IOO 
(ECONOMY 
longer get nourifhment, two horfes will do 
very well there for fome days, and when no- 
thing is left for the horfes, four Iheep will live 
upon it. 
Swine get provifion by turning up the earth; 
for there they find the fucculent roots, which 
to them are very delicious. 
The leaves and fruits of trees are intended 
as food for fome animals, as the (loth f , 
the 
f There is fo curious an account of this animal in Kir- 
cher’s Mufurgia, that i think the reader will excufe my 
tranfcribing it. That author fays thus : 4 The defcription of 
4 this animal i had from fatherTorus, provincial of thejefuites 
* in America, who had animals of this kind in his pofieflion, 
4 and made many experiments in relation to their nature 
4 and qualities. Its figure is extraordinary ; it is about the 
4 bignefs of a cat, of very ugly countenance, and has claws 
4 extended like fingers. The hinder part of the head and 
* neck are covered with hair. It fweeps the ground with 
4 its fat belly, never rifes upon its feet, and moves fo 
6 flowly, that it would fcarce go the length of a bow-fhot 
4 in 15 days, tho’ conflantly moving, and it is therefore 
4 called the Sloth. It is not known what it feeds upon, 
4 not being ever obferved to take any food. It lives gene- 
4 rally upon tops of trees, and employs two days to crawl 
4 up, and as many to get down again. Nature has doubly 
‘ guarded this animal again# its enemies. Firft by giving 
1 it fuch ftrength in its feet that whatever it feizes, it holds 
4 fo faft, that it never can be freed from its claws, but muff 
4 there dye of hunger. Secondly in giving it fuch a moving 
4 afpeft* 
