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ANT-EATER.

A particular description of this species may serve
to give a competent idea of all the rest. In the Leverian
Museum was a specimen upwards of seven feet long,
and about two feet high. The tongue is thirty inches
long; the nose, or snout, is long and slender; and. the
eves are small ‘and black, mixed with grey; and generally
_ about six inches long. A black line, bounded with
white, extends from the neck across the shoulders to the
sides and the tail is covered with long, coarse, black

air.

When they discover an ant-hill, they approach it
slowly and silently, and having taken a favourable position,
stretch out their long gluey tongne across the path of
the ants. As.soon as a sufficient number have over-
spread the tongue, they draw it into their mouth,
repeating the process till their hunger is satiated, when
they again retire to their lurking-places.

But, though the animal subsists in this manner, it is
said never to get fat, notwithstanding its indolence at
those times when it is not feeding. It is capable,
however, of enduring great privation in the way of food,
The position of repose is that of partially rolling itself
into a ball, with the snout doubled on the breast, the
legs brought together, the long and bushy tail covering
the outer part, and the whole animal having something
the appearance of a bunch of withered grass; and
probably much of its defence from enemies depends
on this position, in which it spends the greater part
of its time. . ee --