THE TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS. 191 



The incisors and canine teeth are, as usual, not 

 of any special form or construction, whereas the 

 cheek-teeth show a very peculiar type by the 

 marked character of two transverse ridges, the tops 

 of which, hoth inside and outside, become tolerably 

 sharp tubercles (Fig. 32). The ridges of the upper 

 teeth are situated on the front and in the middle 



FIG. 31. Skull of the Tapir (Tapirus americanus). 

 n, Nasal bone ; t, bony wall separating the nasal cavities. 



of the crown ; they fit into the grooves of the lower 

 molars, where the back ridge rises from the back 

 wall of the tooth. The grinding movement peculiar 

 to the Kuminants can be accomplished by the tapirs 

 only in a very slight measure ; on the other hand, 

 their teeth are specially adapted for crushing vege- 

 table substances, which can also be roughly cut by 



