Jun·gle n.
 1. A dense growth of brushwood, grasses, reeds, vines, etc.; an almost impenetrable thicket of trees, canes, and reedy vegetation, as in India, Africa, Australia, and Brazil.
    The jungles of India are of bamboos, canes, and other palms, very difficult to penetrate.   --Balfour (Cyc. of India).
 Jungle bear Zool., the aswail or sloth bear.
 Jungle cat Zool., the chaus.
 Jungle cock Zool., the male of a jungle fowl.
 Jungle fowl. Zool. (a) Any wild species of the genus Gallus, of which several species inhabit India and the adjacent islands; as, the fork-tailed jungle fowl (Gallus varius) of Java, Gallus Stanleyi of Ceylon, and Gallus Bankiva of India.
 Note: The latter, which resembles the domestic gamecock, is supposed to be one of the original species from which the domestic fowl was derived. (b) An Australian grallatorial bird (Megapodius tumulus) which is allied to the brush turkey, and, like the latter, lays its eggs in mounds of vegetable matter, where they are hatched by the heat produced by decomposition.

 ◄ ►


 Sloth n.
 1. Slowness; tardiness.
 These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor
 This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.   --Shak.
 2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness; idleness.
    [They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth.   --Milton.
    Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears.   --Franklin.
 3. Zool. Any one of several species of arboreal edentates constituting the family Bradypodidae, and the suborder Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long prehensile claws.  Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see Illust. of Edentata), and the ears and tail are rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and Mexico.
 Note: ☞ The three-toed sloths belong to the genera Bradypus and Arctopithecus, of which several species have been described. They have three toes on each foot. The best-known species are collared sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), and the ai (Arctopitheus ai). The two-toed sloths, consisting the genus Cholopus, have two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot. The best-known is the unau (Cholopus didactylus) of South America. See Unau. Another species (Cholopus Hoffmanni) inhabits Central America.
    Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths.
 Australian sloth, or  Native sloth Zool., the koala.
 Sloth animalcule Zool., a tardigrade.
 Sloth bear Zool., a black or brown long-haired bear (Melursus ursinus, or Melursus labiatus), native of India and Ceylon; -- called also aswail, labiated bear, and jungle bear.  It is easily tamed and can be taught many tricks.
 Sloth monkey Zool., a loris.