NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, 97 
The Pygmy Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus liberiensis), is 
a great zoological novelty, and second in rarity only to the 
okapi. Thus far only five specimens ever have been ex- 
hibited. An adult Pygmy Hippo is only one-fourteenth 
the size of an adult Nile Hippo. Our three specimens, a 
female and two males, are exhibited in the Elephant House. 
They arrived in 1912, and were captured in Liberia, West 
Africa. The cost price of the trio was $15,000. They have 
excellent appetites, never have been ill, and they seem to 
enjoy their new home. Their habits, capture, and their 
home surroundings have been fully described in-the Bulletin 
(No. 52) and the Annual Report for 1912 of the Zoological 
Society. . 
The Pygmy Hippopotamus is far more widely distributed 
throughout Liberia than might be inferred from the sur- 
prising scarcity of specimens in museums, and the long ab- 
sence of the species from zoological gardens. It is an in- 
habitant of swampy forests, and while it frequents rivers 
it is not confined to them, like the large hippo. It seeks 
shelter from molestation in large cavities in river banks, 
usually under the roots of overhanging trees. These speci- 
mens were caught by digging pits in their runways, with 
sides so steep that the captives could not climb out. After 
capture, each animal was placed in a huge basket crate, 
slung under a pole, and carried by natives over the rough 
forest trails to the nearest river transportation. 
The Tapirs.—Near the end of the Order of Hoofed Ani- 
mals, (Ungulata), is found the Tapir Family, represented 
in both the old world and the new, by about five species. 
These very odd. creatures inhabit the densest forests of the 
tropics, where vegetation grows rankly, and few other large 
hoofed animals can tive. They are very fond of water, and 
swim well. 
The South American Tapir, (Tapirus terrestris), takes 
kindly to captivity, breeds in confinement, and always man- 
ages to look well-fed and as sleek as a seal. Its color is a 
rich mahogany brown, and its long, prehensile nose is 
strongly suggestive of the end of an elephant’s trunk. The 
shoulder height of a full-grown animal is about 37 inches. 
This species inhabits Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Para- 
guay, Uruguay and some other regions of South America. 
Some of the Central American Tapirs inhabit mountain re- 
gions, but all are exceedingly wary, and difficult to find 
without dogs. 
