NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 459 



every Zoological Garden has been a Manatee, and as the opportu- 

 nity of studying them living in confinement has presented itself 

 for the first time anywhere, I think it important to call attention 

 to the manner in which the curious creatures were brought to the 

 Zoological Society of Philadelphia, their habits while living there, 



and the cause of their death as far as I could learn. I am in- 



i 



debted to Mr. Thompson, Superintendent of the Garden, for the 

 use of his daily diary, from which most of the following facts are 

 taken. The two Manatees were brought from Demerara in sepa- 

 rate wooden tanks to Baltimore, and from there to Philadelphia, 

 arriving here August 4th. The tanks were placed under the trees, 

 and the water being at once let out they were re-filled with fresh 

 water from the Schuylkill River. The animals seemed to enjoy 

 the fresh water, swimming about and rolling over and over. Some 

 of the plant Valesneria spiralis gathered from the river was placed 

 in the tanks, and the animals immediately rose to the surface and 

 began to feed, fanning, as it were, the food into their mouths by 

 means of the bristles situated on their upper and lower lips ; these 

 bristles spreading out when in use so as to look very much like 

 small fans. The smaller Manatee ate more than the larger one, which 

 was natural, the large one having eaten heartily of grass and ship 

 biscuit before leaving Baltimore in the morning. The tanks were 

 then so arranged that a small stream of fresh water at a tempera- 

 ture of 70 Fahr. could flow constantly through them. Twice during 

 the evening the creatures were visited, and seen to rise at regular 

 intervals to the surface and feed kindly. The following morning, 

 August 5th, the Manatees had eaten all the plant left in the tanks 

 the night before. The creatures from time to time rose to the 

 surface, fanned the grass into their mouth, then sank slowly to the 

 bottom, chewing their food very slowly. August 6th, 1th, 8th, and 

 9th nothing new had been noticed. On the 10th the large Manatee 

 had eaten, by weight, 21 pounds of Valesneria spiralis in 24 hours. 

 On the 11th a little ceratophyllum was mixed with the valesneria. 

 It was all gone the following day in the tank of the larger Mana- 

 tee, and had been partially eaten by the smaller one. On the 14th 

 a little sea-weed (TJlva latissima) was put in the tanks; this had 

 all disappeared the next morning. ~By the 31st the large animal 

 had become quite tame, rising to the surface to have its head 

 scratched when the water was agitated. By September 4th the 

 aquarium, built for the purpose in the carnivora house, and contain- 



