamandua J. 
MANIS. 
