394 
THE BEAR. 
neck and fore-feet and making motions as 
if to stand on its head. It was very vora¬ 
cious, would eat without cessation if al¬ 
lowed, and finally fell a victim to its own 
gluttony, over-eating itself one hot morn¬ 
ing and dying within ten minutes,—a sad 
warning to all little boys and girls who are 
too fond of good things.” 
Matilda looked a little as if she thought 
this was meant for her. 
“ The next upon our list is the tumbler, 
labiated or sloth hear,—one of the most 
curious and uncouth in appearance of any 
of the race. This animal, when first brought 
to Europe, was considered a sloth, and called 
the five-fingered or ursine sloth; hut further 
examinations have proved that it is really a 
bear. It has only four incisor teeth in the 
lower jaw, and these are rather liable to 
fall out, and one is often'entirely missing. 
The muzzle is long, and the lips capable of 
being protruded in the form of a proboscis. 
The ears are small and pointed, the eyes 
small, and there is a great profusion of long 
half-erect hair upon the back and sides of 
the throat, part of which curls over the 
head. Under the throat is a white mark 
