152 
THREE-TOED SLOTH. 
tremely short as to be concealed fi^om view by the 
fur. 
The Count de BufFon, in one of those flights 
of paradoxical eloquence in which he sometimes 
indulged, is not wilHng 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 
