-y ■ 



T^iriR OF MALACCA. 4n 



V<?heii young it is beautiFuliy fpotted with brown and white, 



The Tapir of Malacca h BOt known to fhe natives as an a 

 phibious animal; it h perfecllv hsrail^Fs, and of a timid difpo- 

 firion. Indeed it feems deftittite of any natural means of offence 

 or defence. It feeds oo vegetables, and is faid to be particii° 

 larly fond of fagar-cane. Its flefh is eaten by tbe natives (with 

 the exception of Mohummedans, who deem it unclean) and con. 

 fidered very good : none of tbefe animals have as yet been do- 

 medicated at Malacca, but I have no doubt if taken when youngs 

 they might be tamed with equal facility as thofe o{ ."America. 



The drawing which accompanies this will 'be found a faithful 

 Eeprefentation of the Malacca, Tapi-r.: It is taken from life, and 

 will convey a much belter, idea of the aniiiiai thao any defcrip- 

 lion I am able to give.^ 



it is, I thiok, very poffible that the J'M^cc^ Taptr may be foond 

 eo correfpond more clofely with one of the two foflile fpecies de- 

 fcribed by CuviER, in his geological difc over ies, as having bsea 

 Enet with in different parts of France] Germany, and l(dij, tbe 

 one named the fmaU; the other the gij^anric Tapirv 



U may be proper to- remark- that> the' foregoing dim^nftons 

 were taken fram a Tapir, which had 'not attained its full fize ; 

 1 have the head of a full grown o je n^vv by me which msafur^s - 

 two-inches mo;e ia circu-uference than the above. 



Additional ohjervations hy the SECRETARY- 



The difcovery of the prefence of an animal in the eaflern h?- 

 mifphere, which has been hitherto fuppofcd peculiar to the new 

 world, is a circumflance that defwves the fuUeft illuRration which 



