RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 287 



very remarkable, and one well-known naturalist has stated that it is 

 "without exact parallel among other mammals, although the colora- 

 tion of the Skunk is somewhat suggestive of it." It should also be 

 stated that on each side of the back, or thighs, of this animal there 

 is a profusion of pure white hairs which hang down like a mantle 

 over the flanks and give the adult beast a fine appearance. This 

 White-Thighed Guereza is, it appears, merely a variety of the ordin- 

 ary animal, as in the commoner kind the tail is black and short- 

 haired for at least a foot or more, the white tufts of hair being present 

 only on the last few inches. 



The Guereza feeds upon leaves, wild fruits and insects in its 

 native state, but it is rarely seen in captivity as it is difficult to get 

 it to successfully overcome a long journey across the sea, even if 

 it could be reared when it had safely arrived at its destination. It 

 is said to be a restless and silent animal in its native wilds, and 

 to be capable of leaping from tree to tree in a most remarkable 

 w r ay. 



SLOTHS. — The Sloths are animals possessing an ancient origin, 

 for Hoffmann's species (Fig. 226) is a descendant of the Giant 

 Ground Sloths which have long since become extinct. And here 

 attention may be drawn to the plates of extinct animals included in 

 this volume, namely, Plates II, VII, VIII, XI, XIV and XVIII. 

 At this juncture the last-named plate, showing the extinct Giant 

 Sloth and two Armadillos, need only be referred to specifically, but 

 it is highly desirable that the remaining plates should not be over- 

 looked, and the relationship of the animals depicted with living 

 representatives of to-day should be closely studied. 



At one time the Giant Sloth, a terrestrial and not an arboreal 

 animal like the living species, was a common inhabitant of South 

 America, and it is most essential that it and others should be repre- 

 sented in this book, as it is largely because of the remains which 

 have been discovered of these extinct monsters that we are able to 

 piece together the fascinating story of animal life, and obtain some 

 conception of the huge creatures which populated the earth and sea 

 before the advent of man. One species of Giant Sloth now no more 

 has been compared to the Elephant in size. There was no need for 

 it to climb trees like the small Sloths of to-day, even if the trees 

 could bear its weight, for it could easily reach the tree-tops, as 

 Plate XVIII shows. These Giant Sloths were not distantly related 

 to the Ant-Eaters, they were herbivorous and heavy beasts, and 



