, is a near congener, and very much, resembles the tapir of South
America.

"The tapir is amphibious--that is, it frequents the water, can swim and
dive well, and generally seeks its food in the water or the soft marshy
sedge; but when in repose, it is a land animal, making its haunt in
thick coverts of the woods, and selecting a dry spot for its lair. Here
it will remain couched and asleep during the greater part of the day.
At nightfall, it steals forth, and following an old and well-used path,
it approaches the bank of some river, and plunging in, swims off in
search of its food--the roots and stems of several species of
water-plants. In this business it occupies most of the hours of
darkness; but at daybreak, it swims back to the place where it entered
the water, and going out, takes the `backtrack' to its lair, where it
sleeps until sunset again warns it forth.

"Sometimes during rain, it leaves its den even at midday. On such
occasions, it proceeds to the river or the adjacent swamp, where it
delights to wallow in the mud, after the manner of hogs, and often for
hours together. Unlike the hog, however, the tapir is a cleanly animal.
After wallowing, it never returns to its den until it has first plunged
into the clear water, and washed the mud thoroughly from its skin.

"It usually travels at a trot, but when hard pressed it can gallop. Its
gallop is peculiar. The fore-legs are thrown far in advance, and the
head is carried between them in a very awkward manner, somewhat after
the fashion of a frolicsome donkey.

"The tapir is strictly a vegetable feeder. It lives upon flags and
roots of aquatic plants. Several kinds of fruits, and young succulent
branches of trees, form a portion of its food.

"It is a shy, timid animal, without any malice in its character; and
although possessed of great strength, never uses it except for defence,
and then only in endeavours to escape. It frequently suffers itself to
be killed without making any defence, although with its great strength
and well-furnished jaws it might do serious hurt to an enemy.

"The hunt of the tapir is one of the amusements, or rather employments,
of the South-American Indians. Not that the flesh of this animal is so
eagerly desired by them: on the contrary, it is dry, and has a
disagreeable taste, and there are some tribes who will not eat of it,
preferring the flesh of monkeys, macaws, and the armadillo. But the
part most prized is the th