OCEANIC MAMMALS 543 



(1884b) in his account of the aquatic mammals, quotes a 

 translation of Acuiia, which tells of the Spaniards about 

 Margarita Island catching them for food. They "particularly 

 value the stomach and belly part of it, roasted on spits. 

 Others cut long slices of the flesh of its back, which they salt a 

 little, only for two days, and then dry it in the air; after which 

 it will keep three or four months. This they roast and baste 

 with butter, and reckon delicious meat. " 



True (1884b) long ago called attention to the value of this 

 animal as a source of food and of excellent oil to the people on 

 whose coasts it occurs, and thus one whose abundance should 

 be a matter of concern, for it is of large size, living in places 

 readily accessible to man, and is easily taken, and with proper 

 protection might furnish no small amount of food and revenue. 

 Yet, he adds, "putting all the facts together, it seems evident 

 that not many centuries will pass before Manatees will be 

 extremely rare, especially in our own country." 



Apparently the manatee does not occur on the northeastern 

 coast of South America, from the Guianas to the mouth of the 

 Amazon; at least I have come upon no record of it, and even 

 in former days the people of French Guiana obtained manatee 

 meat from the Amazon River, instead of from nearer waters. 

 Possibly the coastal conditions on this shore are unfavorable; 

 for, as Dr. R. C. Murphy writes (1936, vol. 1, p. 130), the 

 water here becomes extremely muddy and very shoal, factors 

 which, he believes, have made this coast practically unin- 

 habitable for pelicans and prevented their spread east and 

 south around Cape St. Roque to the apparently wholly suitable 

 coasts of eastern Brazil. 



Manatee (Trichechus manatus) 



