176 NARRATIVE OF AN 



CHAP, twice fliot, which muft have been by the rebels on the 

 ^^^^ 1^' , 27th, when we heard the report of two mulkets at a dif- 

 tance. 



As I am once more on the fubje(St of natural hiftory, 

 I fliall defcribe another amphibious animal, called the 

 tapira, which bears fome diftant refemblance to the hip- 

 popotamus of the old continent, but it is a great deal lefs. 

 This creature is about the fize of a fmall afs, but much 

 more clumfy. The head is not unlike that of a horfe, 

 but the upper lip much longer, proje6ting fomething like 

 the probofcis of an elephant, and is alfo moveable, but 

 too fhort to be of ufe, as is the trunk of that animal ; 

 the ears are fliort, the tulks ftrong, and fometimes vi- 

 lible, the mane is briftly and ere(?t, the limbs are low and 

 ftrong, with a kind of hoof divided into four elaws, and 

 the tail is thick and fliort, like that of the elephant. The 

 ftiin of this creature is exceilively thick, of a brown co- 

 lour, and when young it is marked with white fpots, like 

 thofe of the ftag or paca, proceeding in longitudinal rows. 

 It feeds on grafs^ and other herbs that grow in watery 

 places, and is fo fliy, that when alarmed by the fmalleft 

 noife it plunges under water, alfo like the paca, for fe- 

 curity, where it remains for a conflderable time. The 

 flefli of the tapira is delicate, being accounted fuperior 

 to the beft ox-beef.— See both the above animals in the 

 . annexed plate. 



A Mr. Selef elder, of the Society fervice, at this time af- 

 fnred me, that he faw quite a different river-horfe in the 



river 



