TAPIR OF MALACCA, '4^3 



the upper ; making in the whole forty-two teeth % and upon the 

 spoft careful examination of the (kull oF the Tapir of Malacca^ 

 depofited in the Socfett's Mufeum, 1 can confiden;.ly affert that 

 the teeth agree in number, form, and proportion, precifely with 

 thofe of ihQ American Tapir. In the upper jaw there is au imper- 

 fe,£l evolution of the two canine teeth, and the two outer incifors 

 have all the appearance of tuflis, and this accojinfs for the error 

 in the defcriptionj which the excellent naturalift, who has en- 

 riched zoology with fo impprLaut a difcovery, has committed ; 

 the fame miftake has indeed been lately made, with refped to 

 Tapir of America by the learned Fslix D'Azzara, and it is one of 

 very natural occurrence, as the two outer incifors have the cha- 

 rader cf tufks, and the more fo, from being much more pro- 

 aninentthan the true canine teeth ; they are eafily however diilin- 

 guiihed, by the cultivator of comparative anatomy,, by their in- 

 fertion in the bone peculiar to the incifors^ (os incifif); aa articulation 

 that would leave no doubt of their real charaQer, even in the en- 

 tire abfence of the denies canini^ and a proof of the value of a 

 fcience, which determines the nature of parts, by the immutable 

 laws of anatomical pofition, and not by the uncertain, and 

 varying teft of external appearance. 



The identity of the Tapir of Malacca, yNith. that of South Amerita. 

 makes it of courfe a different animal, from the fmall foffiie 

 fpecies, defciibed by M. Cuvier, as that has been fhewn to 

 jdiffer widely from the American animal, both in the dentition, and 

 in the conformation of many parts of the max.llary bone, 



For the corred number and accurate nature of the teeti^ of 

 the American Tapir, natural fcience is indebted to Me?srs« Geof- 

 yROY St, Hillairb and Cuvier. To Major Farquhar alone be- 

 longs the honor of having firft given, with the trifling exception I 

 have noticed, a correct delcriptioa of the interefling animal which 



