. The popular natural history . Zoology. 2c8 THE SOAR. readily tamed, becoming unpleasantly familiar with those persons whom it knows, and taking all kinds of liberties with them, which would be well enough in a little dog or a kitten, but are quite out of place with an animal as large as a donkey. The second species of Tapir is found in Malacca and Sumatra, and is a most conspicuous animal, in consequence of the broad band of white that encircles the body, and which at a little distance gives it the aspect of being muffled up in a white sheet. The ground colour of the adult Malayan Tapir is a
. The popular natural history . Zoology. 2c8 THE SOAR. readily tamed, becoming unpleasantly familiar with those persons whom it knows, and taking all kinds of liberties with them, which would be well enough in a little dog or a kitten, but are quite out of place with an animal as large as a donkey. The second species of Tapir is found in Malacca and Sumatra, and is a most conspicuous animal, in consequence of the broad band of white that encircles the body, and which at a little distance gives it the aspect of being muffled up in a white sheet. The ground colour of the adult Malayan Tapir is a deep sooty black, contrasting most strongly with the greyish white of the back and flanks. The young animal is as beautifully variegated as that of the preceding species, being striped and spotted with yellow fawn upon the upper parts of the body, and with white below. There is no mane upon the neck of the Malayan Tapir, and the proboscis is even longer in proportion. In size it rather exceeds the preceding animal. In many of its habits the Malayan animal is exactly similar to the species which inhabits America, but it is said that although the Kuda-Ayer is very fond of the water, it does not attempt to swim, but contents itself with walking on the bed of the stream. Although a sufficiently common animal in its native country, it is but seldom seen, owing to its extremely shy habits, and its custom of concealing itself in the thickest underwood. The hide of the Tapir is employed by the natives for several useful pur- poses, but the flesh is dry, tasteless, and not worth the trouble of cooking. The term Kuda-Ayer is a Malayan word, signifying " river-horse," and it is also known by the name of Tennu. In the Swine, the snout is far less elephantine than in the preceding animals, and, though capable of considerable mobility, cannot be curled round any object so as to raise it from the ground. Nor, indeed, is such a power needed, as the Swine employ the snout for the pur
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
