. The popular natural history . Zoology. THE SLOTH. 225 somewhat similar to that of the Ant-eater, and there are no teeth of any kind in the jaws. The food of the Echidna consists of ants and other insects, which it gathers into its mouth by means of the long extensile tongue. It is a burrowing animal, and is therefore furnished with limbs and claws of proportionate strength. Indeed, Lieutenant Breton, who kept one of these animals for some time, considers it as the strongest quadruped in existence in pro- portion to its size. On moder- ately soft ground it can hardly be captured, for it gathe
. The popular natural history . Zoology. THE SLOTH. 225 somewhat similar to that of the Ant-eater, and there are no teeth of any kind in the jaws. The food of the Echidna consists of ants and other insects, which it gathers into its mouth by means of the long extensile tongue. It is a burrowing animal, and is therefore furnished with limbs and claws of proportionate strength. Indeed, Lieutenant Breton, who kept one of these animals for some time, considers it as the strongest quadruped in existence in pro- portion to its size. On moder- ately soft ground it can hardly be captured, for it gathers all its legs under its body, and em- ploys its digging claws with such extraordinary vigour that it sinks into the ground as if by magic. The Echidna is tolerably widely spread over the sandy wastes of Australia, but has not been seen in the more northern por- tions of that country. In the last group of the mam- malia vi^e find a very remark- able structure, adapted to serve a particular end, and misunder- stood by zoologists. The com- mon Sloth, sometimes called the Two-toed Sloth, is a na- tive of the West Indies, where it is not very often seen, although it is not a very uncommon animal. The peculiarity to be noticed in all the Sloths, of which there are several species, is, that they pass the whole of their lives suspended, with their backs downwards, from the branches of trees. The Sloth never gets upon a bough, but simply hooks his curved talons over it, and hangs in perfect security. In order to enable the animal to suspend itself without danger of falling, the limbs are enormously \ strong, the fore-legs are remark- â able for their length, and the toes of all fodr feet are furnished with strong curved claws. Upon the ground the Sloth is entirely out of its element, as its limbs. AI, OR THREE-TOED SLOTH.â{Bradypm tridactylus.) are wholly unadapted for supporting the weight of the body, and its Ions' claws cannot be employed as adjuncts to the feet. The only manner
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
