16 
This species rarely exceeds nine feet in height, when 
it measures about twelve feet in length; the trunk 
is six or seven feet long: and the tail four feet. The 
full-grown animal weighs 400 or 500 pounds. It is 
found in India and Ceylon in herds which may num- 
ber one hundred individuals. It feeds on the leaves 
and branches of trees, which it breaks off with its 
trunk. When not roused to fury, it is a quiet, harm- 
less animal, and has been domesticated for many 
centuries, when it exhibits a sagacity and intelligence 
equal to that of the dog. 
It lives to the age of seventy years, and some 
individuals are said to have lived considerably more 
than a century. 
Order IX. Perissodactyla. (Rhinoceroses, Tapirs and Horses.) 
(Plates XVI. XVIE. XXVII.) 
The Rhznocerotid@ are inferior in size to the 
Elephants, but are far more ugly and clumsy. They 
have neither tusks nor trunk, but possess strong 
canines, and true incisors. Their hide is thick, 
wrinkled and almost naked. These animals are indo- 
lent, and very deficient in intelligence; they feed on 
water-plants, grass and the leaves and branches of 
trees. Water is indispensable to them, and_ they 
swim and dive well. They are found in Central and 
Southern Africa, and also in Southern Asia, but 
always in the neighbourhood of rivers, lakes or 
marshes. 
The Indian Rhinoceros (Rhznoecros indicus, 
Plate XVI. fig. b) is about ten feet in length, and 
stands nearly five feet high at the shoulder. The 
head is rather long when seen in profile, and there 
is a long horn curved backwards, on the nose. It 
is fixed to the bone, though it actually consists 
simply of a mass of modified and compressed hair. 
The eyes are small, and the ears erect and like those 
of a pig. The thick short curved feet have four 
toes with hoofs. The tail is short, and tufted 
beyond the middle. The Rhinoceros lives in pairs, 
and inhabits different parts of India. The lazy crea- 
ture will lie in a pool for hours, or saunter quietly 
on his way, but a trifle will rouse him to make,a 
headlong charge at anything, in ungovernable fury. 
The other species of RAznxoceros resemble Rhi- 
noceros tndicus in form and habits, but some have 
two horns on the nose instead of one. 
The Yapiride, or Tapirs are small in com- 
parison to the species of RAzzoceros and less un- 
wieldy in appearance, though their bodies are also 
stout. The long tapering head has short ears, small 
eyes, and the upper lip is produced into a short 
trunk. The neck is slender, the body like that of 
a pig, and the legs are short and thick, with four 
toes with hoofs on the fore feet, and three on the 
hind feet. The skin of the Tapirs is thick, and 
clothed with smooth hair. They have strong teeth, 
all three kinds being present. They pass the day in 
thick forests, preferring the neighbourhood of rivers 
and swamps, in which they like to wallow. On the 
approach of darkness, they roam about to seek their 
food, which consists of the leaves of trees, and marsh- 
loving plants; but they will also work havoc in cul- 
tivated fields. 
The American Tapir (Zapirus americanus, 
Plate XVII. fig. a) is of a dark brown colour, paler 
on the sides of the head and neck, and on the breast. 
There is a short stiff mane on the back. The Tapir 
is a quiet harmless animal, which rushes into the 
bushes at the approach of danger, but when it is 
attacked in the water, it immediately dives, and 
swims for some distance under the surface. It re- 
sembles a pig in the greediness with which it feeds 
on all sorts of food. 



The Eguzd@ or Horses are longlegged, slenderly 
formed animals, and the existing species have only 
one toe with a large hoof. There are always six 
incisors in each jaw, and a considerable gap on each 
side between these and the molars. When the bones 
of the legs are examined, the comparative shortness 
of the upper bones is remarkable, while the bones 
of the foot corresponding to the middle toe are very 
strongly developed, and form, with the three toe- 
joints, the last of which bears the hoof, the sole 
support of the body. The head is pyramidal and 
flattened, the ears erect and pointed, and the mus- 
cular and rather long neck is adorned with a long 
flowing mane on the back. The body is shapely, 
the legs slender, and the short tail very hairy, either 
from the base, or towards the extremity. In general, 
the hair is short and smooth, and the colour, espe- 
cially in the domesticated species, very variable. All 
the senses are well developed in horses, and they 
are gifted with considerable intelligence. In the wild 
state these animals are gregarious, and live together 
in large herds. When danger threatens, they not 
only use their hoofs for flight, but also for defence. 
They chiefly inhabit plains and plateaus, but are also 
found in the mountains, where they climb the nar- 
rowest paths with surefooted agility. 
Plate XXVIL fg. a represents the Arabian 
variety of the Horse (Equus caballus). The true 
Horses are among the largest and handsomest of the 
family. They are distinguished from their allies by 
the short pointed ears, flowing mane, and the tail, 
which is clothed from the root with long and strong 
hair. These are the general characteristics of the 
horse, but there are great differences between the 
races in different countries. All are fine, intelligent 
animals and greatly valued by men, but one of the 
finest and handsomest races is the Arabian. There are 
enormous herds of wild horses in some parts of America, 
which are said to have originated from those intro- 
duced by the Spaniards. There are, however, herds 
of undoubtedly wild horses in Asiatic Russia. Their 
heads are Jarge, and their appearance is far less hand- 
some than that of the tame horse, though they may 
excel in speed and endurance. 
The Ass (Equus asinus, Plate XXVIII. fig. b) 
is properly speaking a Southern animal. In the South 
it is a beautiful and graceful creature, much larger, 
smoother, and more spirited than the asses seen in 
the North. The finest are met with in Egypt and 
Persia, but beautiful animals, worth almost as much 
as a horse, may also be seen in Spain and Southern 
Italy. The Ass has a longer head and longer ears 
than the Horse, the mane is short, and the tail is 
only provided with long hairs towards the tip. Hy- 
brids between the horse and the ass are common. 
Those between a horse and a she-ass are called 
Hinnies, and those between a he-ass and a mare 
Mules. 

