GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



23 



their affluents as well as in the lakes com- 

 municating with them. The upper lip is in 

 the form of a rounded knob, and covered 

 with a delicate skin ; it probably serves as an 

 organ of touch. The colour of the skin is a 

 dark bluish-gray on the back, but lighter 

 underneath. The few bristles which are 

 scattered over it, and which form a sort of 

 brush on the lips, are of a bright yellow. 



The thick but not very dense skin is easily 

 permeated by water, and is used for making 

 cords and whips. 



The very abundant fat has a good flavour, 

 and is used both for food and as a material 

 for illumination. The tasty flesh is not 

 unlike pork. The animal is easily harpooned 

 when confined beyond the power of escape 

 in the temporary lakes left behind after 



Fig. 144. — The Manatee of the .Amazon [Matiatus australis). 



inundations. It has been found possible to 

 tame a few of these gentle and inoffensive 

 animals. They were kept in closed tanks. 

 They came when called to receive their food, 

 and even carried people on their back to 

 the other side of the tank. A German 

 named Kappler, settled in Surinam, who in 

 the course of twenty years had sent forty 

 manatees to various museums in Europe, had 

 a suckling which he reared first with milk 

 and afterwards with bananas. To the 

 training of this little animal, only about 

 three feet in length, he devoted a good 

 deal of attention, and succeeded so well that 

 at last it would even leave the water to cling 

 to the knees of its benefactor. It died during 

 the voyage to England. 



The following account is given by Dumpier of 

 the method employed in his day (seventeenth 

 century) by the inhabitants of the Mosquito Coast, 

 Central America, in killing and capturing the mana- 

 tee: — "The Mosquito-men have always a small canoe 

 for their use to strike fish, tortoise, or manatee, which 

 they keep usually to themselves and very neat and 

 clean. They use no oars, but paddles, the broad 

 part of which does not go tapering towards the 

 staff", pole, or handle of it, as in the oar; nor do 

 they use it in the same manner, by laying it on 

 the side of the vessel, but hold it perpendicularly, 

 griping the staff" hard with both hands, and putting 

 back the water by main strength and very quick 

 strokes. One of the Mosquitos (for there go but 

 two in a canoe) sits in the stern, the other kneels 

 down in the head, and both paddle till they come 

 to the place where they expect their game. Then 

 they lie still or paddle very softly, looking well 



