328 THE TAPIRS OF AMERICA. 



in the serpent's head, and flows, when the animal compresses its 

 mouth on any object, through a cavity of the tooth into the wound.* 

 The Indian species plays a conspicuous part in the displays of the 

 Hindu jugglers, who exercise a strange power over them by the tones 

 of their voice and the sounds of various musical instruments, compel- 

 ling them to rise partially from the ground and go through a succes- 

 sion of fantastic movements. Something of this power is also due to 

 the fascination of the juggler's eye. Serpent-charming is of remote 

 antiquity in Egypt and in most Oriental nations, where the profes- 

 sion would seem to be hereditary. Several allusions to it occur in 

 Holy Writf 



CHAPTER X. 



ANIMAL LIFE IN THE PRAIRIES OF THE NEW WORLD : HERBIVORE, 

 INSECTIVORA, AND CARNIVORA. 



WE have seen that the order of Pachydermata, which furnished the 

 Ancient "World with the most gigantic species of the terrestrial creation, 

 is represented in the New World by comparatively insignificant types : 

 the Tapir and the Peccary. The first, although far inferior in stature 

 to the elephant, the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, is, nevertheless, 

 one of the largest American Herbivora ; the bison, llama, and stag 

 alone exceeding it in size. 



Two species are distinguished, which both inhabit South America, 

 the American Tapir and the Tapir Pinchaca. The former is about 

 as large as a mule or an ass. His skin is black, covered with rough 

 brown hair. He has a long bowed neck, legs and feet resembling 

 those of the hog, and a nose prolonged into a kind of trumpet. He 

 feeds on leaves and many kinds of fruit, and sometimes does much 



* F. Buckland, " Curiosities of Natural History." 

 t As in Jer. viii. 7 ; 'and Psalm Iviii. 4, 5. 



