SOUTH AMERICA. 
155 
greatest profusion, there seems to be no reason why 
he should confine himself to one tree alone for food, 
and entirely strip it of its leaves. During the many 
years I have ranged the forests, I have never seen a 
tree in such a state of nudity; indeed, I would hazard 
a conjecture, that, by the time the animal had finished 
the last of the old leaves, there would be a new crop 
on the part of the tree he had stripped first, ready 
for him to begin again, so quick is the process of 
vegetation in these countries. 
There is a saying amongst the Indians, that when 
the wind blows, the sloth begins to travel. In calm 
w r eather he remains tranquil, probably not liking to 
cling to the brittle extremity of the branches, lest 
they should break with him in passing from one tree 
to another; but as soon as the wind rises, the branches 
of the neighbouring trees become interwoven, and 
then the sloth seizes hold of them, and pursues his 
journey in safety. There is seldom an entire day of 
calm in these forests. The trade-wind generally 
sets in about ten o’clock in the morning, and thus 
the sloth may set off after breakfast, and get a con¬ 
siderable way before dinner. He travels at a good 
round pace; and were you to see him pass from tree 
to tree, as I have done, you would never think of 
calling him a sloth. 
Thus, it would appear that the different histories 
we have of this quadruped are erroneous on two 
accounts : first, that the writers of them, deterred 
by difficulties and local annoyances, have not paid 
sufficient attention to him in his native haunts j and 
THIRD 
OURNK Y. 
