THE SLOTH. 40? 



lars above-mentioned, and in being rather more 

 active, is of about the size of a badger. Its fur 

 is coarse and staring, somewhat resembling dried 

 grass ; the tail very short, and scarce appearing ; 

 the mouth extending from ear to ear ; the eye 

 dull and heavy ; the feet armed with three claws 

 each, and made so short, and set on so awkwardly, 

 that a few paces is often the journey of a week ; 

 but though the feet are short, they are still longer 

 than its legs, and these proceed from the body in 

 such an oblique direction, that the sole of the foot 

 seldom touches the ground. When the animal, 

 therefore, is compelled to make a step forward, it 

 scrapes on the back of the nails along the surface, 

 and wheeling the limbs circularly about, yet still 

 touching the ground, it at length places its foot 

 in a progressive position ; the other three limbs 

 are all brought about with the same difficulty; 

 and thus it is seen to move not above three feet 

 in an hour. In fact, this poor creature seldom 

 changes place but by constraint, and when im- 

 pelled by the severest stings of hunger. 



The sloth seems to be the meanest and most 

 ill-formed of all those animals that chew the cud ; 

 it lives entirely upon vegetable food, on the 

 leaves, the fruit, and the flowers of trees, and 

 often even on the very bark, when nothing else 

 is left on the tree for its subsistence. Like all 

 other ruminant animals, it has four stomachs; 

 and these requiring a large share of provision to 

 supply them, it generally strips a tree of all its 

 verdure in less than a fortnight. Still however 

 it keeps aloft, unwilling to descend while any 



