The naturalists' miscellany, or, Coloured figures of natural objects; drawn and described immediately from nature

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To vulgar ears a black swan has the found of a miracle : hiat this arises merely from annexing the pro- Verbial name to the common s an, so emphaticalty disia tinguished by iis constant sinowy plumage, from Whichit Was never known to Vary: but no one could everrationalty be supposed to cali in question the possibi e existence of sonae distinet species of this numerohas genus, Whicli, ho ever nearly allied in poliat of sige and habit to the common frean, might yet be naturallyblach. In faet such a species is now discovered. It is a native of New Holland, and the neighbouring isands, and is accurately represented on the plate annexed. In generat appearance it bears the most striking resem-blance to the common Man, and is remarkable for allthose gracelat ly-varying altitudes Which so eminently

P a distinguissi

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pater.

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MYRMECOPHAGA ACULEATA.

ARACTER GENERICUS. Dentes nulli. Lingua teres, extensilis. Os angustatum in rostrum.

Corpus plerisque pilis tectum.

ARA TER SPECIFICUS.

MYRMECOPHAGA ACULEATA, cauda bre

vissima. Digna est quae penitius examinetur haec species, non modo quod nova prorsus sit et adhuc inaudita, sed quod in ea insigne detur exemplum mirae istius gradationis qua genera diversissima interdum sibi invicem appropinquant. Vinculum VidetUr esse haec qUo connectuntur genera fatis distincta 'sricis et M rme phagae, cum enim huic sit facie vestituque similior, illius habet rostrum verosque characteres. Pedem circiter Unum longa est, qUatenus a speciminibus adhuc visis colligi possit: deest igitur figutae nostrae plusquam dimidia pars magnitudinis naturalis. Totum corpus superius cum cauda spinis contegitur validis et longioribus, quales omnino sunt hystricis Vulgaris, nisi quod vice circulorum qui alternatim albi nigrique, plerumque albeant, apicibus altius nigro tinctis, quodque albedo

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albedo a nigredine separetur annulo parvo sordideaurantio. Aliae vero spinae totae albent, si eXcipias extremitates levissime nigricantes. CapUt, Crura, Corporisque partes inferiores e fusco nigricant, Vestiunturque pilis seu sciis potius densissimis. Caudae brevioris apicem denudatae et paululum complanatae superficies superior spinis contegitur perpendicularibus, illas saltem longitudine aequantibus quae in dorso cernuntur. Rostrum longum, nudUm, nigriam, tubulatum, eodem modo formatum quo rostrum Myrmecophagae jubatae, in apice rictum habet minimum, unde lingua lumbrici r-mis longe protruditur, qualis est etiam MyrmecophagarUm. Nares parVae, ad extremum rostri sitae. Oculi minimi, nigri, iride caerulea. Crura brevissima, crassissima, digitis quinque instructa. Pedum anticorUm digitis sunt ungues quinque validissimi, longi, obtusi Usculi, nigricantes: posticorum quatuor tantum pollex enim caeteris latior, Ungue caret,) quique differunt inter se : prior scilicet est longissimus, paululiam curvatus, et acutus; secundus paulo brevior, sed similiter formatus; reliqui duo multo breviores, aliquatulum Curvi, et obtusiusculi. Vivit proculdubio haec species more aliarum Myrmecophagariam, in t Umulo enim quem congesserant formicae primo deprensa est, ideoque nomine H si icis formicari distincta. Ad nos a Nova Hollandia allata est. Cum nuperrime detectum sit hoc animal, neminem scientia naturali vel leviter imbutum latere possit minusquam antea conVenire Linnaeanos Characteres generi

Myrmecophagae. Cum igitur quae in generibus Manis et Myrmecophagae continentur animalia vestitu solo differant, huic enim corpus squamosum, illi pilosum; satius sorsan

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forsan foret duo haec genera conjungere, annumerata iis novissima hac specie, et ex parte characterum dicere Corpus vel pilis vel squamis vel aculeis et situm: ni no-Vum omnino genus instituatur, a generibus Manis et Myrmecophagae in hoc tantum discrepans, quod nec squamis, nec pilis, sed aculeis contegatur.

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GENERIC CHARACTER.

Mout tubular; mouth smali; no ieeth. Tongue cylindric, long, extensile. SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

This extraordinary animal may weli he consideredamongst the most curious and interesting quadrupedsyet discovered; since it is not only an absolutely ne and hitherio unknown species, but is also a most strikinginstance of that beatatili gradation, so frequently observed in the animal kingdom, by Whicli creatures ofone tribe or genus approach to those of a very disterentone. It fornas a Conneeting link bet een the very dissetant genera of Hystrix and Myrmecophaga; having the externat coating and generat aspect of the one, withthe mouth and peculiar generic characters of the other. Τhis animal, so far as can be judged frona the specimens hitherio observed, is about a s ot in tength : the figure consequently represenis it of nearly half the natural sige. The whole upper paris of the body and tali