1890 
WHALE-TAILED MANATI. 
approach the fhores, and are fo tame as to fuffer themfelves to be 
ftroked: if they are roughly treated, they move towards the fea; 
but foon forget the injury, and return. 
They live in families near one another: each confifts of a male and 
female, a half-grown young, and a new-born one. The families 
often unite, fo as to form vaft droves. They are monogamous. 
They bring forth a fingle young, but have no particular time of par- 
turition ; but chiefly, as Sted/er imagines, about autumn. 
They are moft innocent and harmlefs in their manners, and mott 
ftrongly attached to one another. When one is hooked, the whole 
herd will attempt its refcue : fome will ftrive to overfet the boat, by 
going beneath it; others will fling themfelves on the rope of the 
hook and prefs it down, in order to break it; and others again will 
make the utmoft efforts to force the inftrument out of its wounded. 
companion. 
Their conjugal affection is moft exemplary: a male, after ufing 
all its endeavours to releafe its. mate which had been ftruck, purfued 
it to the very edge of the water; no blows could force it away. As 
long as the deceafed female continued in the water, he perfifted in 
his attendance ; and even for three days after fhe was drawn on fhore, 
and even cut up and carried away, was obferved to remain, as if in 
expectation of her return. 
They are moft voracious creatures, and feed with their head under 
water, quite inattentive of the boats, or any thing that paffes about 
them; moving and fwimming gently after one another, with 
much of their back above water. A fpecies of loufe harbours in the 
roughnefs of their coats, which the Gulls pick out, fitting on them as 
Crows do on Hogs and Sheep. Every now and then they lift their 
nofe out of the water to take breath, and make a noife like the fnort- 
ing of Horfes. When the tide retires, they fwim away along with 
it; but fometimes the young are left afhore till the return of the 
water: otherwife they never quit that element : fo that in nature, as 
well as form, they approach the cetaceous animals, and are the link 
between Seals and them. 
They 
