baird's tapir. 4C3 



History, Pen-tsao-kan-a now describes it as follows: "The Me is like a 

 bear : its head is small, its legs short, its short brilliant hair is black and 

 white. It has the trunk of the elephant, the eyes of the rhinoceros, the 

 tail of a cow, and the feet of a tiger." Pictures of it are very common in 

 Chinese and Japanese Books for Children. 



We are still without good accounts of its life in the woods, and even 

 the descriptions of its habits in captivity are far from satisfactory. It 

 may be assumed, however, that it does not differ in its modes of life -from 

 the American species already described. 



The PlNCHAQUE, Tapirus villosus, was discovered by M. Rauhn during 

 his residence in the Andes. It has a head which resembles strongly that 

 of a fossil Tapir found in the tertiary deposits of the Pampas, the 

 nasal bones being more elongated than in any other species at present 

 existing. This Tapir, from living at a considerable elevation, and there- 

 fore in a comparatively cold climate, is entirely covered with long hair 

 Avhich is of a brown color. It is, in consequence, called Tapirus villosus, 

 or " The Shaggy Tapir." It does not appear to extend far over the 

 Andes. Gray gives the "Cordilleras " as its habitat, but it seems con- 

 fined to Ecuador and the United States of Colombia, where it dwells at 

 about eight to twelve thousand feet above the sea. 



GENUS ELASMOGNATHUS. 



This genus has been formed by Dr. Gray to contain one or two 

 species of Tapirs which inhabit Central America from Panama to Guate- 

 mala. He gives the generic characteristics as follows : " The internasal 

 cartilage is ossified nearly the whole length, the bony part produced 

 beyond the end of the nasal." Of the species this learned naturalist 

 enumerates, we need only mention one ; the so-called Elasmognathus 

 Dowii being a very doubtful form. 



Baird's Tapir, Elasmognathus Bairdii, is distinguished by possessing 

 a very short and close fur, the color of which is dark brown, approach- 

 ing closely to black, but the chest is white, and the cheeks are light 

 brown. The young have the peculiar striped arrangement which is so 

 remarkable in the young of the preceding genus. 



Baird's Tapir is a native of the Isthmus of Panama, and has been 

 found as far north as Mexico. It is thought to be the largest of the 

 American Tapirs. 



