184 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 



sloth is the only quadruped known, which spends 

 its whole life from the branch of a tree, suspended 

 by his feet. I have paid uncommon attention to 

 him in his native haunts. The monkey and squir- 

 rel will seize a branch with their fore-feet, and 

 pull themselves up, and rest or run upon it; but 

 the sloth, after seizing it, still remains suspended, 

 and suspended moves along under the branch, till 

 he can lay hold of another. Whenever I have seen 

 him in his native woods, whether at rest, or asleep, 

 or on his travels, I have always observed that he 

 was suspended from the branch of a tree. When 

 his form and anatomy are attentively considered, 

 it will appear evident that the sloth cannot be at 

 ease in any situation, where his body is higher, 

 or above his feet. We will now take our leave 

 of him. 



In the far-extending wilds of Guiana, the trav- 

 eller will be astonished at the immense quantity 

 of Ants which he perceives on the ground and in 

 the trees. They have nests in the branches, four 

 or five times as large as that of the rook; and 

 they have a covered way from them to the ground. 

 In this covered way thousands are perpetually 

 passing and repassing; and if you destroy part 

 of it, they turn to, and immediately repair it. 



Other species of ants again have no covered 

 way; but travel, exposed to view, upon the sur- 

 face of the earth. You will sometimes see a string 

 of these ants a mile long, each carrying in its 

 mouth to its nest a green leaf, the size of a six- 

 pence. It is wonderful to observe the order in 

 which they move, and with what pains and labour 

 they surmount the obstructions of the path. 



