256 TAPIKIDiE. 



which agrees with the adult skull of the common Brazilian. Tapir, 

 the front edge of the hinder nasal aperture is rather more forward 

 than in the other adult skull ; that is to say, the front edge is in a 

 line with the middle of the sixth or peniiltimate middle grinder. 

 The skull figured by M. de BlainviUe in his ' Osteographie,' t. 3, as that 

 of Tapirus americanus agrees much better with this skull than with 

 any other of our skulls of T. americanus, as, in this skull, the face is 

 more elongated and slender. The upper line of the central crest of 

 the skuU is regularly arched, and not arched in front and with a 

 nearly straight line on the hinder part of the crown. It differs from 

 the skuU of T. Laurillardi in the nasal bones being long, tapering, 

 and acute, as in the skull of the normal T. americanus. 



The length of the space between the hinder edge of the canine 

 and the front edge of the first grinder in the figure agrees with that 

 found in the T. americanus ; that is to say, it is only rather longer 

 than the length of the first two grinders. 



There is a skull of an American Tapir in the Museum of the Col- 

 lege of Surgeons which is rather more elongate than the rest of the 

 skulls ; and in this respect it bears some resemblance to the skull of 

 Tapirus Laurillardi. 



2. Tapirus Laurillardi. B.M. 



Skull with a high, regularly-arched crest over the brain-case ; 

 the nasal bones over the back of the orbit very short, broad, broader 

 than long, and with rounded ends ; the front edge of the cavity of 

 the internal nostrils in a line with the middle of the last or seventh 

 grinder in the complete series ; the face rather elongate, the space 

 between the canines and the grinders as long as the length of the 

 outer side of the first three grinders ; the front part of the nasal 

 aperture suddenly contracted, and then continued as a narrow linear 

 groove to the front of the nose ; the occipital end of the skull tri- 

 angular, arched, higher than broad ; the lower edge of the lower jaw 

 slightly arched, the front part rather produced and contracted ; the 

 grinders are rather small, the complete series being about | inch 

 shorter than in the former species, being 5^ inches in T. laimllardi, 

 and 5| in, T. terrestris. 



Tapirus Laurillardi, Gray, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 881, figs. A & B, 1-4. 



The skull here described was purchased of Mr. Brandt of Ham- 

 burg in 1852 as that of " Tapirus americanus from South America," 

 without any more special habitat. I know that Mr. Brandt had a 

 collector in Venezuela; so it may be from him, who "shot and skinned 

 himself" — that is, the animals from that country ; and Dr. Seemann 

 says he has seen many Tapirs in that province. 



I have named this species after M. Laurillard, the Assistant in the 

 Museum of Comparative Anatomy of Paris, who made most of the 

 drawings of M. Cuvier's ' Ossemens FossUes.' He was a most kind, 

 attentive, modest man, who was always willing to give assistance to 

 aU students, and devoted much time to assist others in their labours ; 



