460 
UNGULATES. 
neck, without distinct crest, than the lowland species, from which it is further 
distinguished by the presence of a long white spot on the chin. 
The two remaining species are Baird’s tapir (T. bairdi), ranging from Mexico 
to Panama, and Dow’s tapir (T. dowi), restricted to Guatemala, Nicaragua, and 
Costa Rica, which constitute a second group of the genus distinguished by the 
characters of the skull. In all the three species of the first group, as seen in the 
figure of the skeleton given on p. 454, the nasal cavity is perfectly open in advance 
of the roofing bones of the skull; but in those of the second group this cavity is 
THE AMERICAN TAPIR liat. size). 
divided by a vertical partition in the middle line, similar to one shown later on in 
the figure of the skull of an extinct rhinoceros. 
h The following notes on the habits of the American tapirs refer 
mainly or exclusively to the common species. These tapirs confine 
themselves exclusively to the thickest parts of the forests, carefully avoiding all 
open spaces, and forming regular pathways along which they travel in search of 
food and water. In the forest itself it is generally difficult to come across them, 
but Humboldt and others state that, when travelling on the rivers by boat, tapirs 
may be often seen in the early morning, when they come to the bank for the 
purpose of drinking. Although mainly nocturnal, it is stated that in the densest 
and darkest portions of the forest tapirs may be encountered abroad during the 
