64 MOUNT KOSCIUSKO AND AUSTRALIAN ALPS 



place in the Australian forests. It is as harmless as a 

 sloth ; and no instance of one attempting to defend itself 

 ever came to my notice ; though if it chose to bite it could 

 inflict an ugly wound. Sluggish and harmless, it resembles 

 the sloths closely in habits as well as in appearance, and 

 its food is similar — leaves, and leaves only, I believe ; and 

 it will not accommodate itself to any other kind of food. 

 The leaves of the gum-tree it must have, and no others are 

 an acceptable substitute for them : consequently, when a 

 constant supply of these leaves is not obtainable, the 

 animal cannot be kept in captivity — indeed, it never 

 thrives in confinement. 



In its native forests, it is only seen singly or in pairs. 

 Probably it pairs for life, and they never wander far from 

 each other. When one only is seen the other may be 

 lurking in a hollow-tree within a few feet of it. The two 

 are often seen near the top of a tall tree, and present a 

 singular sight. They frequently remain motionless for 

 several hours at a time, and are never active. Though 

 they come to the ground it seems only to be for the 

 purpose of travelling from one tree to another. They 

 never drink, I think ; at any rate, they can exist without 

 water, and though, from the scientific naturalist's point of 

 view, they differ greatly from the sloths, their habits, 

 attitudes, and ways are entirely those of sloths with this 

 one exception — ^they do not hang back-downwards from 

 the under sides of boughs. 



When surprised on the ground in the forest, the native- 

 bear makes some slow and awkward attempts to get to 

 the nearest tree. In this it always fails — escape is impos- 

 sible, so slow are all its movements. Resigning itself to 

 its fate, it seems to entreat, by a series of grotesque 

 movements of its great pluggy head, the commiseration of 

 its captor. It groans and sighs, and sways and contorts 

 its body in an apparent agony of entreaty, which, 

 pathetically comical as it is, is so suggestive of pleading 

 for mercy that few persons, except blacks and cruel boys, 

 have the heartlessness to hurt it. Perhaps the meaning of 

 all its gestures are mistaken by man. I scarcely think so 



