OF NATURE. 
ioi 
the fquirrel, and thefe laft have feet given 
them fit for climbing. 
Befides myriads of fifties, the caftor , the 
fea calf \ and others inhabit the water, that they 
may there be fed, and their hinder feet are fit 
for 
* afpeft, when it looks at any man who lhould be tempted 
4 to hurt it, that it is impoffible not to be touched with 
4 compaffion ; befides that at the fame time it fheds tears, 
4 and upon the whole perfuades one, that a creature fo de- 
‘ fencelefs, and of fo unhappy a body ought not to be tor- 
4 mented. To make an experiment of this, the above- 
* mentioned father procured one of thefe animals to be 
4 brought to our college at Carthagena. He put a long 
4 pole under his feet, which it feized upon very firmly, and 
* would not let it go again. The animal therefore thus voluntari- 
4 ly fufpended was placed between two beams along with the 
4 pole, and there it remained without meat, drink, or deep, 
* forty days ; its eyes being always fixed on people that 
* looked at it, who were fo touched, that they could not 
4 forbear pitying it. At laft being taken down they let loofe 
4 a dog on it, which after a little while the Sloth feized with 
4 his feet, and held him four days, till he dyed of hunger. 
4 This was taken from the mouth of the father. They ad,d, 
4 continues Kircher, that this creature makes no noife but 
4 at night, but that very extraordinary. For by interrup- 
4 tions, that laft about the length of a figh or femipaufe 
4 it goes thro’ the fix vulgar intervals of mufic ut, re, mi, 
4 fa, fol, la. La, fol, fa, mi, re, ut, afqending and defcend- 
4 ing, and thefe perfe&Iy in tune. So that the Spaniards, 
4 when they firft got pcffefiion of this qoafr,. and heard thefe 
LI 3 4 notes. 
