SOUTH AMERICA. 



preserve the skin, and the wourah poison was resorted 

 to as the easiest death. 



Of all animals, not even the toad and tortoise excepted, 

 this poor ill-formed creature is the most tenacious of life. 

 It exists long after it has received wounds which would 

 have destroyed any other animal ; and it may be said, 

 on seeing a mortally wounded sloth, that life disputes 

 with death every inch of flesh in its body. 



The Ai was wounded in the leg, and put down on the 

 floor, about two feet from the table ; it contrived to 

 reach the leg of the table, and fastened itself on it, as if 

 wishful to ascend. But this was its last advancing step : 

 life was ebbing fast, though imperceptibly ; nor could 

 this singular production of nature, which has been formed 

 of a texture to resist death in a thousand shapes, make 

 any stand against the wourali poison. 



First, one fore-leg let go its hold, and dropped down 

 motionless by its side ; the other gradually did the same. 

 The fore -legs having now lost their strength, the sloth 

 slowly doubled its body, and placed its head betwixt its 

 hind -legs, which still adhered to the table ; but when the 

 poison had affected these also, it sunk to the ground, but 

 sunk so gently, that you could not distinguish the move- 

 ment from an ordinary motion ; and had you been 

 ignorant that it was wounded with a poisoned arrow, 

 you would never have suspected that it was dying. Its 

 mouth was shut, nor had any froth or saliva collected there. 



K 2 



