MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



of trees. They are exclusively confined at the present day to 

 the warmer parts of the Old World; but an extinct species 

 (Rhinoceros tichorhinus) formerly inhabited England, and ranged 

 over the greater part of Europe. Of the one-horned species, 

 the best known is the Indian Rhinoceros (R. Indicus), which 

 was probably the "Unicorn" of the ancients. Another species 

 with one horn (R. Sondaicus) inhabits Java. Of the two-horned 

 species, one (R. Sumatrensis] is found in Sumatra, and is 

 remarkable for the comparative absence of cutaneous folds. 

 The best known, however, is the African Rhinoceros (R. 

 bicornis), which occurs abundantly in Cape Colony and in the 

 southern parts of the African continent (fig. 198.) 



Fig. 198. Head of two-horned Rhinoceros (R. licornis). 



Fam. 2. Tapiridce. The Tapirs are characterised by the pos- 

 session of a short movable proboscis or trunk. The skin is 

 hairy and very thick. The tail is extremely short. The fore- 

 feet have four toes each, but these are unsymmetrical, and the 

 hind-feet have only three toes, all encased in hoofs. The jaws 



are furnished with incisor teeth, (^^/ sma ^ canines, and 



o o 



> 7 molars. 

 6 o 



Three species of Tapir are known, of which the most familiar 

 is the American Tapir (T. Americanus\ which inhabits the vast 

 forests of South America. It is a large animal, something like 

 a pig in shape, but brownish black in colour. It is nocturnal 

 in its habits, and is strictly phytophagous. The proboscis is 

 employed in conveying the food to the mouth, and the nostrils 

 are placed at its extremity. It attains altogether a total length 



