WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 181 



hair, equally fine ; it has the 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 immediately 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 composition, as a 

 celebrated naturalist has done, we shall consider 

 them as remarkably well calculated to perform 

 their extraordinary 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 rea- 

 son why he should confine himself to one tree 

 alone for food, and entirely strip it of its leaves. 

 During the many years I have ranged the forests, 

 I have never seen a tree in such a state of nudity ; 

 indeed, I would hazard a conjecture, that, by the 

 time the animal had 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 be- 

 gin again, so quick is the process of vegetation 

 in these countries. 



There is a saying amongst 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 pass- 

 ing from one tree to another; but as soon as the 

 wind rises, the branches of the neighbouring 

 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 



