TAP 



51 



TAP 



A living specimen of this species was lately brought to 

 this country. ;md publicly exhibited in the garden of the 

 Zoological Society of London, where it died more than a 

 year a_ro. 



Description of Tapir us Malayanus Tapir us f adieus of 

 the French zoologists ; Le Mniba, F. Guv., Mamm.:' The 

 Malay Tapir resembles in form the American, and has a 

 similar flexible proboscis, which is six or eight inches in 

 length. Its general appearance is heavy and massive, 

 somewhat resembling the hog. The eyes are small ; the 

 ears roundish, and bordered with white. The sldn is thick 

 and firm, thinly covered with short hair. There is no mane 

 on the neck, as in the American species. The tail is very 

 short, and almost destitute of hair. The legs are short and 

 stout ; the fore-feet furnished with four toes, the hind-feet 

 with three. In the upper jaw there are seven molars on 

 each side, one small canine inserted exactly on the suture 

 of the incisor bone, and in front six incisors, the two outer 

 of which are elongated into tusks. In the under jaw there 

 are but six molars; the canines are large ; and the number 

 of the incisors, the outer of which are the smallest, is the 

 same as in the upper jaw. The general colour is glossy 

 black, with the exception of the back, rump, and sides of 

 the belly, which are white, and separated by a defined line 

 from the parts that are black.' 



Such is the description of Sir Stamford Raffles, for the 

 accuracy of which we can vouch, having compared it with 

 the living animal in the garden of the Zoological Society. 

 Major Farquhar describes a young Tapir of this species 

 which he had alive in his house thus: 'It appears that 



until the age of four months it is black, and beautifully 

 marked with spots and stripes of a fawn colour above and 

 white below. After that period it began to change colour, 

 the spots disappeared, and at the age of six months it had 

 become of the usual colour of the adult.' ^See post, 

 American Tapirs.) 



Marsden, as we have already seen, notices the animal as 

 the Hippopotamus ; coodo-ayer. In Sumatra, according 

 to Sir Stamford Raffles, it is known by different names in 

 different parts of the country : thus by the people of Limuu 

 it is called Saladang; by those of the interior of Manna, 

 Gindul; in the interior of Bencoolen, Babi Alu; and at 

 Malacca, Tctnin. 



Habits. The habits of this species in a state of nature 

 are probably similar to those of the American Tapirs. In 

 captivity, Major Farquhar describes it as of a mild and 

 gentle disposition. ' It became as tame and familiar as a 

 dog ; fed indiscriminately on all kinds of vegetables, and 

 was very fond of attending at table to receive bread, cakes, 

 or the like.' Sir Stamford Raffles adds that the living 

 specimen sent from Bencoolen to Bengal was young, and 

 became very tractable. It was allowed to roam occa- 

 sionally in the park at Barrackpore, and the man who had 

 charge of it informed Sir Stamford that it frequently en- 

 tered the ponds, and appeared to walk along the bottom 

 under water, and not to make any attempt to swim. Sir 

 Stamford also states that the flesh is eaten by the natives 

 of Sumatra. 



The individual exhibited in the Regent's Park was very 

 mild and gentle. 



a i 



Tapir Mal.iynuu* 



AMERICAN TAPIRS. 



John <!' Laet < 1 (>.'!:( , spcakinir of the'province of Vera- 



Mr.it among the living quadrupeds which are 



found the ttrc.itest is that which the barbarians < all 



. and the Spaniards Dti/ita, an animal not unlike a 



calf, but with shorter ICLCS ami :irticulaled alter (lie manner 



elephant's: the anterior feet have, he states, five 



-tenor only four. The head he de- 



.LT, the forehead rather narrow, the eyes 



1 :'in to the bulk, and the proboscis as being 



a pl': '>ve the mouth. When the 



ihat it erects itself, and grinning 



which are like those of hogs. The cars 



* an acute, the neck contracted, the tail short 



and imini, the skin MTV thick, HO that/it may 



with difficulty be giasped by the hand or perforated by 



iron. It feeds, he says, on grass and sylvan herbage. The 



natives, he adds, eat its flesh, and relate that they are 

 taught venesection by this animal, for when it finds itself 

 o\ crloaded with blood, by rubbing against rocks it opens 

 the veins of the h'rs and lets blood. There can be no 

 doubt that the animal here meant is one of the American 

 Tapirs. 



Marcgrave gives a very rude figure, not however to be 



mistaken for anything but a Tapir, under the name of 



'I'tijiii'rfte, Atita of the Spaniards, describing it and its 



habits with considerable general accuracy; but Mr. Bennett 



observes that he speaks of the teeth as consisting of ten 



incisors and ten molars in each jaw, an error which Mr. 



It remarks held its ground for nearly two centuries, 



and having passed successively through the writings of 



lirisson, Buffon, Gmelin, and Blumenbach, was first 



corrected by Geoffrey St. Hilaire. 



Towards the close of last century the fabulous clouds 



H2 



