138 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



tiger springs upon it with flaming eyes and a loud roar, the ele- 

 phant runs away. 



In olden days there were wild elephants in Great Britain, 

 and their fossil bones are often found by those who work in 

 sand and gravel pits. 



THE TAPIR 



On seeing a Tapir for the first time we might imagine it to 

 be a near relation of the elephant. True, it is not nearly so 

 large and bulky as that animal, for an adult tapir stands only 

 about four feet high at the shoulder. In other words, it is no 

 taller than an ordinary donkey. But it is very stoutly and 

 heavily built; it has an extremely thick and leather-like hide, 

 and, above all, its upper lip is prolonged into a short trunk, or 

 proboscis, at the extremity of which are placed the nostrils. With 

 this trunk the animal can pluck herbage and convey it to its 

 mouth, although the finger-like tip is wanting which is so service- 

 able in the trunk of the elephant. 



Thus, as far as its outward appearance is concerned, the tapir 

 undoubtedly bears a considerable resemblance to the elephant. 

 But when we come to examine it more carefully we find that 

 in reality it is related to the swine. Its feet, for instance, are 

 not at all like those of an elephant; neither are its teeth. And 

 if we wish to place it in its proper position in the " animal army ", 

 we must look upon it as a creature which comes somewhere 

 between the horse and the pig, but cannot be classed with either. 



Three different kinds of tapir have been discovered, one of 

 A\hich is so rare that very little is known about its habits. The 

 commonest of the three lives in the warmer parts of South 

 America, and in some districts is very abundant. Yet, in spite 

 of its numbers, it is not very often seen, for it is nocturnal in its 

 habits, and hides during the day in the densest thickets, through 

 which scarcely any animal but itself can force a path. Soon 

 after sunset, however, it comes out from its retreat to feed, and 

 also to bathe in some pool or river; and a hunter who wishes 



