ORDER EDENTATA. 271 



which finally unite, and in which the blood circulates much 

 more slowly than if it was propelled into a single arterial 

 trunk. 



The nutriment of these animals consists of the leaves of 

 trees, on the branches of which they ascend with consi- 

 derable difficulty. They strip these branches totally of 

 their leaves, after which, to escape the trouble of descend- 

 ing, they suffer themselves to fall upon the ground. This, 

 however, they can never resolve to do, until they have sup- 

 ported an abstinence of very long duration. Their long, 

 tufted, and stiff hair, and the strength and solidity of their 

 ribs, prevent any accident, which might otherwise occur, 

 from these frequent falls. 



The female has but one young one at a time, which 

 fastens itself upon her back. 



The first species of Bradypus is the M, (Brady pus 

 Tridactylus, Linn.) The face and head of this animal are 

 rounded, furnished with stiff hairs of a yellowish colour, but 

 having the eyes encircled with brown ; the fur is in general 

 composed of stiff and dry hairs of a particular character, 

 some being brown, and others white. This causes the skin 

 to be varied by spots of these two different tints, variously 

 dispersed, according as one or the other colour may pre- 

 dominate. The middle line of the back, indeed, is more 

 inclining to the brown. Between the two shoulders there 

 is a place of an oval form, the hairs of which are short and 

 silky, of a lively orange colour, with a longitudinal streak 

 of a beautiful black in the middle. 



The neck is yellowish, like the forehead; the hairs on the 

 top of the head part from the sinciput, diverging on all 

 sides ; these are extremely fine, rounded, and then flattened 

 for about three-fourths of their length. There is, besides, 

 upon the skin, a sort of down, extremely fine and soft, of 

 a brown colour at the basis of the brown hairs, and white 

 at the basis of the white. 



u a. 



