22 DB. J. MUEIE ON THE MANATEE. 



have a dozen or so buckets of hot water ready at each when the train arrived, which 

 warm water was poured into the tank, and the temperature thus kept up. Mr. Carring- 

 ton himself sat alongside the tank all the journey by rail ; and he mentions that during 

 the night-time the Manatee frequently raised itself and made endeavours to get out of 

 the box. Whether the unusual sensation of railway travelling disturbed it, whether 

 the chilling of the water and colder atmosphere of midnight atfected it, or whether, 

 evening being its natural active period, caused the uneasiness, is uncertain. Mr. Car- 

 rington certainly suffered temporarily from deafness after the night's run in the nearly 

 empty railway carriage ; so great and incessant was the jumbling jarring noise. Doubtless, 

 then, the strange sensations, unwelcome disturbance, and rude shakings, may have had 

 their influences ; for on tirst introduction into the Aquarium glass tank, and for nearly 

 a week after, the Manatee would not feed ; fears therefore were entertained that it would 

 not long survive. Failing to observe cessation of its sulky humour or illness, as the case 

 might be, and justly believing food a necessity, (on Mr. Carrington consulting me) I 

 suggested the introduction of milk into its mouth by a syringe. Accordingly, the 

 water was drained off, and three persons entering the tank, and inserting a cork in the 

 fore part of the mouth, a small quantity of milk was several times given forcibly by a 

 syringe. The Manatee, though ordinarily exceedingly quiet and gentle in its demeanour, 

 evidently seriously objected to being thus unnaturally fed. Obliged to swallow a 

 certain quantity of the milk and castor oil i, it nevertheless rejected what it could, 

 while displaying an astonishing muscular force of body, tail, and limbs. So great was 

 its power that the three persons found the greatest difficulty in restraining its move- 

 ments, and introducing the food. During this rough manipulation, and, indeed, during 

 the whole of its after confinement in the tank, it was never heard to utter any sound 

 indicative of voice; nor did it then, or ever after, attempt to bite or otherwise injure 

 those handling it, though, of course, with floundering, wriggling struggle, endeavour- 

 ing to free itself from the grasp of its would-be friends. Whether its ailment had 

 passed, the spirit of resistance had overcome the sulks, or it deemed feeding itself prefer- 

 able to milk diet against its will, a very few days more elapsed when, to Mr. Carrington's 

 satisfaction, it began spontaneously to munch and swallow the green food floating in 

 the water. Thenceforward its appetite improved ; and by degrees it daily devoured 

 astonishing quantities of vegetable stuffs, passed faeces naturally, and in all respects 

 throve amazingly. 



On first arrival at the Aquarium, cabbage, lettuce, watercress, pieces of carrot and 

 turnip, loose and bundles of hay, and quantities of pond-weed were put into the tank, 

 both floating and sunk by weights attached. Occasionally it would sniff or examine 

 these by snout and lips without chewing or swallowing, until its appetite returned as 

 above i^mentioned. It then showed preference to watercress, though often taking 



' The castor oil ivae given along with the milk to ohviate or relieve supposed constipation ; for, according to 

 Dr. Chapman (I. e. p. 460), the Philadelphia specimens were supposed by him to have suffered therefrom. 



