THE THREE-TOED SLOTHS 11 save the trouble of a gradual descent, falls to the ground with a horrid scream.” Even yet the Sloth does not seem to be fully understood by every- body, for a modern scientific writer, some years ago, actually went to the other extreme, and stated that it could walk, trot, and gallop, and this although Sloths of one species or other have been constantly on view at the Zoo, for, as might be expected in the case of such sluggish creatures, they thrive quite well in captivity. They cannot, however, be called very interesting anima’s in a menagerie, as, being nocturnal, they are really slothful all day, coiling themselves up into a ball, with their head tucked in and the loag fore- arms grasping a perch. The Sloth’s one instinct, indeed, is to “hold on,” and his only idea of defence is to grapple and hug his enemy with his powerful limbs and claws. He holds on to his sluggish life with the same pertinacity- and is one of the very hardest beasts to kill, surviving some time even a puncture of the brain or spinal cord, and being remarkably resistant to poison. The female Sloth has but one cub at a time, and this is carried on her breast as she climbs about the trees. All the Sloths are inhabitants of the warm forest-clad regions of America, the Old-World animals sometimes confused with them being sluggish, short-tailed Lemurs—the African Pottos and Asiatic Lorises— which are quite brilliant and vivacious creatures by comparison. The ordinary Two-toed Sloth is an inhabitant of Brazil, and there is another two-toed species (Cholafus hoffmanni) in Central America. THE THREE-TOED SLOTHS Tue Three-toed Sloths (Bradypus) very closely resemble their two- toed relatives in most respects, but differ from them in certain details. Most noticeable of these is, as the mame implies, the presence of three toes on the fore-feet as well as the hind; but there is also a difference in the teeth, the four foremost teeth in the Three-toed Sloths net being152 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD larger than the rest; indeed, those in the upper jaw are considerably smaller. One very curious point about these Three-toed Sloths is that they are the only beasts which have more than the regulation number of seven vertebra: in the neck—for they have nine. This would seem to be an admirable adaptation to allow the beast to twist its head about as it hangs upside-down; but then we are confronted with the awkward fact that among the Two-toed Sloths the Brazilian species has the ordinary seven neck-vertebrx, and Hoffmann's Sloth of Central America only six—the only exception to the rule of seven on the side of de- ficiency. Cases like this show that anatomical characers are not necessarily in themselves important, and are thus worthy of careful note. There are several species of Three-toed Sloths, ranging, like the Two-toed kinds, through tropical America; they are often called by the name of “ Ai"—said to be derived from their cry, the Brazilian Two-toed species being known by the title of ““Unau." In any case, the note is not to be described as a “horrid scream,” being rather a bleat or a snort; but they are not noisy animals.uEMS “9D 4g WaLVa-LNVY LV3YDTHE GREAT ANT-EATER (Hyrmecophaga jubata) Tue Ant-Bear, as this creature is sometimes called in its own country, easily stands first among the curious beasts of the New World. It is a truly typical member of the Adenfarta, having no teeth at all, and but a very small mouth, the long jaws being bound up in the skin almost to their ends. The tongue is very long and extensile, and looks much like a big worm. The fore-paws are also extraordinary: there are five toes, but these are very unequally developed, the middle one forming she main part of the foot, and carrying a huge claw; the other toes are all small, and the fifth has no claw, but is covered at the tip with a hard skin—for ‘on it, and on the backs of the next two toes, the beast rests on walking, the tips of the toes being turned in, to keep the claws sharp for digging. This is what gives the peculiar clubbed appearance to the fore-foot, 50 well shown in the illustration. The hind-feet are much like those of a Bear, with five ordinary-looking toes and claws, and the beast treads flat-footed like that animal, behind, though walking on its knuckles before. In size this Ant-eater is far the largest of the living Edentates, being about six feet from snout to tip of tail, with a height of a couple of feet at the shoulder; it is, in fact, as big as a small Bear, but narrow and slab-sided in form. Its coat is coarse, but close, except on the great bushy tail, which is laid over the animal as a blanket when it goes to bed. Internally, the Ant-eater is remarkable for having the hinder part of the stomach very strong and muscular, like the gizzard of a bird, no doubt to facilitate the grinding of the food, which is necessarily swallowed whole, there being no facilities for chewing it. The Great Ant-eater is a characteristic animal of tropical America, but is not common; its favourite haunts are on low moist ground, either in forests or in the swampy plains. It is purely a ground animal, and neither climbs nor burrows, nor can it travel fast; a man cen easily n ‘a u154 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD overtake and even drive it along; but it is not a creature to take liberties with, nevertheless, for when roused to desperation it will turn and hug its enemy, its huge fore-claws penetrating with deadly effect. It is even said that the Jaguar himself has succumbed to the fatal talons, and Dogs are liable to fare badly in such an encounter. The ordinary use of these formidable claws is to tear open Ant- hills, or those of the Termites—the so-called “ White-Ants” so numerous everywhere in the tropics, for on such small creatures the Ant-eater feeds, licking them up with its long slimy tongue. The Ant-eater seems usually to be a solitary animal, but the female displays considerable affection for her single cub, which when quite small is already a miniature of the parents; there is a case on record in which an Indian, who had captured a young Ant-eater, was pursued by the infuriated mother, and perished in her relentless grip, as he unhappily tripped over his blow-gun in trying to escape her attack. The creature is sometimes killed for food, and its flest is said by Bates, who found it a great stand-by when on one occasion he found it difficult to get anything to eat but fish and vegetables, to be very good, something between pork and goose in flavour. A creature of this kind does not seem at first sight to be at all a promising subject for captivity; but in point of fact it thrives well, and is usually to be seen in the large Zoological Gardens, including our own. It has even bred in one of these institutions on the Con- tinent. Minced raw horse-flesh mixed with milk has been found by experience to be a good substitute for its natural insect food, but this diet would probably be much improved by the admixture of a quantity of the various kinds of dried insects now so much in favour for feeding insectivorous birds, as well as of that invaluable insect, the Mealworm. It will also eat such small animals as Cockroaches and young hairless Mice. Although, of all land animals, hardly any can be less suited to aquatic habits, in captivity at any rate it shows a decided inclination to take to water, and those kept in our Zoological Gardens are always provided with facilities for having a bath, of which they are not slow to avail themselves,TAMANDUA ANT-EATER—LITTLE ANT-EATER = 155 THE TAMANDUA ANT-EATER (Tamandua fetradactyia) “TAMANDUA” appears to be a native name for the Ant-eaters generally, but here it is usually appropriated to a rather small species, which also inhabits tropical America, but does not encroach on the domain of the large one, as it is a climber, and kecps mostly to the trees. The Tamandua, which is about as big as an ordinary Cat, is sufficiently like the Great Ant-eater to be recognisable at a glance as a near relative of that most eccentric-looking beast, and its feet are similarly formed. Its muzzle, however, is of only moderate length, and its tail very different, being devoid of long hair, and indeed bare towards the end; besides which, it is prehensile. The limbs are shorter than in the big ground Ant-eater, and though the beast walks on its front knuckles in the same way, its gait is awkward and straddling, for it is only really at home in the branches, The method of defence is much the same as in the large species—a clutching inward stroke with the well-armed fore-paws. In colour this Species is very different from the large kind; it presents much variation, but, broadly speaking, the general hue is straw-colour, with the flanks covered by a broad black patch along each side. The coat is short and close throughout. This Ant-cater feeds on those Ants and Termites which make their nests in trees; it will live in captivity, but is not. so common in that condition as its larger and more sensational- looking relative. THE LITTLE ANT-EATER (Gyeloturns didacty les) ‘Tus, the only other species of the Ant-eater family, is more different from the other two even than these are from each other, and is the most thoroughly adapted for a life in the trees. It is quite a small ereature, only about as large as a Rat, and is covered with soft straw- yellow fur. The tail is very long and naked below, and is strongly prehensile. The muzzle is quite short, but bent downwards in a way almost unique among animals. The feet differ greatly from those of