EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 155 



head fomething like that of a monkey, hut its mouth is c H a p, 

 remarkably large ; its hinder legs are much Ihorter than ^ Y^^' ^ 

 thofe before, to help it in climbing, being each armed 

 with three very large and lharp claws, by which it holds 

 its body on the boughs, but which, as being ofFenfive 

 weapons, my negroes had fo cruelly chopped off: its eyes 

 are languid, and its voice is fqueaking, like that of a 

 young eat. The greateft particularity of this creature 

 however is, that its motion is fo very flow, that it often 

 takes two days to get up to the top of a moderate tree, 

 from this it never defcends while a leaf or a bud is re- 

 maining; beginning its devaftation firft at the top, to 

 prevent its being ftarved in coming to the bottom, when 

 it goes in quefl of another, proceeding incredibly flow 

 indeed while on the ground. Some fay, that to avoid 

 the pain of exerciiing its limbs, it forms itfelf into a ball, 

 and drops down from the branches : that may be true or 

 not^ but this I know to be a fa6l, that it cannot mend its 

 pacCr 



Of thefe animals there are two fpecies in Guiana, viz, 

 the At and the Unan ; but in Surinam diftinguifhed by 

 the names of the Sicapo and Dago luyaree, or the Sheep and 

 the Dog Sloth, on accc^mt of their hair ; that of the firft 

 being bufhy, and of a dirty grey, while the other is 

 lank and reddifh-coloured. This laft has alfo but two 

 claws on each foot, and the head is lefs round than the 

 former. Both thefe creatures,, by forming themfelves in 

 a clew, have often more the appearance of excrefcences 

 in the bark, than that of animals feeding upon the fo- 



VoL. I. X liage. 



