DR J. MURIE ON THE MANATEE. 29 
the rubbing of the body in transport, or other unknown causes, there was a notable 
absence of the long sparse scattered hairs. What could be detected were chiefly short 
and stumpy, and only visible on close inspection, and best seen on looking at the skin 
sideways. ‘The character of the hairs themselves was quite identical with the younger 
creature’s. 
The wasting which had followed the animal’s illness, doubtless to a great extent 
accounted for the fact that at death the outline of the cranium was distinguishable, 
and the spine prominently visible almost throughout its entire extent. The peculiar 
bloated bagginess adverted to in the former specimens, consequently, was greatly di- 
minished in this case; hence one could better appreciate the muscular anatomy of the 
creature. 
The tail or caudal expansion was manifestly different-shaped from that previously 
figured by me. ‘Transcribing my notes thereon taken from the object direct, I observed 
that the tail was almost flat below, except at the central spinal line. Above it was only 
very slightly arched, and that, of course, most towards the root and spinal central line— 
this latter being about an inch broad, but more faintly marked towards the posterior 
half. A notable feature was the total absence of a terminal median upper incision ; 
on the contrary, there was rather an extension or bulging at this part. The shape of 
the caudal expansion, again, was decidedly tapering and pointed, in contradistinction 
therefore to most museum specimens and to the abruptly truncate broad outline of the 
male and female already examined by me!. The caudal root-constriction, as seen dor- 
sally, so well marked in these animals preserved in spirit, was nothing like so distinct 
in this Westminster Aquarium specimen, although a special skin-fold did obtain and 
was situate 28-5 inches from the point of the tail. On the upper surface of the caudal 
expansion, but not at all on the under surface, were indications rather than well-marked 
patches of the small button-like scales which formed so prominently a tegumentary 
feature in the previous young male. I noted also in the present instance that the 
secondary and tertiary tail skin-creases were very minute, shallow, and wholly transverse 
in direction ; but quite at the margin they followed somewhat radially the direction of 
the edge. 
Of the fore limbs or flippers the skin-markings on their upper surface in this adult 
were simpler in appearance than in the figure from the photograph of natural size 
shown in Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. viii. pl. 18. By this it will be understood there were 
less transverse wrinklings and very few, indeed scarcely any, of the button-shaped 
scaly skin-warts formerly reported in the young animal. These could, however, be 
distinguished towards the thumb side of the flipper and near to the nails. As to the 
shape of the entire fore limb, it was decidedly more elongated and taper-pointed than in 
the illustration referred to of the younger animal. 
1 In the absence of caudal notch and shape of tail this specimen resembles the foetus described and figured 
by Prof. Wilder 7. c. 
F2 
