MAMMALIA. BELLUiE. Hog. 349 



Inhabits the woods and rivers of the eaftcrn coaft of South America, from the Ilthmus of Darien 

 to the river Amazons. — The Tapir fleeps during the day in the thicker! and moll: covert places of 

 the woods, adjacent to the hanks of rivers and lakes, into which it plunges when diilurbed, and fwims 

 or walks on the bottom in the fame manner with the Hippopotamus ; it goes about during the night 

 in queft of food, and feeds on grafs, fugar canes, fruits, and other vegetables. It is an animal of a 

 mild and gentle nature, and is very eafily made tame, being fometimss kept in farm yards in Guiana, 

 and fed along with the cattle; it is timorous, falacious, fluggifh, and flow footed, but fwims remark- 

 ably well, and dives to the bottom of the water, where it walks as well as on dry land. When do- 

 meflicated it becomes familiar, will take any thing that is offered, and will even rummage with its 

 nofe in peoples pockets for meat. This is the larger!, of the animals which are peculiar to America, 

 being about the fize of a fmall cow, and having fome general refemblance to a hog: In the male the 

 nofe is elongated into a fort of probofcis or flexible trunk, which extends far beyond the lower jaw, 

 and is capable of being contrafted and extended at pleafure ; the fides of this fnout are furrowed 

 lengthways, and with this the animal is able to lay hold of any thing and convey it to the mouth; 

 the nofe of the female is deftitute of this elongation, and both jaws are of equal length, ending in a 

 pointed fnout : The ears are roundifh and erecl: ; the eyes are very fmall ; the neck is thick, fliort, 

 and has a kind of briftly mane, about an inch and a half long, on its upper part, near the head ; the 

 body is thick and clumfy, and the back is fomewhat arched; the legs are fhort and thick, with fmall, 

 black, hollow hoofs ; the tail is very fliort and naked ; the fkin is very tough, and is covered with a 

 fliort dufky coloured fur, which in young animals is fpotted with white : The voice of this animal re- 

 fembles a kind of hifs: There are five grinders on each fide in each jaw, with a vacancy between 

 them and the cutting teeth. 



XLIV. H O G.— 43. S U S. 35. 



Has four cutting teeth in the upper jaw, whofe points con- 

 verge; and, for the moft part, fix in the lower jaw, which 

 Hand forwards : There are two tufks in eacli jaw, thofe in 

 the upper jaw being fhort, while thofe of the under jaw 

 are long, and extend out of the mouth. The fnout is pro- 

 minent, moveable, and has the appearance of having been 

 cut off, or truncated. The feet are armed with divided or 

 cloven hoofs. 



The animals of this germs ; have a Very firm cartilaginous fnout, of a round form, provided with 

 ftrong tendons, and with it they dig in the earth in queft of roots, and other kinds of food; they 

 are in general rather foul feeders, and live almoft indifferently on animal and vegetable food, even 

 devouring the moft corrupted earcaffes, and the excrements of other animals ; they are likewife fond 

 of wallowing in the mire. The male is named Boar, the female Sow, and the young ones Pigs ; the 

 female has a great number of teats difpofed longitudinally along the belly and breaft, and h extreme- 

 ly prolific. 



