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THE SLOTH. 



In proportion as the sloth's organization unfits it for terres- 

 trial progression, it is wonderfully adapted for climbing trees. 

 With its long arms it reaches right up, and clings to the 

 branches with its long and crooked claws. It has thus the 

 power of grasping a tree which no other mammal possesses. 



It is indeed the best climber among mammals, while it is the 

 only mammal that can neither walk nor stand. When sleep- 

 ing, the sloth does not hang head downwards, like the vampire, 

 but supports itself from the branch parallel to the earth. It 

 first seizes the branch with one arm, and then the other, and 



