317 



B 



CHAPTER II. 

 PERISSODACTYLA THE TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS FAMILIES. 



Introductory Remarks on the Tapirs Foot Anatomical Features Skull Compared with that of Hog Skull of Asiatic 

 Tapir Proboscis Dentition Species of Tapir THE AMERICAN TAPIR Habits Colour Modes of Hunting Docility 

 THE HAIRY TAPIR THE MALAYAN TAPIR FOSSIL TAPIRS THE RHINOCEROSES General Characteristics Is it the 

 Reem of the Bible ? -Ludicrous Ideas respecting it At Rome First Rhinoceroses in Europe Skeleton Skull 

 Horns Curious Dental Law Fore and Hind Limbs Dentition AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES" WHITE " RHINOCEROS 

 OSWELL'S RHINOCEROS BLACK RHINOCEROS KEITLOA RHINOCEROS BICOBNIS MINOR Hunting Sir Samuel 

 Baker's Extraordinary Chase Gordon Cumming's Account of the Characteristics and Habits of the Black and White 

 South African Rhinoceroses Rhinoceros Birds THE ASIATIC RHINOCEROSES Connection between Dentition and 

 Horns THE INDIAN RHINOCEROS An Inveterate Enemy of the Elephant THE JAVAN RHINOCEROS THE SUMATRAN 

 RHINOCEROS THE HAIRY-EARED RHINOCEROS How a Specimen, "Begum,"' was Captured THE FOSSIL RHINO- 

 CEROSES The Extinct Families Palseotheridae and Macraucheniadse. 



II. THE TAPIRID^E (FAMILY OF TAPIRS). 



THE Hog-like creatures which constitute the family of Tapirs form the second division of the 



quadrupeds which are possessed of three toes on their hind feet, and are therefore termed, as has 



already been said, the Perissodactyla. It must not, 



however, be forgotten that these creatures possess a 



fourth toe on the fore foot, which is small and does 



not reach to the ground. The family is represented 



by one genus only Tapirus which is distributed 



over wide regions in the warmer parts of the Old and 



the New Worlds. All the animals comprised under 



it possess short and movable trunks, by which they 



convey their food into their mouths, and at the ex- 

 tremity of which are placed the nostrils. They are 



of a brownish-black colour; the skin is hairy and 



extremely thick, and the tail is very short. 



The Tapir inhabits principally the inmost recesses 



of dense forests, is nocturnal in its habits, and is phyto- 

 phagous, that is, feeds on vegetables. However, it is 



said that it is also an indiscriminate swallower of every- FORE 



thing, filthy or clean, nutritious or otherwise, pieces of 



wood, clay, pebbles, and bones being not uncommonly found in its stomach; and it is even stated of one 



that was kept in confinement that it gnawed a silver snuff-box to pieces and swallowed the contents. 



The skull of the Tapir, seen in profile, re- 

 minds us strongly of that of the Hog, the same 

 pyramidal elevation being brought to view. 

 Examined closely, however, we find that this 

 pyramid differs immediately from that of the 

 latter animal by the possession of only three faces, 

 while in the Pig there are four. In addition, it 

 is also to be noticed that the anterior line is 

 formed by the joining of the lateral faces, 

 dilating into a triangle only towards the front : 

 this being due to the frontal bones, which are 

 early united and directed somewhat backwards. 

 The bones of the nose are articulated to the 

 base of the triangle, and here there is a point 

 \\hich penetrates between them. A deep furrow, 

 produced by the upper border of the orbit, 

 descends from the two sides above the orbit, 



which, approaching the sub-orbital hole, serves for the insertion of various muscles connected 



with the proboscis. With regard to the differences between the skull of the Malayan Tapir and the 



HIS1) (B) FOOT OF TAPIR 



SKULL OF AMERICAN TAPIll. 

 n, Nasal Bone ; m, Maxillary Bone ; pm, Pre-maxillary Bone. 



