232 Miscellaneous. 



separate class among the Vermes, through which the latter will as 

 it it were hold out a hand to the Vertebrata, as already, by other 

 types, to the Infusoria, Echinodermata, MoUusca, and Arthropoda. 

 The group of Vermes is daily showing more and more the character 

 of being the origin of all the animal kingdom. — Mem. Acad. Imp. 

 de St. Petersb. 1866; Bibl. Univ. 1867, Arch. Set. pp. 249-251. 



On the external characters of the Young of the Central American 

 Tapir (Elasmognathus Bairdii, Gill). By A. E. Verrill. 



This remarkable animal has hitherto been known only by its 

 skull, and a skeleton, not entirely complete, belonging to the 

 Smithsonian Institution. The Museum of Yale College has recently 

 been so fortunate as to receive from J. H. Sternberg, Esq., a specimen 

 of the young animal, preserved entire in alcohol. This individual 

 is a female, and is supposed by Mr Sternberg to have been about 

 three months old in April. He states that its weight is not more 

 than that of the head of the adult, one head that he formerly ex- 

 amined weighing 82 pounds. 



Its entire length is 3 1 inches ; nose to occiput 1 1 ; nose to eye 

 4*25 ; nose to incisor teeth 1*5 ; eye to ear 3*2 ; lower jaw 6*r) ; 

 length of ear 3'5 ; breadth 2-5 ; tail from vent, not including hair, 2. 

 The legs are short and stout ; the tail small and inconspicuous. 

 The head, viewed from the side, is elongated oval, from above elon- 

 gated triangular, the sides nearly straight, the nose truncated. In 

 advance of and above the eyes the sides of the nose are compressed 

 and concave, with a slight depression on its ridge. Beyond this the 

 snout is enlarged, and convex both on the sides and above ; the tip 

 papillose and slightly decurved, which gives it a truncated appearance. 

 The nostrils are large, oval, placed obliquely at the end of the nose, 

 about half an inch long, the inner angles separated about a quarter of 

 an inch, the margins thickened. The nose itself is quite flexible and, 

 apparently, capable of extension. The ears are large and prominent, 

 broad oval, rovmded at the end. The hair is rather fine and soft, 

 about an inch long on the body, and half as long on the head, where 

 it is not so thick. 



The general colour is bright reddish brown, the head darker 

 above. The lips and end of the nose, bordering the naked black 

 tip, are white. Five interrupted narrow white stripes pass along 

 each side of the nose, the upper one extending over and beyond the 

 eye. The cheeks have several larger patches of whitish, one of 

 which is under the eye ; a larger white spot is on the throat. The 

 ears are dark brown, lighter at the outer base, the tips and several 

 unequal spots on the outside white. The back and sides are 

 marked by longitudinal rows of yellowish-white patches, which 

 partially blend into continuous stripes on the sides. There are in all 

 about ten of these stripes. The underside of the body is uniform 

 yellowish grey. The legs are darker brown than the body, and 

 marked by numerous transverse bands and spots of white. — Silliman's 

 American Journal, July 1867. 



