480 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



MALAY TAPIR: SADDLE-BACK TAPIR, 

 unt of the conspicuous area of white hair 



the back and 



tile snake bit iionnally. The venom is pale yel- 

 low, and dries rapidly. It then forms into 

 coarse scales which look like amber. 



The Biishmaster inhabits tropical America. 

 It is the largest of the poisonous snakes of the 

 New AV'orld, and has enormously developed 

 poison-conducting fangs. R. L. D. 



THE MALAY TAPIR. 



THE Elephant House was opened witii the 

 Tapir Family well represented. To trans- 

 port a tapir all the way from Singapore to 

 New York and complete the voyage with the 

 animal in perfect condition, is a noteworthy 

 achievement. This was accomplished by Cap- 

 tain Percy Watson, of the Steamer "Muncaster 

 Castle," who brought us our first example of the 

 Malay or "Saddle-Back" Tapir, (Tapirus in- 

 dicu.f). When the "Muncaster Castle" was 

 coming through the Red Sea, a fire broke out in 

 her hold directly under the heavy tapir cage, 



which was fastened to the deck. The steel 

 deck-j)lates became very hot and after great dif- 

 ficulty the crate was moved to another spot fur- 

 ther forward. Soon after that the fire gained 

 in fury, the steel deck became white hot, then 

 caved in. Had not several cruisers been sighted 

 at that moment we would yet be looking for a 

 "Saddle-Back" Tapir. Tons of water were 

 jjumped into the vessel's hold from all sides and 

 the fire was conquered. 



About five siiecies of Tapirs arc known, only 

 one of which is found in the Old ^^'orld. We 

 now have on exiiibitiou in the Elepliant House, 

 the two best-known sjiecies. The New World 

 rejiresentative is the South American Tapir. 

 (Tapirus tenestris). Of this species we have a 

 mother and young, the latter now so well grown 

 that it shows only very faintly the vivid strip- 

 ing that so strongly characterizes the young 

 wlicn first born. The siiecimens of both s))ecies 

 are exhibited in cages at the eastern end of tlie 

 Elepliant House. R. L. D. 



