268 MAMMALIA-SLOTH. 



appearance of being pressed into the body, and looks exactly as if it had 

 been singed. If we examine the anatomy of his fore legs, we shall imme- 

 diately perceive by their firm and muscular texture, how very capable they 

 are of supporting the pendent weight of his body, both in climbing and at 

 rest; and, instead of pronouncing them a bungled compositio-n, as a cele- 

 brated naturalist has done, we shall consider them as remarkably well cal- 

 culated to perform their ordinary functions. 



" As the sloth is an inhabitant of forests within the tropics, where the 

 trees touch each other in the greatest profusion, there seems to be no reason 

 why he should confine himself to one tree alone for food, and entirely strip 

 it of its leaves. During the many years 1 have ranged the forests, I have 

 never seen a tree in such a state of nudity ; indeed I would hazard a con- 

 jecture, that by the time the animal has finished the last of the old leaves, 

 there would be a new crop on the part of the tree he had stripped first, ready 

 for him to begin again, so quick is the process of vegetation in these 

 countries. 



" There is a saying among the Indians, that when the wind blows, the 

 sloth begins to travel. In calm weather he remains tranquil, probably not 

 liking to cling to the brittle extremity of the branches, lest they should break 

 with him in passing from one tree to another ; but as soon as the wind 

 rises, the branches of the neighboring trees become interwoven, and then 

 the sloth seizes hold of them, and pursues his journey in safety. There is 

 seldom an entire day of calm in these forests. The trade wind generally 

 sets in about ten o'clock in the morning, and thus the sloth may set off after 

 breakfast, and get a considerable way before dinner. He travels at a good 

 round pace ; and were you to see him pass from tree to tree, as I have done, 

 you would never think of calling him a sloth. 



" Thus it would appear that the different histories we have of this 

 quadruped are erroneous on two accounts ; first, that the writers of them, 

 deterred by difficulties and local annoyances, have not paid sufficient atten- 

 tion to him in his native haunts ; and, secondly, they have described him in 

 a situation in which he was never intended by nature to cut a figure, I 

 mean on the ground. The sloth is as much at a loss to proceed on his 

 journey upon a smooth and level floor, as a man would be who had to walk 

 a mile in stilts upon a line of feather-beds. 



" One day, as we were crossing the Essequibo, I saw a large two-toed 

 sloth on the ground upon the bank ; how he got there nobody could tell ; 

 the Indian said he had never surprised a sloth in such a situation before; 

 he would hardly have come there to drink, for both above and below the 

 place, the branches of the trees touched the water, and afforded him an easy 

 and safe access to it. Be this as it may, though the trees were not above 

 twenty yards from him, he could not make his way through the sand, in 

 time to escape before we landed. As soon as we got up to him, he 

 threw h mself on his back, and defended himself in a gallant style with his 



