540 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



again one from Black River. Its meat was esteemed when 

 brought to market, and an entire manatee if taken to Kingston 

 would sell for 18 sterling, while at Port Royal the meat found 

 a ready sale at 9 pence a pound. 



One may suppose that originally manatees extended their 

 range to the West Indian islands by way of the Yucatan Penin- 

 sula and the shallows intervening, for they formerly were com- 

 mon along its shores on both the east and the west side. How 

 far to the westward along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico the 

 range may have extended is uncertain, but in recent years ap- 

 parently not farther than the province of Tabasco, at the 

 western base of the peninsula, and southern Veracruz. Here, 

 according to Gaumer (1917), the animals follow up the Grijalva 

 River to its tributaries Chilapilla, Chilapa, Usumacinta, and 

 Muscupana; he had seen them at a considerable distance from 

 the mouth of the Hondo River and all along the east coast of 

 Yucatan at the places where subterranean streams empty, and 

 in 1886 and 1887 had hunted them by night on the unpopulated 

 coasts of Quintana Roo. Their keen sense of hearing makes it 

 imperative for the hunter to approach them with great care at 

 this time when they come in to feed. He states that owing to 

 constant hunting for their meat, bones, and hide, the number 

 of manatees had notably diminished of late years, so that in 

 many of the localities where they previously abounded, they 

 were at that date (1917) either very scarce or no longer to be 

 found. In Yucatan not only is the flesh much in demand, but 

 the hide, which may be up to 4 centimeters thick, is sold for a 

 good price to be made into canes, which, varnished yellow, are 

 much prized locally. Likewise the fishermen play upon the 

 credulity of their fellows, who believe that the bones of the 

 manatee possess marvellous curative properties for certain 

 complaints so that these are therefore largely used to make 

 charms. Gaumer lists as further uses of the oil of the manatee 

 at various times: Its employment as fuel for lamps in the 

 churches; as a dressing for meat; as a lubricant; for softening 

 leather; and frequently for adulterating "cod-liver oil." 



Reports of manatees along the Gulf coast, north of Vera- 

 cruz, are rare. In a recent paper, Gunter (1941) has summar- 

 ized a number of records of manatees from extreme southern 

 Texas. True (1884b) long ago reported a specimen in the 

 U. S. National Museum from Brazos, which Gunter says must 



