1 88 EXTINCT MONSTERS. 



It is quite true that, on the ground, these animals are about 

 the most awkward creatures that can well be imagined. Their 

 fore legs are much longer than their hind ones ; all their toes are 

 terminated by very long curved claws, and the general structure 

 of the animal is such as to prevent them from walking in the 

 manner of an ordinary quadruped, for they are compelled to rest 

 on the sides of their hands and feet. Thus they appear the most 

 helpless of animals, and their only means of progression consists 

 in hooking their claws to some inequality in the ground, and thus 

 dragging their bodies painfully along. But in their natural home, 

 amongst the branches of trees, all these seeming disadvantages 

 vanish — nay, the very peculiarities of structure which render the 

 sloths objects of pity on the ground, are found to render them 

 admirably adapted to their peculiar mode of life. The sloth is a 

 small animal, rarely more than two feet in length, and covered 

 with woolly hair — probably a protection against snakes, its only 

 enemies. It spends nearly the whole of its life in the trees. 

 There, safe from the prowling animals on the ground below, it 

 hangs like a hammock from the bough, and even travels along 

 the branches with its body downwards, using its long claws like 

 grappling-irons. 



It looks slothful enough when asleep, for then it resembles a 

 bunch of rough hair, and a jumble of limbs close together, hang- 

 ing to a branch ; but when awake it is industrious in its search 

 for nice twigs and leaves, and moves along with considerable 

 activity. When the atmosphere is still, the sloth keeps to its 

 tree, feeding on the leaves and twigs, but when there is wind, 

 and the branches of neighbouring trees come in contact, the 

 opportunity is seized, and the animal moves along the forest under 

 the shady cover of the boughs. The Indians have a saying that 

 " when the wind blows the sloth begins to crawl ; " and the reason 

 is quite evident, for they cannot jump, but can hang, swing, and 

 crawl suspended. 



We now pass on to the old gigantic representative of the 



