THE MANATEE. 297 



Domingo, according to Oviedo, was as follows : 

 " They were approached in a small boat, and struck 

 with a large harpoon, to which a long and strong 

 cord was attached. As soon as struck they makp 

 great efforts to escape, carrying the harpoon and 

 cord along with them ; to the extremity of the lat- 

 ter a cork, or piece of light wood, is affixed, which 

 serves as a buoy, and indicates the movements of 

 the wounded individual. Their victim being thus 

 seized, his assailants return to shore, bringing them 

 along with the end of the rope, and when the ani- 

 mal becomes exhausted, they begin to draw it on 

 shore and despatch it." This perfectly agrees with 

 the account we read in " The familiar Description of 

 the Mosquito Kingdom," " They yield the sporter 

 no small diversion; for after having a dart or har- 

 poon struck into their side, with a long line and 

 buoy fastened to it, they hold some time in play, 

 and will not leave the shoals, by which means they 

 receive many lances and arrows from the Indians 

 before they will be taken ; many times they upset 

 the boat in struggling."* 



From this same work we extract the author's tes- 

 timony regarding their excellency as an article of 

 food : " Their best fish is the Manatee. Most tra- 

 vellers in these parts that I have seen call it the 

 best fish, if not flesh, in the world. They are some- 

 times found straggling in the lagunes in this coun- 

 try, but are not suffered to increase, through the 



Collection of Voyages, &c. fol. vol. vi. 312. 



