. The Andes and the Amazon : or, Across the continent of South America. Natural history -- South America; Ecuador -- Description and travel; Amazon River; Andes -- Description and travel. 310 The Andes and the Amazon. flooded lands. Four or five species of armadillo inhabit the valley. These little nocturnal biuTowing edentates are the puny representatives of the gigantic Glj-ptodon of Pleistocene times, and the sloths are the dwindling shad- ows of the lordly Megatherium. There are two species of three-toed sloths—one inhabiting the swampy lowlands, the other confined to the terra-firma land.
. The Andes and the Amazon : or, Across the continent of South America. Natural history -- South America; Ecuador -- Description and travel; Amazon River; Andes -- Description and travel. 310 The Andes and the Amazon. flooded lands. Four or five species of armadillo inhabit the valley. These little nocturnal biuTowing edentates are the puny representatives of the gigantic Glj-ptodon of Pleistocene times, and the sloths are the dwindling shad- ows of the lordly Megatherium. There are two species of three-toed sloths—one inhabiting the swampy lowlands, the other confined to the terra-firma land. They lead a lonely life, never in groups, harmless and frugal as a her- mit. They have four stomachs, but not the long intestines of ruminating animals. They feed chiefly on the leaves of the trumpet-tree {Cecrojpia), resembling om- horse-chest- nut. The natives, both Indian and Brazilian, hold the common opinion that the sloth is the type of laziness. The capybara or ronsoco, the largest of living rodents, is quite common on the river side. It is gregarious and amphibious, and resembles a mammoth guinea-pig. Pacas and agoutis are most abun- capybara. dant in the lowlands, and are nocturnal. These semi-hoofed rodents, like the Toxodon of old, approach the Pachyderms. The tapir, or gran-bestia, as it is called, is a characteristic quadruped of South America. It is a clumsy-looking animal, with a tough hide of an iron-gray color, covered with a coat of short coarse hair. Its flesh is dry, but very palatable. It has a less powerful proboscis than the Malay species. M. Roulin distinguishes another species from the mountains, which more nearly resembles the Asiatic. The taj)ir, hke the condor, for an unknown reason, is not found north of 8° N., though it wanders as far south as 40°. We met but one species of peccari, the white-lipped {D. laMatus). It is much larger than the " Mexican hog," and, too thick-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page
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