THERE are two kinds of the Sloth, distinguished from each other by the number of their toes; one having three, and the other two. The first kind is about the size of a cat; the body is thick, the fore legs long, and the hinder ones considerably shorter. The general appearance is extremely uncouth. The hair around the face is bushy, and projects over in such a manner as to give the animal a look so piteous as to excite compassion; it also sometimes sheds tears, which adds to its affecting appearance. Its general colour is a grayish brown, and the hair is long and coarse, covering the body very thickly. This kind of Sloth is found in South America.

The two-toed Sloth is found in the East Indies and Ceylon, and differs from the other in being larger and more active. In most other respects the two animals are similar.

HABITS.

The Sloth is so called from his exceeding slow movements, for he crawls along the ground with the greatest difficulty. On trees, however, he is much more active. He feeds only on vegetable food, and principally on the leaves and bark of trees. It is said to take the animal two days to crawl up a tree, where it stays till the tree is

entirely stripped of bark as well as leaves. It then descends, at the same slow rate; and is only incited to movement by the severest pinchings of hunger.

A Sloth, that was taken by some sailors on board their vessel, climbed up a part of the mast, occupying two hours in what a monkey would have performed in less than half a minute.

THE body of the Ant-eater, including the tail, which is very long, is seven or eight feet. Its head is long and slender; the mouth is just large enough to admit his tongue, which is nearly two feet long and lies doubled in the mouth. He is covered with long coarse hair, and lives principally on ants, which he takes in the following manner.

He places his tongue in or near an ant-hill, which is soon covered with ants. When a sufficient number are upon it, he draws it in, and thus devours great numbers at He is a native of South America.

once.

Of Squirrels.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SQUIRRELS.

THE Squirrel is lively, sagacious, docile, and nimble. He feeds upon nuts, which he gathers in autumn and preserves for winter's use. His long and bushy tail is to him as a parasol, to defend him from the rays of the sun; as a parachute, to secure him from dangerous falls when leaping from tree to tree; and as a sail in crossing the water, a voyage he sometimes performs in Lapland on a bit of ice or piece of bark inverted in the manner of a boat.

Although naturally timid and wild, he is easily domesticated, and soon becomes perfectly familiar. The nest of the Squirrel is generally formed among the large branches of a spreading tree, where they begin to fork off into smaller ones. It is made of moss, twigs, and dried leaves, and is very roomy, soft, and commodious.

The Squirrel is a vigilant animal; and it is asserted, that, if the tree in which it resides be but touched at the bottom, it instantly quits its nest, flies off to another tree, and thus travels along the whole forest, until it finds itself perfectly out of danger. In this manner it continues for some hours at a distance from home, until the alarm is past; and then it returns by paths, that, to almost every quadruped but itself, are utterly impassable.

It generally bounds from one tree to another at a very great distance; and, if it is at any time obliged to descend, runs up the sides of the next tree with surprising facility. In northern climates Squirrels change their colour on the approach of winter, and become perfectly gray.

This description is applicable, with little variation, to all, or most of the following species. Squirrels are found

in almost every country, but they are most numerous in northern and temperate climates. In the following accounts I have selected the varieties which are most generally known in Europe and America. Squirrels resembling most of these are common on the eastern continent.

THE Common Red Squirrel is about eight inches in length; its form is light and elegant; its colour is a bright reddish brown, its breast and belly white.

This animal is one of the most nimble of his species. Such is the quickness of his movements, that he will dodge at the flash of a gun, and thus sometimes escape the shot. He seems so far to presume upon his powers, that he wantonly chatters from the top of a tree at the road-side, and seems thus to challenge both dogs and schoolboys to the pursuit. He generally lives in woods, but is frequently seen in the more open country, where there are a few trees; and it is by no means rare to see him darting along the fences at the farm-houses.

THIS species is remarkable among all our Squirrels for its beauty and activity. It varies considerably in colour, but is most commonly of a fine bluish gray, mingled with a slight golden hue. It is very common throughout the United States, and was once so excessively multiplied as to be a scourge to the inhabitants by consuming their grain. Large premiums were once paid in Pennsylvania for their destruction. In captivity it is remarkably playful and mischievous, and is more frequently kept as a pet than any other.

THE FOX SQUIRREL.

THE Fox Squirrel measures about fourteen inches, and the tail is sixteen inches in length. The colour varies from white to a pale gray and black. It is found throughout the southern states of America, where it frequents the pine forests in considerable numbers. When alarmed, like many of his kindred species, he immediately resorts to the artifice of spreading himself out, or lying flat on the surface of a branch, opposite to the apprehended danger, where he clings until he has no longer cause to fear.