There is another curious little ant-eater, about the size of a
squirrel,--which animal it resembles very much in its habits, and
somewhat in its appearance. It possesses a prehensile tail, like that
of the ateles and other American monkeys, with which it can swing itself
from branch to branch. The tail is covered with fur, with the exception
of about three inches of the under surface at the extremity. It has a
small head, the snout sharpened and bent slightly downwards. A soft,
curled, and pale yellow-brown fur clothes its body. It has only two
claws on each of its fore-feet, the exterior one being stronger and
larger than the interior. With these weapons it is enabled to hook out
the small insects from the crevices of the bark, or grubs from the nests
of bees or wasps. Like the squirrel, it sits upon its hind-limbs when
eating, supporting itself with its prehensile tail. It may more
properly be called the twisted-tail ant-eater (Cyclothurus didactylus).
There is another small ant-eater found in Guiana, called the striped
ant-eater (Myrmecophaga striata), from the marks on its body. Its
general colour is of a tawny hue, the under parts being white. It is
marked with broad, distinct, blackish transverse stripes, and the tail
is annulated with similar ones. Its whole length, from the tip of its
nose to the end of its tail, is about twenty inches. The snout is
elongated, the upper mandible extending very little beyond the lower.