The naturalist''''s library V23

T H1 K LONDON CHA.TTO & WTNDUS PICCADILLY I > a.i THE NATURALIST'S LIBRARY EDITED BY SIR WILLIAM JARDINE, BART F.E.S.E., F.L.S., ETC., ETC VOL XXIII MAMMALIA THICK-SKINNED QUADRUPEDS BY THE EDITOR LONDON: HENRY G BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN AND ALL BOOKSELLERS ; BIOLOGY CONTENTS PAGE MEMOIR OF SIR HANS SLOANE PACHYDERMES The Elephants The Elephant of Plate II Plate IV Hippopotamus Rhinoceros 106 133 124 150 153 Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius The of Africa Plate V Elephant of the Lena Great Mastodon Plate VI Common 104 India Elephas Africanus The The The The 93 Elephas Indicus The Elephant i7 154 Plate VII .158 Indian Rhinoceros Rhinoceros Indicus Plates VIII and IX One- Horned Sumatran Rhinoceros Rhinoceros Sondaicus Plate X Two- Horned Sumatran 164 174 Rhinoceros Rhinoceros Sumatranus Plate XI 179 CONTENTS PAGE Two- Horned African Rhinoceros JR Afiicanus The * Plate XII 132 Flat- Nosed Rhinoceros Rhinoceros simus Plate XIII The Syrian Hyrax Hyrax Syrianus The Cape Hyrax Plate XIV Plate XVI Hyrax Capensis The Swine The Wild Boar Sus scropha .186 189 XVII and XVIII Plates 197 201 e 205 The Papuan Hog Sus Papuensis Plate XIX 210 212 Sus Koiropotomus Plate XX The Domestic Hog Plate XXI Chinese Breed The Plate XXII babiroussa Allans' 213 215 Plate XXIII 216 Wart Hog Phascochaeres Pliant ./Ethiopian Plate XX \ 219 Wart Hog Phascochares larvatus The Babiroussa Sus The Plate XXV 232 234 Collared Peccary Plate Dycoteles torquatus The White Lipped Dycoteks labiatus The Tapirs The American XXVIII 236 238 Tapir Plate 241 of the Andes Tapirus pinchaque The Malay XXVII Plate Tapirus Americanus The Tapir XXVI Peccary Plate XXIX 248 Tapir Tapirus Malayanus Plate XXX 246 MEMOIR SIR HANS SLOANE MEMO ft I OF HANS SLOANE SIR the influence of Sir Hans Sloane on in his day, the progress of Natural History (and considerable,) to we believe it to have been the present generation he is most advantageously known as the founder of the British Museum ; it may not, therefore, be uninteresting, before relating his personal history, to give were as some account of the private museums that in existence previous to his time, especially some of them merged into his own splendid which ultimately became the property collection, of the public The Britain, century, first attempt at forming a was made early in the Museum in seventeenth by John Tradrscant, a native of Holland, B THE TAPIRS 240 thinly set but closely growing stout hair, rising to a somewhat can species bristly The mane in one of the Ameri- skin itself of all is remarkably strong, enabling them to crush through the deepest and most short pointed thickets, and presenting a strong defence from other assailants shall proceed with the description of We 241 THE AMERICAN Tapirus Americanus PLATE Mborebi, Azara.- Tapir d' LINN XXVIII Americanus, Linn, also terrestris Tapir Americain, Lacepede Amerique, Fred Cuvier, Hist Naturelle Hippopotamus des Tapirus TAPIR Mammif THIS animal America, and is is the largest quadruped in South extensively distributed over that continent, extending over almost every part of it Andes, but probably most abundant within the tropics It reaches from five to six east of the in length, is powerfully formed, and is covered with a scanty close lying hair, forming feet a bristly mane upon the neck " The sides of a deep brown The colour the lower lip, is a band occupying the middle of the chin beneath, the upper edges of the ears, and a naked line at * purely white." The young are of a lighter colour, and spotted or That destriped for the first year at least the junction of the hoofs, are all Mr Yarrel from the Zoological Society's " of a rusty reddish brown, with Menagerie, was scribed by * Bennet THE AMERICAN TAPIR 242 indications of lighter spots and horizontal lines and thighs." This animal is frequently hunted by the South Americans with dogs, sometimes it is trapped, on the ribs, flanks, sometimes killed with poisoned arrows by the and occasionally it is shot In all the natives, contests, it is inoffensive, with difficulty mastered, for though thick skin withstands the attacks of its the dogs, and its great strength allows it to handle very severely those who are foremost or boldest in the attack It is either surprised from its lair, or intercepted at early dawn, on its return from its feeding ground ; and when pursued, makes always for water, where he can stand on his defence, while the dogs are obliged to swim around, and are incapable of exerting all their powers The skin is musket remarkably thick, and is said to resist a ball M Roulin mentions having fired at one crossing a stream, and seeing his ball make an impression on the back without farther harm This might glance off, but we question if the skin of any of these large animals would resist a ball directly fired from a properly loaded and efficient gun They are hunted for the skin, which is we have mentioned, and also for the *trong, as nssh which the Indians delight in ; but which is said to be coarse and unpalatable to the unaccus- tomed stomach of the European The other American species is 243 THE TAPIR OF THE ANDES Tapirus pinchaque ROULIN PLATE XXIX Annales des Sciences Nat 1829, p 26, vol i IT had long been suspected by M Roulin, from the accounts of Oviedo and P de Aqueda, that a second species of Tapir existed in South America ; and from being described to possess a long and thick hair, that gentleman commenced his inquiries and researches regarding it, among the higher He was at last successful regions of the Andes in procuring the animal, and has communicated a sketch and description in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, The size which we have now used of the adult is nearly similar to that of is a general difference the other animal, but there in the form and appearance of the two The trunk, or elongated snout, does not exhibit upon the sides those wrinkles which shew that the On the chin animal keeps it always contracted there is a white spot which is prolonged to the angle of the mouth, and returns upon the upper THE TAPIR OF THE ANDES 244 The ear is without nearly half its length the white border, and there is not the remarkable lip for crest which commences behind the eyes, and runs upon the shoulder of the common animal The neck of the Alpine animal is perfectly round, and the hairs they upon the centre are neither longer, nor another direction ; there is, in fact, no lie in The hair upon the whole body is and of a blackish brown, deepest very thick, long, the which tips, upon gives the peculiar tint denotrace of a mane minated, when referring to horses, the haunches, on each side, there "bay? On a spot, about the size of the hand, devoid of hairs, but exhibitis ing no callosity The form of the skull exhibits a marked difference, which will accompanying representations still more be seen in the THE TAPIR OF THE ANDES This animal was about length, and, about two at the shoulder The moved to facilitate 245 five feet six inches in feet nine inches in height its having been retransportation, the food entrails could not be ascertained The hunters, when they discovered the animal, noticed that it was feeding on a sort of bamboo, and pointed out another plant on which they particularly delighted, a species of Espeletia 246 THE MALAY TAPIR Tapirus Malayanus RAFFLES PLATE XXX Tapirus Malayanus, Raffles, p Horsfield's Zool Trans Linn Soc vol Researches in Java xiii Le Maiba, Fred Cuvier, Hist Nat des Mammif THE first specimens of this animal were procured and forwarded by Major Farquhar, while we are indebted to Sir Stamford Raffles for the first and through his assistance to Sir E some notes upon its anatomy It is descriptions, Home, for very remarkable for the decided contrast of the colours of the body, but in other respects resembles the form of the American animals, being destitute, however, of any mane The colours are very deep purplish brown, and white, as distributed on the figure of our plate ; the skin thick, but thinly covered with hair ; the ears bordered with white The young, according to Major " until the Farquhar, age of four months, is black, THE MALAY TAPIR 247 and beautifully marked with spots and stripes, of a fawn colour above, and white below ; after that period began to change the colour, the spots it disappeared, and at the age of six months it had become of the usual colour of the adult." It was of a very mild and gentle disposition, tame and familiar as a dog, fed indiscriminately an all sorts of vegetables, and was very fond to attend at Sir table, to secure bread, cakes, and the like Stamford Raffles' living specimen was occasionally allowed to roam in the park at Barrackpore, and it frequently entered the ponds, and appeared to walk on the bottom under water, and not any attempt to swim The Malay Tapir length, is from as known, are similar make six to eight feet in and from three to three in height at the shoulders to feet and a half The manners, to those of the so far American It inhabits the forests of the Malay Tapir Peninsula, and some of the Indian islands, leading an equally inoffensive life, and receiving ample sustenance from the vegetable productions of these luxurious regions The flesh, though eaten by the Indian with relish, does not seem to cause to be so we much hunted as the American beast, it and are rather surprised that an animal of such bulk and singular markings remained so long unknown, and now remains so much unnoticed with regard to its habits* THE MALAY TAPIR 248 We have now noticed which range stated, will refrain from extinct all the existing aninu in this division, and as we befo mentioning those which a They have been placed under of the nam Palceotherium, Lophiodon, Anoplotheriu: Xiphiodon, and Dicobunes They are in si from that of the Rhinoceros to a small Pig THE EXD ... for the more convenient striking them, and a rope or line tied to them to hold the fis-gig, the which is hand, when shot at them by the strength of they come within reach of those waiting for them,... gave to the Company of Apothecaries the freehold of their botanical garden there, upon the sole condition, that they should present yearly to the Royal Society, fifty new plants, grown in the garden,... getting out of the water, where the dolphins cannot pursue them." They cooked one they had caught, which, Sloane or observes, " was dry, though pretty good victuals, the nearer the head the more it