140 THE MORSE. 



the sake of the oil, which they easily extract from the 

 creature's fat. 



THE MORSE. 



The morse is an animal of the seal kind, but differ- 

 ing from it by having two large tusks, or teeth, di- 

 verging downwards from the upper jaw, from two to 

 three feet in length : and the ivory is preferred to that 

 of the elephant, from being harder and much more 

 white. The morse generally frequents the same place 

 as the seal, though their number is not equal to one in 

 ten ; and the destruction amongst them for the sake 

 of their teeth has latterly so completely diminished 

 the race, that the Greenlanders, who used to derive from 

 them an ample stock of food, now find a very insuffi- 

 cient supply. 



THE MANATI. 



We come, in the last place, to an animal that ter- 

 minates the boundary between quadrupeds and fishes. 

 Instead of a creature preying upon the deep, and re- 

 tiring upon land for repose 01* refreshment, we have 

 here an animal that never leaves the water, and is only 

 enabled to exist there. It cannot properly be called a 

 quadruped, because it has only two legs ; neither can 

 it reasonably be classed amongst the scaly race, as it 

 is thinly covered with short hairs. 



The manati in shape resembles the seal, but in size 

 infinitely exceeds that animal, as it is no uncommon 

 thing to see them twenty-six feet in length. The fore 

 feet are short and webbed ; but it has no more than four 

 claws : the tail exactly resembles that of a fish, and 

 spreads out like a fan : the skin is extremely tough and 

 hard, and, when cut, is as black as the finest ebony : 



