S L O T H . 
throws it on the ground^ and to avoid the pain 
of descending the tree, forms himself into a 
ball, and drops from the branches. At the 
foot of this trcCj he continues till all the fruit 
it consumed ; never stirrings till hunger forces 
him to seek for more.'^ Klein, in his History 
of Quadrupeds/^ concludes Edwards, has 
given the last original £gure of it; except this 
of mine, which differs from all the foregoing 
figures, and wlll^ I believe, be found more 
corredl than most of them. All the figures I 
have yet seen, extend the hair on the feet quite 
to the nails ;: which is contrary to it's nature." 
Pennant remarks that, though, the Sloth 
preserved in the British Museum, and which 
he takes to be a young one, is only twelve 
inches long, the animal, according to Nieu- 
hofF, grows to the bulk of a middle-sized Fox. 
It has, he says, a mere stump of a tail ; long 
thick legs, aukwardly placed ; with' three toes, 
and three very long claws on cacli foot. " It's 
motion," says Pennant, '■' is attended with a 
most moving and plaintive crv, which, at once 
produces pity and disgust, and is it's onlv de- 
fence ; for every beast of prey is so atfc^led by 
tllG 
