108 Quadrupeds. 



larly in windy weather, it moves with such rapidity as 

 to make it quite a misnomer to call it a Sloth. " The 

 Sloth," says Mr. Waterton, " in its wild state, spends its 

 whole life in the trees, and never leaves them, but 

 through force or accident; and what is more extra- 

 ordinary, not upon the branches, like the squirrel and 

 monkey, but under them. He moves suspended from the 

 branch, he rests suspended from the branch, and he 

 sleeps suspended from the branch. Hence his seem- 

 ingly bungled composition is at once accounted for ; and 

 in lieu of the Sloth leading a painful life, and entailing 

 a melancholy existence upon its progeny, it is but fair 

 to conclude, that it enjoys life just as much as any other 

 animal, and that its extraordinary formation and singu- 

 lar habits are but further proofs to engage us to admire 

 the wonderful works of Omnipotence." 



The common Sloth has always three toes ; but there 

 is another kind, called the Unau, which has only two 

 toes, and much shorter fore legs. 



The female Sloth has only one young one at a time, 

 which hangs to her breast, and makes a kind of cradle of 

 her body, during her journeys from branch to branch ; 

 in fact, it appears never to quit her, till it is able to pro- 

 vide for itself. When hanging from the branch, she 

 hides her young one in her thick, matted hair, which 

 resembles in texture and appearance dry withered grass, 

 and, indeed, is so like the rough bark and moss on old 

 trees, as to render the animal scarcely distinguishable. 

 It was formerly asserted, when the Sloth has got posses- 

 sion of a tree, it will not descend while a leaf or bud is 

 remaining; and, that in order to obviate the necessity 

 of a slow and laborious descent, it suffers itself to fall to 

 the ground ; the toughness of its skin and the thickness 

 of its hair securing it from any unpleasant consequences. 

 This, however, like many other statements regarding 

 this much maligned animal, is erroneous ; in the dense 

 tropical forests which he inhabits the Sloth has rarely 

 any occasion to descend to the earth ; but he takes ad- 

 vantage of a windy night, when the branches of the 

 trees become interlaced, to make his way with great ease 

 from one place to another. 



