226 
THE STORY OF THE TAPIR . 
the others in its parti-colored skin. In height this animal stands from three 
to three and one-half feet at the withers, and about four inches more at the 
rump, its length along the curves from the tip of the snout to the root of 
the tail being about eight feet. 
They are fond of gamboling in the water and rolling in soft mud, their 
hides being often thickly plastered with the latter, probably as a protection 
against the bites of insects. Indeed, in many respects their mode of life is 
very similar to that of swine, although in their more solitary habits they 
present a closer resemblance to their cousins the rhinoceroses. Thus the 
males, except during the pairing-season, are said to be completely solitary, 
and even family parties are but rarely met with; and, except when several 
have been temporarily collected by the attraction of unusually good pasture, 
it is but very seldom that more than three individuals are seen in company. 
Tapirs commence to feed in the evening, and probably continue throughout 
the greater part of the night. 
These animals are slow and deliberate in their movements, and I have 
often seen them walking with their snouts close to the ground, and by the 
aid of scent or sound detecting the presence of foes with extreme acuteness. 
When frightened, however, they rush blindly forwards, crashing through 
bushes or splashing through water in precipitate flight. The tapir is an 
excellent swimmer, crossing the largest rivers with facility, and even diving 
beneath the surface of the water, although with what object is not ascer¬ 
tained. Not improbably it may also walk along the beds of shallow rivers 
.and lakes, as was observed to be the habit of a specimen of the Malayan 
species kept in captivity at Barrakpur. 
The chief sound uttered by the American tapir is a peculiar shrill whistle, 
which has but little volume in comparison with the size of the animal by 
which it is emitted. This whistle is uttered at all seasons, and is not, as has 
been supposed, restricted to the pairing-season; the Malayan species give 
vent to a very similar sound. When suddenly disturbed, the American tapir 
utters a loud snort. 
In some parts the South American Indians track the tapir to its lair, and 
shoot it as it lies. In Paraguay, when the hunters capture a young tapir of 
too large a size to be carried on a horse in front of the rider, they bore a 
hole in one side of the snout through which they pass a thcng, and the 
animal will then follow readily enough when led. 
Next to man, the worst foes of the tapir are the larger cats; the jaguar 
preying largely on the American species, and the tiger attacking its Malayan 
