152 THREE-TOED SLOTH. 



tremely short as to be concealed from view by the 

 fur. 



The Count de Buffon, in one of those flights 

 of paradoxical eloquence in which he sometimes 

 indulged, is not willing to allow this creature any 

 share in contributing to the general beauty in the 

 scale of animated nature; but considers it as an 

 ill-constructed mass of deformity, created only 

 for misery; which he thinks is the less to be 

 wondered at, when, perhaps, the major part of 

 mankind experience a similar fate. 



" From a defect in their conformation, the mi- 

 sery of these animals is not more conspicuous than 

 their slowness. They have no cutting-teeth ; the 

 eyes are obscured with hair; the- chaps are heavy 

 and thick ; the hair is flat, and resembles withered 

 herbs; the thighs are ill jointed to the haunches; 

 the legs are too short, ill turned, and terminated 

 still worse; their feet have no soles, and no toes 

 which move separately, but only two or three claws 

 disproportionately long, and bended downwards, 

 which move together, and are more hurtful to 

 their walking, than advantageous in assisting them 

 to climb. Slowness, habitual pain, and stupidity, 

 are the results of this strange and bungled con- 

 formation. The sloths have no weapons either 

 offensive or defensive. They are furnished with 

 no means of safety; for they can neither fly nor 

 dig the earth. Confined to a small space, or to 

 the tree under which they are brought forth, they 

 are prisoners in the midst of space, and cannot 

 move the length of one fathom in an hour. They 



