THE TAPIR. 



97 



do as much damage with their feet by tram- 

 pling the Indian corn down, as by their 

 monstrous appetite. Generally speaking, 

 there is little chance of finding a tapir when 

 a party is expressly made for hunting one, 

 unless his trail is found and carefully follow- 

 ed ; but they are often met when least ex- 

 pected, and in places that seem the least 

 suited for them. The tapir cares for no car- 

 nivorous animal when full grown, for their 

 hide is so thick as to be pretty near pistol 

 proof, and would certainly defy the claws and 

 teeth of the panther, A friend of mine was 

 much surprised one day to see a tapir issue 

 from a wood close to him ; he pulled out a 

 pistol and fired at him, but without any 

 apparent effect ; the second one, however, hit 

 the beast in the eye, and down he dropped 

 stone dead ; the ball of the first pistol was 

 found imbedded close under the skin, which 

 it had scarcely penetrated. 



An Italian acquaintance near the coast had 

 a very pretty young one, about the size of a 

 Chinese pig ; he followed his master about 

 the premises, but no further, like a dog ; but 

 though he was taken every care of, the poor 

 animal died ; the intense heat near the coast 

 was too much for him ; he wanted the purer 



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