164 
The Animal-Lore of Shakspeare s Time. 
the subject of bis discourse is the Ai, or Three-toed 
Sloth, a species common in Brazil. 
“ There is,” he writes, “ another strange beast, which, by a name of 
contrary effect, the Spaniards call cagnuolo, that is, the Light Dogge, 
whereas it is one of the slowest beasts in the world, and so heavie and 
dull in moving, that it can scarcely goe fiftie pases in a whole day: 
these beasts are in the same land, and are very strange to behold for 
the disproportion that they have to all other beasts : they are about two 
spans in length when they are growne to their full bignesse, but when 
they are very young, they are somewhat more grosse then long: they 
have foure subtill feete, and in every one of them foure clawes like unto 
birds, and joyned together: yet are neither their clawes or their feet 
able to susteine their bodies from the ground, by reason whereof, and 
by the heavinesse of their bodies, they draw their bellies on the 
ground : their neckes are high and streight, and all equal like the pestle 
of a morter, which is altogether equal even unto the top, without 
making any proportion or similitude of a head, or any difference except 
in the noddle, and in the tops of their neckes: they have very round 
faces much like unto owles, and have a marke of their own haire after 
the manner of a circle, which maketh their faces seeme somwhat more 
long then large: they have small eyes and round, and nostrils like unto 
monkeyes: they have little mouthes, and moove their neckes from one 
side to another, as though they were astonished: their chiefe desire 
and delight is to cleave and sticke fast unto trees, or some other thing 
whereby they may climbe aloft, and therefore for the most part, these 
beasts are found upon trees, whereunto cleaving fast, they mount up 
by little and little, staying themselves by their long clawes: the 
colour of the haire is betweene russet and white, and of the proper 
colour of the haire of a weasell: they have no tayles, and their voice is 
much differing from other beasts, for they sing onely in the night, 
and that continually from time to time, singing ever sixe notes one 
higher then another, so falling with the same, that the first note is 
the highest, and the other in a baser tune, as if a man should say, La, 
sol, fa, mi, re, ut, so this beast saith, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. And 
doubtlesse, it seemeth to me that as I have said in the chapter of the 
beast called bardati, that those beasts might be the originall and 
document to imbarbe horses: even so the first invention of musicke 
might seeme by the hearing of this beast, to have the first principles 
of that science, rather then by any other thing in the world. But now 
to returne to the historie. I say that in a short space after this beast 
hath sung, and hath paused a while, shee returneth againe to the selfe- 
same song, and doth this onely in the night and not in the day. And 
