ANIMALS. 539 



gard to themselves, they may have some stores of com/brt un- 

 known to us, which may set them u]Jon a level with some other 

 inferior ranks of the creation ; if a part of their life be exposed 

 to pain and labour, it is compensated by a larger portion of 



mise that it just enjoys life as much as any other animal, and that its extra- 

 ordinary formation and singuhu- habits are but fiutlier proofs to engage us 

 to admire the wonderful works of ()nnii|iott'Uce. 



" It must be observed, that tlie sloth does not hang head-downwards like 

 the vampire. When asleep, lie supports liimself from a branch parallel 

 to the earth. He first seizes the branch with one arm, and then witli the 

 other ; and after that, brings up both his legs, one by one, to the same 

 branch ; so that all four are in a line : he seems perfectly at rest in this posi- 

 tion. Now, had he a tail, he would be at a loss to know what to do \\ith 

 it in this position : were he to draw it up within his legs, it would interfere 

 with them ; and were he to let it hang down, it would become the sport of 

 the winds. '1 hus his deficiency of tail, is a benefit to him ; it is merely an 

 apology for a tail, scarcely exceeding an inch and a half in length. 



" I observed, when he was climbing, he never used his arms both to. 

 gethcr, but first one and then the other, and so on alternately. There is a 

 singularity in his hair, diiterent from that of all other aiunials, and, I be- 

 lieve, hitherto uimoticed by naturalists ; his luiir is thick and coarse at the 

 extremity, and gradually tapers to the root, where it becomes fine as the 

 finest spider's web. His fur has so much the hue of the moss which grows 

 on the branches of the trees, that it is very dificult to make him out when 

 lie is at rest. 



" The male of the three-toed sloth has a longitudinal bar of very fine 

 black hair on liis back, rather lower than the shoulder-blades ; on each side 

 of this black bar there is a space of yellow hair, equally fine j it has the ap- 

 pearance of being pressed into the body, and looks exactly as if it had been 

 signed. If we examine the anatomy of his fore legs, we shall immediately 

 perceive by their firm and muscular texture, how very capable they are 

 of supporting the pendent weight of his body, both iu climbing and at rest ; 

 and instead of pronouncing them a buugled composition, as a celebrated na- 

 tiu-idist has done, we shall consider them as remarkably well calculated to 

 perform their extraordinary functions. 



" As the sloth is an inluibitaut of forests witiiiu the tropics, where the 

 trees touch each other in the greatest profusion, there seems to be no rea- 

 son why he should confine himself to one tree alone for food, aiid entirely 

 strip it of its leaves. Diu-ing tlie many years 1 have ranged the forests, I 

 have never seen a tree in such a state of nudity ; indeed, I would hazard a 

 conjecture, that, by the time the animal had hnisiied the last of tlie old 

 leaves, there woidd be a new crop on the part of the tree he had stripped 

 first, ready for liim to begiu again, so quick is the process of vegetation iu 

 these countries. 



" There is a saying amongst the luiiians, tliat when the wind blo«'s, tlio 

 eloth begins to travel. In calm weather he remains tranquil, probably not 

 liking to cling to the brittle extreniity of the branches, lest they should 

 break with him in passing from one tree to another; but as soou as the 

 wind rises, the branches of the neiglibouriug trees become iutcrwuven, and 



