1881.] PROF. W. H. FLOWER ON THE MANATEE. 455 



flesh upon a large Manatee, and he is a very heavy beast, his bones 

 being enormously thick and strong." 



This letter was also found among his papers, evidently in answer 

 to inquiries he had made : — 



" S.S. Gaboon, 15th Oct. 1879. 



" R. B. Dobree, Esq. 



" Dear Sir, — 



" With reference to the conversation we had respecting the 

 Amanaty, I have much pleasure in giving you the following infor- 

 mation, facts well known by all European traders and missionaries 

 stationed in Old Calabar. 



" The Amanaty is well known as going ashore at quiet places after 

 sunset, about 30 miles up the river, and feeding on grass which 

 grows freely amongst Indian corn. To prevent him doing so much 

 harm to the corn, natives have fires burning during the night, the 

 latter acting in this case as scarecrows at home. 



" I may also add that freemen and all chiefs of Old Calabar have 

 a secret feeling similar to freemasonry at home ; and at any time a 

 chief wishes to become a member he must either buy or catch an 

 Amanaty as a gift to the members of the native society ; and it is well 

 known that the natives watch the Amanaty going ashore, and when 

 he is a good way into the cornfields they will stake him with bamboos 

 and so, in many cases, catch him. 



" I remain. Yours very truly, 

 " H. Hartye, 

 "Agent for Messrs. Thomas Harrison, Liverpool." 



These statements are very precise as to the power of free terres- 

 trial locomotion in the animal, and so opposed to the conclusions to 

 which I referred at the beginning of this note that I felt that they 

 ought not to be withheld from publication. I must, however, still 

 confess that a doubt arises in my mind whether there may not have 

 been some confusion (perhaps arising from imperfect comprehension 

 of language) in the minds of the native informants (for the habits and 

 appearance of the two animals were, of course, perfectly well known 

 to Mr. Dobree) between the Hippopotamus and the Manatee, more 

 especially as the second mode of trapping the Manatee with the beam 

 of wood and cord described by Mr. Dobree is exactly the same as 

 that used in many parts of Africa for killing the first-named animal. 

 Thus Livingstone tells us that " both banks of the river Zambesi near 

 the Mboma village are dotted with Hippopotamus-traps over every 

 track which these animals have made in going up out of the water 

 to graze."..." The trap consists of a beam five or six feet long, 

 armed with a spear-head or hard wooden spike covered with poison, 

 and suspended to a forked pole by a cord which, coming down to the 

 path, is held by a catch, to be set free when the beast treads on it." 



The valuable observations lately published by Dr. Murie' and Dr. 

 Chapman^ upon the actions and habits of living Manatees in con- 



' Trans. Zool. Sec. vol. xi. p. 19. 



* Proc. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia, 1875, p. 452. 



