192 DE. J. MUEIE ON THE FOEM AND STRFCTTJEE OP THE MANATEE. 



after having captured the creature, fastened a rope round the narrow end of its tail, and 

 thus detained it as a prisoner in the water for some weeks. As soon as it came into 

 the possession of Mr. Latimer, a large tank, some ten feet long and several feet deep, 

 was prepared. Animal and tank were shortly afterwards despatched for England, iw 

 St. Thomas, and ;per Mail Steamers ' Conway ' and ' Tasmanian.' Mr. Latimer's very 

 handsome presentation to the Society, however, was not destined to survive the confine- 

 ment and the angry surge of the Atlantic. Both Captain Hammach and Captain 

 Sawyer, of the above steamers respectively, were much interested in the safe transit of 

 this negro Siren. The latter gentleman, indeed, with true sailor-like generosity and 

 care for the well-being of the creature, on finding the motion of the vessel injurious to 

 it, caused the tank to be lessened, well padded, and slung fore and aft to prevent the 

 Mermaid being rolled about too much. Notwithstanding these precautionary measures, 

 several days' very rough weather had a prejudicial efTect, and cutaneous abrasions re- 

 sulted. Meantime it fed badly. Whether from this cause, from the rapid spreading 

 of the skin-ulcers, or from a sudden change to very cold weather, the Manatee quickly 

 succumbed, and died early on the morning of the 24th March, namely ten days after 

 leaving Porto Rico, and seven from St. Thomas. 



The body was disembowelled, filled with salt, and placed in a corner of the ice-house. 

 The entrails were partially cut up and preserved in spirit. In tliis manner the carcass 

 reached me in tolerably sound condition, the brain alone being rather soft. 



Whilst Mr. Latimer was striving to obtain a Manatee for the Society, another corre- 

 spondent, Herr A. Kappler, of Surinam, was likewise bestirring himself to procure one. 

 Indeed, ere the former gentleman's letters and animal had arrived, our Superintendent's 

 son, Mr. Clarence Bartlett, was on his way out to bring home a young male Manatee 

 from Herr Kappler. This specimen had been captured in the Maroni river, and 

 confined in a creek, an offshoot of the main stream. The mother of this suckling had 

 been killed (the same I have mentioned as now lodged in the Stuttgart Museum), and 

 the youngster transferred to the small sheet of water, where it was duly fed with cow's 

 milk. A few months passed ere Mr. Bartlett had all ready for a start ; for great 

 difficulty was experienced in preparing a water-tight tank in that outlandish country, 

 where carpenters were scarce, the wood as hard as iron, and zinc or tin a rare com- 

 modity. During this intei-val, however, " Patchly" (for so the creature was christened) 

 became tolerably tame, and sucked milk freely from a bottle. 



On the 19th of June Herr Kappler and Bartlett started en route, but nearly lost 

 their charge ; for on traversing a dangerous current of the Maroni river the boat, with 

 the great awkward tank lashed to it, all but upset. Reaching Paramaribo, two days' 

 journey from Mr. Kappler's dwelling, this courteous gentleman returned, and Bartlett 

 came on in a Dutch steamer to Demerara. But the danger was not past, as a hurricane 

 well nigh swept tank and Manatee overboard. On the 25th of the month Barbadoes was 

 reached, and on the 29th St. Thomas. Up to the 8th July every thing bade fair that 



