174 J. B. Hatcher — Recent and Fossil Tapirs. 



is much longer than broad and the internal cone is situated on 

 the extreme posterointernal angle and is quite rudimentary. 

 The antero-internal cone in sup. pm. 2 is a mere tubercle and 

 the anterior cross-crest is absent. 



Tapirus (Hippopotamus) terrestris, Linn.* 



Syn. T. americanus, T. anta, T. suillus, T. laurillardi, T. eqica- 

 dorensis. 



The principal characters of the skull and sup. dentition of 

 this species are shown in tig. 1, plate V, and 1 and la, plate 

 IV, which have been drawn from No. 157 in the Yale Coll. 

 The present species seems to be most closely related to the pre- 

 ceding ; the skull, like that of the former, is compressed and 

 there is a sharp sagittal crest in both; but in the present 

 species the sagittal crest is convex antero-posteriorly and ele- 

 vated far above the nasals, which are short and broad in marked 

 contrast to those conditions which have been found in 

 T. roulini. The premaxillaries have an extended contact with 

 the maxillaries and are slightly embraced posteriorly by a supe- 

 rior branch of the latter which is not elevated above the pre- 

 maxillary. The excavation for the air sinus is mainly in the 

 frontals and maxillaries, near the base of nasals and does not 

 encroach much upon the latter. The first sup. premolar is 

 nearly as broad as long and the internal cone is near the mid- 

 dle of the tooth. Sup. pm. 2 is entirely molariform. 



Tapirus indicus Desm.f 

 Syn. T. sumatranus, T. maylayanus, T. bicolor, T. me. 



A skull and sup. dentitian of T. indicus are shown in figs. 

 3, plate Y, and 3 and 3a, plate IY, drawn from No. 200 in the 

 Yale Coll. As has been noticed by Gill the present species 

 more nearly resembles species of Elasmognathus than do 

 either of the other species of Tapirus, among the points of 

 resemblance the following are noteworthy. The premaxillar- 

 ies are embraced by the maxillaries and the superior branches 

 of the latter are produced above the premaxillaries and 

 approach each other medially. The mesethmoid cartilage is 

 ossified as far forward as the middle of the nasals in adult 

 specimens. The frontals are broad and abruptly elevated 

 above the base of the nasals, precisely as in Elasmognathus. 

 The premaxillo-maxillary suture bisects the alveole for the 

 canine, in this respect T. indicus is unique among modern 

 Tapirs, and I have found this character absolutely constant in 



*^Sys. Nat., 10th ed., 1758. - \ Desm. Mam., p. 411. 



