THE MANATEE IN FLORIDA WATERS 163 



Even to-day the Manatee is found in Florida, in the 

 Banana, Sebastian, St. Lucie Rivers, and also on the west 

 coast of Florida, from Marco Island down to Cape Sable. 

 Its wanton destruction is prohibited by state laws, under 

 penalty of $500 fine. Occasionally, however, a specimen is 

 netted alive, under a state permit, for exhibition purposes. 

 Two of the great cold waves of the past ten years unfortu- 

 nately killed several individuals in the Sebastian River. Far- 

 ther south it is found about the Isle of Pines, Cuba and 

 along the east coast of Mexico and Central America, while 

 another species occurs in South America as far down as 

 southern Brazil. The flesh of this animal is light-colored 

 and both looks and tastes like lean fresh pork. 



As the result of several years of inquiry, I am convinced 

 that, strange as it may appear, in Florida the Manatee really 

 is being perpetuated. The sentiment in favor of its preser- 

 vation is almost universal, and there is ground for the belief 

 that this is largely due to the wise liberality of the state 

 authorities in granting a reasonable number of permits to 

 capture specimens alive when the animals are ordered at 

 high prices for public exhibition. I believe that there are 

 more Manatee alive in Florida to-day than there were twenty 

 years ago, even though at one time the species seemed doomed 

 to speedy extinction in the state. 



The Dugong is the only living Old- World representa- 

 tive of the Order Sirenia, and between it and the manatee 

 the chief difference is found in the whale-like tail of the 

 former. The Australian Dugong, which attains a length of 

 14 feet, once was so abundant along the coast of Queensland, 



