The sloth has no tail, and no external ears. The eyes are small and sleepy; the motions of the creature are slow; its intelligence is very limited; in length it is about thirty inches, and the body has the general proportions of a monkey. Is this beast, then, a poor deformity? Or, in the noble plan of nature, is there some place which it exactly fits and fills? Let us see. Now we shall place this queer little animal on its native trees. At once all is changed. Why, this sloth is all grace! You could not see a more beautiful climber. The short hind legs, crooked claws, long forearms, are just suited to tree life, for clambering safely and lightly from bough to bough. The sloth, thanks to its claws, is as safe hanging back downwards as a bird is safe in its nest. Those weak eyes are suited to the soft shadows of the leaves; the subdued light on the tree is just right for it. The sloth is a vegetable feeder; as it climbs about the tree it nibbles off the sap leaves and the delicate new bark and twigs; hanging by the feet and one hand, it reaches out the other long arm, and picks fruit as dexterously as any school-boy; then holding the fruit to its mouth it eats it daintily. In museums or zoological gardens the sloths are furnished with a tree to climb upon, and are fed on fruit, vegetables, and bread and milk. The next of the edentata which we shall observe is the armadillo, one of the most singular of animals. At first sight you would feel sure it was not a mammal, but a reptile of the lizard or turtle family, for instead of being covered with hair or fur, it wears a heavy case or armor of large scales. These scales, or bony plates, are arranged in close bands about the body. The plates over the head, neck, and tail are immovable, but those on the centre of the back will lap, so that the creature can roll itself into a ball, bringing the nose, feet, and all parts of the body under protection of its horny armor. The under part of the body has no scales, but is covered with hair. The armadillo has short legs with five-toed feet, each toe being furnished with a strong claw. The ears are very large; the eyes are small; the nostrils are set at the end of the long, pointed snout. The smallest of the species is about the size of a rat; the great armadillo is a yard long, and has in its widely opening mouth ninety-eight teeth. Instead of living on trees like the sloth, it burrows in the ground; the rooms and galleries which they fashion for themselves are like those of the mole, only larger. The strong, curved claws are used to tear up the ground, and they do this so effectually that the animal will disappear beneath the surface in a very short time.