624 DR. J. E. GRAY ON A YOUNG PERUVIAN TAPIR. [May 7, 



9. Description of a young Tapir from the Peruvian Amazons. 

 By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c. 



[Received April 2, 1872.] 

 (Plate XLV.) 



There is a skin of a young specimen of Tapir in the British 

 Museum, brought by Mr. E. Bartlett from the Peruvian Amazons, 

 which is differently coloured from any of the other specimens in 

 the collection, and certainly indicates a peculiar local variety, if 

 not a distinct species. The upper part of the body is dark brown, 

 and white beneath ; the back is marked with five or six narrow 

 white stripes, extending from the shoulders to the hinder part of the 

 back, where they unite, forming parts of circles ; the three upper 

 ones on each side unite on the hinder part of the back, the third 

 pair being united just above the base of the tail ; the upper stripes 

 are generally continued, or only once or twice interrupted in their 

 length ; the lower ones are more broken ; and the lowest on the sides 

 of the belly are formed of more or less elongate stripes ; there is 

 generally between the pale stripes upon the upper part of the body 

 a more or less regular series of small white spots, those between the 

 two upper stripes being on the vertebral line. The upper part of 

 the head pale brown, with some minute white spots on the middle 

 of the face before the eyes ; the temples, the cheek under the eye, 

 and the sides of the hinder part of the head with rather larger white 

 spots ; these spots become rounder and larger on the sides of the 

 hinder part of the head, and at length form elongated white stripes 

 on the pale brown sides of the throat ; the ears have a distinct white 

 edge, and some distinct white spots on their outer side. The legs 

 are marked with white spots to the end of the toes, those on the 

 upper part of the fore legs being large and oblong, and of very dif- 

 ferent sizes. The middle of throat, belly, and hinder edge of thighs 

 white. 



This animal is, in the number of its stripes and its spotted feet, 

 most like the young of Tapirus terrestris of the plains of Northern 

 Brazil ; but it differs from that in the stripes being much more re- 

 gularly longitudinal and continuous, and in the top of the head 

 having only a few minute spots before the eyes, the rest being all 

 brown. I should propose to call this Tapirus {terrestris) peruvianus. 



It is represented in the accompanying figure (Plate XLV.). 



The skull of this specimen was obtained at the same time with 

 the skin, and is in the British Museum. It is in a very young state, 

 showing all the sutures, and with three molars in the upper jaw and 

 two in the lower jaw developed. The crown is gradually rounded 

 from the base of the nasal bone ; but unfortunately we have no other 

 skull of the genus in the Museum to compare it with. 



Mr. Edward Bartlett has kindly sent to me a skull, now in the 

 British Museum, which he says is that of the mother of the young 

 animal the skin and skull of which are above described. Thev were 



