THE SLOTH. 87 



place to go in quest of the Sloth. We will first take a near 

 view of him. By obtaining a knowledge of his anatomy, 

 we shall be enabled to account for his movements hereafter, 

 when we see him in his proper haunts. His fore legs, or, 

 more correctly speaking, his arms, are apparently much 

 too long, while his hind legs are very short, and look as if 

 they could be bent almost to the shape of a cork-screw. 

 Both the fore and hind legs, by their form, and by the man- 

 ner in which they are joined to the body, are quite incapa- 

 citated from acting in a perpendicular direction, or in sup- 

 porting it on the earth, as the bodies of other quadrupeds 

 are supported, by their legs. Hence, when you place him 

 on the floor, his belly touches the ground. Now, granted, 

 that he supported himself on his legs like other animals, 

 nevertheless he would be in pain, for he has no soles to 

 his feet, and his claws are very sharp and long, and 

 curved ; so that, were his body supported by his feet, it 

 would be by their extremities ; just as your body would be 

 were you to throw yourself on all fours, and try to support 

 it on the ends of your toes and fingers a trying position. 

 Were the floor of glass, or of a polished surface, the Sloth 

 would actually be quite stationery ; but as the ground is 

 generally rough, with little protuberances upon it, such as 

 stones, or roots of grass, &c., this just suits the Sloth, and 

 he moves his fore legs in all directions, in order to find 

 something to lay hold of; and when he has succeeded, he 

 pulls himself forward, and is thus enabled to travel on- 

 wards, but, at the same time, in so tardy a manner as to 

 acquire him the name of Sloth. 



"Indeed, his looks and his gestures evidently betray his 

 uncomfortable situation ; and, as a sigh every now and 

 then escapes him, we may be entitled to conclude that he 

 is actually in pain. 



" Some years ago I kept a Sloth in my room for several 

 months. I often took him out of the house, and placed him 

 upon the ground, in order to have an opportunity of ob- 



