Ch.V. south AMERICA. loi 



charge ; when, receiving another fuch ftroke, he is tor 

 tally deprived of his mod dangerous weapons, and 

 rendered incapable of moving. After which the per- 

 fon kills him at his leifure, and ftripping off the Ikin, 

 cutting off the head, and the fore and hind feet, re- 

 turns to the town, difplaying thefe as the trophies of 

 his vidory. 



Among the great variety of animals in this country, 

 one of the moft remarkable is the Peri^o ligero, or 

 nimble Peter, an ironical name given it on account of 

 its extreme fluggillinefs and (loth. It refembles a 

 middling monkey, but of a wretched appearance, the 

 fkin of it being of a greyifh brown, and all over cor- 

 rugated, and the legs and feet without any hair. He 

 is fo lumpilh, as not to ftand in need of either chain 

 or hutch, for he never ftirs till compelled by hunger. 

 "When he moves, every effort is attended with fuch 

 a plaintive, and at the fame time fo difagreeable a 

 cry, as at once produces pity and difgufl; and this 

 even in the flighteft motion of the head, legs, or feet ; 

 proceeding probably from a general contrad:ion of 

 the mufcles and nerves of his body, which puts him 

 to an extreme pain when he endeavours to move them. 

 In this difagreeable cry confifts his whole defence; 

 for, it being natural to him to fly at the firft hoftile ap- 

 proach of any beaft, he makes at every motion fuch 

 howiings as are even infupportable to his purfuer, 

 who foon quits him, and even flies beyond the hear- 

 ing of his horrid noife. Nor is it only during the 

 time he is in motion that he makes thefe cries ; he 

 repeats them while he refts himfelf, continuing a long 

 time motionlefs before he takes another march. The 

 food of this creature is generally wild fruits ; when 

 he can find none on the ground, he looks out for a 

 tree well loaded, which, with a great deal of pains, 

 he climbs ; and, to fave himfelf fuch another toilfome 

 afcent, plucks off all the fruit, throwing them on 

 the grounds and to avoid the pain of defcending 



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