THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 197 
Pachydermatous tribe, which derives its name from the 
extreme thickness of skin of the animals that compose 
it, and which is characterized by the toes being entirely 
enveloped in inflexible hoofs, and by the want of rumi- 
nating stomachs. From all the neighbouring genera 
the Tapirs differ in their dentition, which is composed 
of six incisors and two canines in either jaw, and of 
seven molars in the upper and six in the lower on either 
side. The two outermost incisors in the upper jaw have 
sometimes been mistaken, in consequence of their larger 
size and conical and pointed form, for a second pair of 
canines, but their insertion in the intermaxillary bone 
is clearly indicative of their true character. The true 
canines, which are separated from the incisors by a 
vacancy of small extent, are almost rudimentary ; and 
those of the opposite jaw, although much larger and 
more prominent, have no pretensions to the name of 
tusks. The first of the molar teeth in the upper jaw 
is small in size and rudimentary in character ; and is 
separated from the canines by a large vacancy. All the 
remaining molars, both of the upper and lower jaw, are 
of nearly equal size and similar form, consisting, as a 
general rule, each of two transverse ridges, which in 
the upper are united externally and in the lower inter- 
nally by a longitudinal line. 
An error originally introduced by Marcgrave, whose 
rude cut is accompanied by a neat description, but who 
speaks of the teeth as consisting of ten incisors and ten 
molars in each jaw, held its ground for nearly two cen- 
turies, and passed successively through the writings of 
Ray, Brisson, Bulfon, Gmelin, and Blumenbach. This 
was first corrected by M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire ; but 
some confusion seems still to exist upon the subject. 
In a note to the French translation of D'Azara's Natu- 
ral History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay, M. Cuvier 
