410 THE JERBOA. 



drink, or sleep ; the strength of its feet is so 

 great, that whatsoever it seizes on cannot possi- 

 bly be freed from its claws. A dog was let loose 

 at the above-mentioned animal, taken from the 

 pole ; after some time the sloth laid hold of the 

 dog with its feet, and held him four days, till he 

 perished with hunger. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE JERBOA. 



THIS animal as little resembles a quadruped as 

 that which has been described in a former chap- 

 ter. If we should suppose a bird divested of its 

 feathers, and walking upon its legs, it might give 

 us some idea of its figure. It has four feet, in- 

 deed, but in running or resting it never makes 

 use of any but the hinder. The number of legs, 

 however, do not much contribute to any animal's 

 speed ; and the jerboa, though, properly speak- 

 ing, furnished but with two, is one of the swiftest 

 creatures in the world. 



The jerboa is not above the size of a large rat, 

 and its head is sloped somewhat in the manner of 

 a rabbit ; the teeth also are formed like those of 

 the rat kind, there being two cutting teeth in 

 each jaw ; it has a very long tail tufted at the 

 end ; the head, the back, and sides, are covered 



