49C THE THREE-TOED SLOTH. 



accounted for ; and in lieu of the sloth leading a painful life, and 

 entailing a miserable existence upon his progeny, it is but fair to 

 conclude that he just enjoys life as much as any other animal, and 

 that his extraordinary formation and singular habits are but further 

 proofs to engage us to admire the wonderful works of Omnipotence." 



Dr. Lund says of the Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus torquatus) that 

 he climbs with remarkable sureness and aptitude. The manner in 

 which he moves is thus : Lying on his belly, with all his four 

 extremities stretched out from his body, he first presses one of his 

 hind-feet with all its might against the ground, whereby the corre- 

 sponding side of the body is slightly raised. The fore-leg on the same 

 side thus becomes sufficiently free for the animal to move it a little in 

 advance. He then hooks his powerful claws fast in the earth, and 

 so drags his body a little onwards. The same manoeuvre is next 

 repeated on the opposite side ; and thus the poor animal progresses 

 in the slowest and most laborious manner. But though his organiza- 

 tion unfits him for terrestrial locomotion, it is wonderfully adapted, 

 as I have said, to climbing trees. With his long arms he reaches 

 high up, and clings fast to the bough with crooked claws. The 

 inverted position of the soles of his hind-feet gives him a power of 

 clutching the trunk of the tree which no other mammal possesses ; 

 so that truly when we see him climbing a tree, we can scarcely 

 believe it to be the same animal that lies so helpless on the ground 

 Hence we see that the sloth's organization is .wholly adapted for 

 living in trees. Compared with the slowness of his motions, he is 

 the best climber among mammals, while he is the worst walker ; or 

 rather, he is the only mammal that can neither walk nor stand. 



The Bradypes family is peculiar to South America. It includes 

 but two genera, whose types are the CJialypus-Unau and the Brady- 

 pus-Ai. The Unau, or Two-toed Sloth, is found in the forests of 

 Peru, Guiana, and Columbia. His length is from twenty to thirty 

 inches. He has a large head; long and dry hair, of a grayish-brown. 

 During the day he sees very imperfectly, and therefore passes most 

 of his time asleep upon a tree, where he may be seen clinging by three 



