Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/596

 5G8 TANTALUM TAPIR leaves more cut and crisped. The leaves have a strong fragrance, due to a volatile oil and a bitter, aromatic taste, and have long been in use infused in spirits as a domestic aromatic tonic ; in former times it was held in much esteem as a remedy in dropsy, and as a worm- destroying medicine. The volatile oil is kept in the shops, and is popularly supposed to produce abortion ; it is highly poisonous, and its use for criminal purposes has often killed the mother. The green leaves were formerly used in cookery, but have been superseded by foreign spices, though tansy puddings are still made in England. A native species, T. IFuronense, found in Maine and on the great lakes, is only of botanical interest. TANTALUM. See COLUMBITJM. TANTALUS, a character of Greek mytholo- gy, differently described as king of Argos, Cor- inth, Lydia, or Paphlagonia. Having given offence to the gods, he was punished in the lower world by confinement in a lake, where he was tormented with thirst, yet could not drink, for the waters always receded from his lips. Branches laden with fruit hung over his head, and when he stretched forth his hand to take the fruit the branches withdrew. TAGS, the N. W. county of New Mexico, bordering on Colorado and Arizona; area, about 7,500 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 12,079. It is watered by the Rio Grande and the Rio de Chama, one of its tributaries, and by the San Juan, a branch of the Colorado, and is crossed by several spurs of the Rocky mountains. Gold mining is carried on to some extent. The chief productions in 1870 were 153,799 bush- els of wheat, 80,224 of Indian corn, 21,542 of oats, 15,040 of peas and beans, 2,323 of po- tatoes, and 90,503 Ibs. of wool. There were 1,043 horses, 999 mules and asses, 924 milch cows, 2,600 working oxen, 4,104 other cattle, 81,108 sheep, and 688 swine; 2 flour mills, and 1 quartz mill. Capital, Fernandez de Taos. TAPE GRASS. See VALISNERIA. TAPESTRY (Gr. rcnr^, a carpet), an orna- mental figured cloth, used for lining the walls of apartments, or for covering articles of fur- niture. The Egyptians and Hebrews attained great skill in ornamenting textile fabrics by colored yarns worked in by the hand, and also by the loom. The art was early introduced into France, and about the 9th century tapestry was made with the loom ; but the fabrication with the needle continued as an occupation for ladies of the highest rank. Up to the 12th century the use of tapestry was limited to the adornment of churches and monasteries ; but after this period it began to be adopted in dwellings. In Franco the workmen employed in the manufacture were originally called sara- zins and sarazinois. indicating the origin of the art as derived from the Saracens. The finest work in the 14th and 15th centuries was pro- duced by the Flemings, and about this period the principal manufactories in the west of Eu- rope were at Bruges, Antwerp, Arras, Brussels, Lille, Tournay, and Valenciennes. Florence and Venice at that time produced very rich and costly tapestry ; but in the 16th century the more ornamental work with threads of gold and silver was introduced in the manu- facture of Fontainebleau. One of the most famous pieces is the Bayeux tapestry, com- memorating the Norman conquest of England. (See BAYEUX TAPESTRY.) About the end of the reign of Henry VIII. the art of weaving tapestry was introduced into England. In the reign of James I. the manufacture was estab- lished at Mortlake in Surrey under royal pa- tronage. For the earlier designs old patterns were employed, but afterward original scenes were furnished by Francis Cleyn. The meth- od of weaving tapestry in what is called the haute-lisse or high warp has been described in the article GOBELINS. See Notice Mstorique et descriptive sur la tapisserie dite la reine NatMlde, by the abbe Laffetay (Bayeux, 1874) ; and " The Bayeux Tapestry, reproduced in Au- totype Plates, with Historic Notes by Frank Rede Fowke " (Arundel society, London, 1875). TAPEWORM. See ENTOZOA, vol. vi., p. 663. TAPIOCA. See CASSAVA. TAPIR (tapirus, Guv.), a genus of ungulate mammals, characterized by a nose prolonged into a short, movable proboscis ; skin very thick and covered with close short hair, the neck furnished with a kind of stiff mane ; tail very short ; ears small, erect, and pig-like ; four toes on the fore and three on the hind feet, separate and ending in nail-like hoofs; skull pyramidal as in the hog, with the nasal bones much arched for the muscles of the proboscis ; teeth, 6 incisors and 2 small canines in each jaw, and molars 14 above and 12 below. The tapirs look like hogs, but the legs are longer ; they inhabit the moist tropical forests of South America and of the Malayan peninsula and archipelago, usually sleeping by day in retired places, and feeding at night on fruits, grasses, and other vegetable substances, though they American Tapir (Tapirus Americanos). are as omnivorous as the hog ; like their con- geners, they are fond of rolling in the mud and water, and are excellent swimmers ; they are gentle and easily tamed ; when pursued they