190 



it would be a prey to every other animal, so its con. 

 stant residence is on a tree. Here it is safe from all 

 animals, but those who climb these trees for the birds 

 that roost on them. The leaves and tender part of 

 the tree are its food, and serve it for drink as well as 

 meat. It never moves to another branch, till it has 

 devoured all the nourishment upon that where it is 

 stationed: nor from one tree to another, till the first 

 is wholly withered and wasted. 



It is observable, the Sloth always ascends to the 

 top of a tree, only baiting as he goes, before he begins 

 his devastations. And this is doubtless from the in. 

 stinctive guidance of nature. For was it to begin eat. 

 ing upward, when it had devoured all, it would have 

 to climb down from the top of a dead tree, and would 

 behalf starved in its journey. But this is not all. 

 The havoc which one sloth makes on the largest tree 

 is easily seen. For he eats not only the leaves, but 

 all the buds and bark , leaving only a dead branch : 

 so that unless the same thing might happen by accident 

 this would betray the creature. It does so happen; 

 and trees then put on the same form, as when they 

 are left by the sloth. But they always die at the top 

 first, and so gradually downward. This animal there- 

 fore, wonderfully taught, begins its havoc at the 

 top.^ As it feeds, the tree decays ; but its decay is 

 in the course of nature. The decay spreads down, 

 ward ; and when he has eaten the last of his pro- 

 vision, he is near the ground, and has only to walk 

 away to another tree. But if it is at any distance, 

 hjis motion is so slow, that he grows quite lean in the 

 expedition. 



As the Sloth brings forth her young in the hollow 

 of a tree, so is she led by the same wonderful in. 

 stinct to conduct them to the topmost branches, as 

 soon as they crawl out. When she is big with young, 

 she climbs some old, hollow tree ; and having fixed 

 on a convenient spot for her young, she climbs to the 

 very highest bough, and there feeds faster than usual. 

 When she is fu41, she descends with unaccustomed 



