TA?IIR» 
sist in inhabited regions ; where Man, and the 
stronger animals, would soon destroy them.*' 
This is the opening of BufFon's accomit of 
theTapiir; which, he asserts, *' is of the size 
of a small Cow, or Zebu, but has neither horns 
nor tail." BufFon had seen only some skins of 
the animal, and a drawing sent him by M. 
Condamine ; and, as the tail was not apparent 
in either, he ventured to say that it had none. 
The truth is, that the Tapiir has a very short 
naked tail, 
BufFon tells us, that this animal, when 
young, is spotted like the Stag ; and that, af- 
terwards, it^s hair becomes of a uniform deep 
brown colour : Barrere describes it as inter- 
spersed with black and white bands, which 
extend from the head to the tail ; and Christo- 
pher D'Acuna, under the name Danta, as of 
ihe colour, figure, and size, of a Mule. 
From those amphibious habits of the Tapiir 
in which it resembles the Hippopotamus, some 
naturalists have been induced to suppose that it 
belongs to the same species. " But," says 
BufFon, ** these animals are as remote from 
each 
