On a New Species of' Tapir. 157 



theses of which we speak, and it is only from the analogy of the 

 subject that we have been led to say a few words x'especting it. 

 But he throws light upon a fact which relates to the history of 

 the antediluvian animals, and which had even been advanced by 

 some authors, that a genus of these animals, the mastodons, pro- 

 bably still exists in the higlier valleys of the Cordilleras. In fact, 

 there prevails an opinion among some of the American tribes, 

 that the forests of these countries produce a large animal known 

 by the name of phichaque, which they dread much, and whicli 

 some equal to a horse, while others make it much larger. It is 

 even asserted that vestiges of it have been seen near Bogota, 

 and some of its dung, together with measurements of its foot- 

 marks, have been brought from that place, to which are added 

 hairs that remained attached to the bushes. But M. Roulin, 

 after the strictest examination, shews that in all this thei'e is 

 nothing that may not relate either to the new species of ta- 

 pir, or to the bear of liie Cordilleras. It is thus, he says, 

 that a great number of facts, all true in themselves, coming 

 to arrange thenistlves around the first fact magnified by 

 fear, would necessarily have confirmed the Indians in their 

 belief in an animal such as the pinchaqite. They might 

 even have given to this animal a prodigious form, or related 

 very extraordinary things of it, without deviating in any thino- 

 from the truth. The tapir of the plains itself is so vigorous, 

 that it breaks, at the first effort, the nooses with which the Spa- 

 nish hunters arrest the most furious wild cattle. Nor is the 

 pinchaquc the only fabulous animal that has derived its origin 

 from exaggerated accounts respecting animals of the tapir fa- 

 mily. 



The Chinese have in their books a quadruped which they call 

 Me, and whose figure is evidently that of a tapir with the 

 livery of early age, and only with the trunk or proboscis a lit- 

 tle exaggerated as to length ; and they have attributed marvel- 

 lous properties to it. For example, its bones resist iron and 

 fire, it devours serpents, and gnaws copper and iron. All this 

 may still have some foundation in the history of the animal. 

 The real tapir breaks and swallows wood, and in its somewhat 

 savage nature it sei/cs with its teeth all kinds of bodies. No- 

 thing more was necessary to make it be said that the vie gnaws 



