42 



THE ODD-TOED UNGULATES. 



distinguished by the structure of the feet, 

 these having four hoofed toes in front, three 

 behind. The longish head with pretty high 

 brow has a certain resemblance to that of a 

 pig in the development of a short proboscis 

 which hangs down over the muzzle. This 

 proboscis is almost naked, with a round 



extremity pierced by the nostrils, and serves 

 mainly as an organ of touch. It is constantly 

 in motion. The tapir sniffs and feels objects 

 with it, and even employs it to press things 

 into its mouth; but it cannot use this pro- 

 boscis as the elephant does his, and in 

 particular it drinks directly through the 



Fig. 146.-— The Brazilian Tapir ur Anta \Tapirus amcrua 



mouth instead of squirting into its mouth 



water which it had previously sucked up into 

 this proboscis. In some species the partition 

 between the nostrils terminates in a small 

 finger-like process as in the elephants. The 

 ears are always straight, in the form <>( 

 pointed paper-cornets. The neck is short, 

 the belly round and large, the tail rudi- 

 mentary. The last phalanges of the toes are 

 inclosed in flat rounded hoofs, which all 

 touch the earth. The pollex or first (inner- 

 most) toe is wanting in the fore-feet, and of 

 the other four toes the fifth or outermost is 

 the shortest, while the middle toe exceeds in 

 length and size the second and fourth on each 

 side. The hind-feet have only three toes, 



namely, the second, third, and fourth digits. 



The hallux or innermost digit and the fifth 

 digit are wanting. 



In the skeleton we observe the massive 

 form of the bones, the large number of rib- 

 bearing vertebra- (eighteen), the third tro- 

 chanter on the thigh-bone, and the peculiar 

 form of the astragalus (the ankle- or sling- 

 bone) — all characters common to the Perisso- 

 dactyla generally. The skull is elongated, 

 and has its height increased behind by a well- 

 marked ridge or crest running along the 

 middle line longitudinally (sagittal crest). In 

 the ordinary tapirs the nasal bones, which 

 are sometimes very short, form an incomplete 

 roof triangular in form extending horizontally 



