Mike O'Connor, age 120 of Lawndale, Cal .,

Where do you find the aardvark?

The aardvark is a native of South Africa. His name means earth pig. It was given to him by the Dutch settlers who found him there. The aardvark does grunt and wriggle like a pig. On a very dark night you might almost mistake him for a pig. But you could never keep him in a sty. He would use his powerful digging feet to burrow down and escape under the walls,

The aardvark can burrow a tunnel almost as fast as you can walk. This is amazing, for the chunky fellow may be five feet long ‑ including his sturdy tail and tapering snout. That snout hold a long, sticky tongue which is used for catching ants. Yes, Mr. Aardvark is an anteater  though not related to any of the other anteaters in the world.

One great honor belongs to the aardvark. He is the first animal to be listed in the dictionary, usually along with a picture to explain him, With such a name, why wouldn't he be first on any alphabetical list?