. Wanderings in South America, the north-west of the United States and the Antilles in the years 1812, 1816, 1820 & 1824 [microform] : with original instructions for the perfect preservation of birds, etc. for cabinets of natural history. Zoology; Zoologie. profusion, Uierc seems to Le no reason \vliy l)o should confine liiniself to one tree alone for food, and entirely strip it of its leaves. During the many years 1 have ran<^ed the ibrests, I have nevt;r seen a tree in suth a state of nudity; indeed, I would hazard a conjecture, that, Ly the time the animal had finished the last of th
. Wanderings in South America, the north-west of the United States and the Antilles in the years 1812, 1816, 1820 & 1824 [microform] : with original instructions for the perfect preservation of birds, etc. for cabinets of natural history. Zoology; Zoologie. profusion, Uierc seems to Le no reason \vliy l)o should confine liiniself to one tree alone for food, and entirely strip it of its leaves. During the many years 1 have ran<^ed the ibrests, I have nevt;r seen a tree in suth a state of nudity; indeed, I would hazard a conjecture, that, Ly the time the animal had finished the last of the old leaves, there would Le a new crop on the part of the tree he had stripped first, ready for him to Legin again, so cpiick 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 weather 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 tims the slotli 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 1 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; and secondly, they have described him in a situation in which he was never intended by nature to cut a figure ; I mean on the ground. The sloth is as much at a loss to proceed on
Size: 913px × 2738px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1885
