106 POST-PLEIOCENE FOSSILS. 



Order, PACHYDERMATA. 

 Genus, TAPIRUS. — Brisson. 



TAPIKUS AMERICANUS FOSSILIS. TAPIRUS HAYSII. 



Plate XVII. Figs. 1-12. 



Tapir, Carpenter, Am. Jour. Sci., xlii, 390; Ibidem, 2d ser., I, 247. 

 Tapirus Americanus (?) fossilis, Leidy, Proc. Aead. Nat. Sci., Phil., IV, 180. 

 Tapiras Haysii, Leidy, Ibidem, VI, 106; VII, 201. 



I have personally had the opportunity of inspecting remains of the Tapir, found in 

 Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio, and South Carolina, proving an 

 extensive range of this animal at one time over the country of the United States. 



The late Dr. Carpenter, of New-Orleans, described several portions of jaws with teeth, 

 (Plate XVII, figures 1-6,) from the banks of the Brasos river, near San Fillipe, Texas, 

 and an isolated molar from near Opelousas, Louisiana. The specimens, which were 

 presented by Dr. Carpenter to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, on 

 close comparison are not found to differ from the corresponding parts of the living 

 Tapirus Americanus, of South America, more than do a number of examples from the 

 latter species among themselves. 



The collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences, also contains an inferior molar 

 tooth of the Tapir, found near Natchez, Mississippi, in association with the remains of 

 Mastodon, Megahnyx, etc. The specimen corresponds in form and size with its 

 homologue in the recent Tapir. 



The collections of Prof. Holmes and Capt. Bowman, from the Post-Pleiocene deposits of 

 the Ashley river, contain a number of small fragments of molar teeth, and one nearly 

 entire and unworn crown of a second lower molar, (figures 11, 12,) which have the same 

 character of form and size as in the living Tapir. Besides these, the same collections 

 contain fragments of lower molars, and two nearly entire crowns of upper molars, (figures 

 2, 3,) having the exact form of the corresponding teeth of the T. Americanus, but larger in 

 size. The more perfect of these specimens are represented in figures 2, 3, Plate XVII. 



Dr. Isaac Hays presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, an 

 inferior molar tooth of a Tapir, supposed to have been obtained from Big-bone-lick, 

 Kentucky. The specimen corresponds to the penultimate molar ot the T. Americanus, 

 but is larger; measuring twelve and a half lines antero-posteriorly, and ten and a quarter 

 transversely. This tooth, which is represented in figures 7, 8, Plate XVII, I have sus- 

 pected to indicate an extinct species, to which the name of Tapirus Haysii was given, 

 though it may be questioned if it had not already been noticed by Dr. Harlan, under the 



