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3: 
BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN 
NATURAL HISTORY’ 
By Charles R. Eastman 
NDER the native appellation of 
Tlacaxolotl, Hernandez gives 
an account of the tapir, its 
characters being fused, however, with 
those of another mammalian species. 
Jonston, in his Natural History of the 
Fourfooted Beasts (1678) has a chapter 
on “Certaine Outlandish Creatures of a 
doubtfull kind,” wherein are included an 
English rendering of Hernandez on the 
tapir, and also one taken from Nierem- 
berg and Lery, under the caption of the 
“Danta”, or “Cappa.” The former 
version reads in part as follows: 
“Of the Tlacaxolotl”’ 
“ Having through Gods grace finished the 
History of the Fourfooted Beasts, as many 
sorts as are, as yet knowen, I thought good to 
adde this appendix about forreigne doubtfull 
Creatures, which I am yet thinking to what 
head, or kind to referre. As first: The 
Tlacazxolotl, it is roundish-faced, bigger then a 
Bull, great-headed, long muzzle, broad eares, 
cruell teeth, faced almost like a man, whence 
it hath the name: the neck thick, the nails 
like the Bulls, but larger: the but- 
tocks great, and broad, tayl thick 
and long; skin thick, hair yellow- 
ish, and bristly. It is seldome 
found, living among stones, and in 
desolate places... . . The flesh is eate- 
able. It fears not the face of man; 
Arrows cannot pearce the hide; 
therefore they catch them in pit- 
falls, and holes covered with leaves, 
as the Indians doe Elephants.” 
“Of the Danta, or Cappa” 
The Danta, or Capa, or Tapi- 
roussu, or Doueanar, resembles the 
Mule, having such ears, a Calves 
lips; the upper-lips hangs a hand- 
Peruvian llamas. 
full over the lower, which he lifts up, when 
angred, in the rest like other beast, but a Calf 
most; he hath no harme....He is reddish- 
haired, and that hanging down, and resembles 
a Cow in bulk, and shape. But that he is not 
horned, and hath a short neck, and long dan- 
gling ears; by his dry, and slender legs, whole 
hoof, aman may take him to be of the breed of 
the Cow, or Asse, yet differs much from both, 
having a very short tail, (though in America 
many beasts are bred, without tails) and hath 
much keener teeth, yet none need feare him, he 
trusting more in flight, then fight. The wilds 
shoot them, or catch them in pits, or grins, 
and have handsome devices to hunt them. 
They value him highly for his skin, which 
they cut round, and lay a sunning to make 
targets as big as a reasonable tun, which they 
use in warre, as being hardly to be pearced. 
For his descriptions of the opossum the 
compiler whom we have just quoted 
draws upon Marcgrav (1648), and this 
author figures and describes two species. 
The same animal is also shown, together 
with the peccary, agouti and rare three- 
banded armadillo in César de Roche- 
fort’s work (1658) on the natural history 
One of the earliest figures of the Ameri- 
can camel found in printed books, although there are much 
1Concluded from the last issue of 
the JouRNAL. art. 
older designs of the animal in maps and native works of 
[From the Antwerp edition of Cieza de Leén, 1558}. 
417 
