45S MISS A. CRANE ON THE MANATEE, [Apr. 5, 



ground, as represented in the accompanying sketch (p. 457) from the 

 pencil of my friend Mr. Thomas Davidson, F.R.S. They are moved 

 backwards and forwards either singly or both at the same time. The 

 extreme flexibility of these limbs, which resemble a human hand 

 cased in a iingerless glove, is very remarkable. They are turned 

 simultaneously or separately in their sockets in every direction, 

 applied to their bodies and frequently to their mouths. The food is 

 often gathered between their palmar surfaces and held up to their 

 highly mobile lips. The animals are intelligent, recognize the voice 

 and person of their keeper, W. Wells, and (while resenting the 

 intrusion of a stranger in their tank) allow him to approach and brush 

 them down daily to cleanse the upper surface of their bodies, and 

 apparently enjoy the operation. Their movements in the water are 

 very sluggish, as a rule ; but signs of excitement and unusual efforts 

 in the male were noticed under the following circumstances. 



As he devoured his food far more rapidly than the female, and thus 

 obtained an undue share, it was thought advisable to separate them 

 at feeding-time. For this purpose a wooden partition fitting into 

 a groove in the floor and fastened by upright supports was oc- 

 casionally let down into the tank, projecting a few inches above 

 the surface of the water. The female took no notice of this altera- 

 tion, but invariably waited before commencing to feed until her mate 

 was supplied on his side with a portion. The necessity for the 

 separation soon became apparent ; for the male cleared up every scrap 

 of food long before the female, a more dainty and delicate feeder, 

 had finished. He then became very restive, swimmilig actively 

 around his straitened quarters, pressed his nose against the parti- 

 lion, rolled over on his back and exerted considerable force in his 

 obstinate and repeated attempts to remove the obnoxious obstacle. 

 Failing in his endeavours to push it on one side, he next tried to get 

 over it, lifted his liead above the water, feeling the edge of the par- 

 tition with his fore paddles and raising them until they were almost 

 level with the projecting edge. These efforts were repeated at in- 

 tervals. The eyes were bright ; and the whole bearing of the animal 

 changed from a sluggish quiescence to intelligent activity. On one 

 occasion, his keeper informed me, he actually succeeded in getting 

 his fins over the edge, but was unable to make further progress. 



The Manatees seem to repose naturally at the bottom, differing in 

 this respect from the Porpoise, which, on ceasing to propel itself 

 by active locomotion, inevitably floats to the surface of the water, 

 the posture assumed during sleep. The positions adopted by 

 the pair of Manatees under notice differ materially from those 

 which were assumed by the female previously exhibited in Brighton, 

 and by the much larger specimen, also a female, from the island 

 of Trinidad, formerly on view at the Westminster Aquarium ' ; 

 for both of these animals habitually poised themselves at an 

 angle in a vertically inclined posture, with the body supported 

 by the incurved tail-fin, the dorsal or upper surface of which 



' See Dr. Murie, " Further Observations on the Manatee," Trans. Zool. Soc. 

 vol. xi. p. 19. 



