TOOTHLESS ANT-EATERS 
263 
of any foe excepting those of man himself, for the head, which is the 
only undefended part of the frame, is tucked away beneath the body, 
so that a fatal wound cannot be inflicted. 
Like the hedgehog, the manis curls himself up by means of the 
curious and powerful muscle which surrounds the body, and which, 
in the whale, is so useful in diminishing the bulk when the animal 
wishes to dive. 
The fore paws of the manis are armed with most wonderfully 
large and strong claws, or rather talons, and for a very good reason, 
for the animal feeds upon the curious insect which is called the white 
ant (or, more properly, the termite), and which is in the habit of 
making huge nests of clay something like those of the wood ant in 
shape. Now, the clay of which these nests are formed quickly 
becomes baked by the intense heat of the tropical sun, so that the 
walls are hard enough to resist the attacks of almost any foe. But 
they cannot bid defiance to those of the manis, whose powerful limbs 
and long, sharp claws quickly break their way into the interior of the 
nest, the inmates of which are eaten in thousands by the successful 
animal. 
The manner in which these termites are devoured is very curious. 
The manis has no teeth, and one might well think that it would find 
great difficulty in capturing enough of the active little insects for its 
needs, more especially as the paws are formed for the one great pur¬ 
pose of digging alone, and cannot be of the slightest use in capturing 
prey. The tongue, however, is far more useful than the paws could 
possibly be, for not only is it very long and slender, so that it can be 
passed into every little passage or aperture, but it is moistened with 
a very sticky spittle, or saliva, which causes the termites to adhere to 
it as soon as they are touched. When the animal is feeding, it sweeps 
the insects into its mouth by hundreds, the gummy tongue moving 
rapidly to and fro, and licking up the little creatures much as that of 
a cat or dog licks up water. 
Owing to the peculiar structure of the claws, this animal is not at 
all swift of foot, for its paws can with difficulty be used for the pur¬ 
pose of walking, so that its progress is very slow. We thus see how 
necessary it is that armor of some kind should be given to it, for it 
