408 THE SLOTH. 



thing remains that can serve it for food ; it there- 

 fore falls to devouring the bark, and thus in a 

 short time kills the tree upon which it found its 

 support. Thus destitute of provisions above, and 

 crawling slowly from branch to branch, in hopes 

 of finding something still left, it is at last obliged 

 to encounter all the dangers that attend it below. 

 Though it is formed by nature for climbing a 

 tree with great pain and difficulty, yet it is utterly 

 unable to descend ; it therefore is obliged to drop 

 from the branches to the ground, and as it is in- 

 capable of exerting itself to break the violence 

 of its descent, it drops like a shapeless, heavy 

 mass, and feels no small shock in the fall. 

 There, after remaining some time torpid, it pre- 

 pares for a journey to some neighbouring tree : 

 but this, of all migrations, is the most tedious, 

 dangerous, and painful ; it often takes a week in 

 crawling to a tree not fifty yards distant; it 

 moves with imperceptible slowness, and often 

 baits by the way. All motions seem to torture 

 it; every step it takes it sets forth a most plain-, 

 tive melancholy cry, which from some distant 

 similitude to the human voice, excites a kind of 

 disgust, mixed with pity. This plaintive sound 

 seems its chief defence ; few quadrupeds appear 

 willing to interrupt its progress, either that the 

 flesh is offensive, or that they are terrified at its 

 cries. When at length they reach their destined 

 tree, they mount it with much greater ease than 

 when they moved upon the plain. They fall to 

 with famished appetite, and, as before, destroy 

 the very source that supplies them. 



