THE MALAY TAPIR 1 53 



and down at every stride : in walking the minute 

 tail was carried curved under the body like the 

 telson of a prawn. Towards midday this tapir would 

 lie down in his sleeping box, nibbling and playing 

 with his bed, nosing about in the hay, or chewing it 

 like a horse. He often rested on his stomach, fore- 

 legs lightly crossed at the wrist, and outstretched 

 neck pressed in antelope fashion close to the ground. 

 He was always ready to come out of his box at the 

 call of his keeper, delighting to be stroked ; and if 

 groomed with a hard brush would stand still as long 

 as the pleasing titillation lasted. When pacing his 

 compartment he continually inspected various objects, 

 snuffling and blowing like an anteater ; to which 

 beast, with his elongated black head, he really bore 

 some resemblance. This tapir frequently lowered 

 the head till the tip of the trunk was only a few 

 inches from the ground ; when he desired to touch 

 anything the trunk by a peculiar dipping movement 

 "jumped the rest," like an engine on a badly-laid 

 railway. The under surface of the trunk was lined 

 with a triangular continuation of the mucous mem- 

 brane of the palate and gums, the apex of the triangle 

 being anterior. The extreme tip had a minute pit (the 

 exact reverse of the " finger " in the Indian elephant) 

 caused on each side by the projection of the almost 

 tubular nostrils. In captivity tapirs will eat fruit 

 and boiled rice : the present example would readily 

 take carrots. Unfortunately these curious beasts do 



