ORDER CETACEA. 431 



The Lamantins, or Manatis, 

 (Manatus, Cuv.) 



Have an oblong body, terminated by an oval elon- 

 gated fin : the cheek-teeth, eight in number alto- 

 gether, have square coronals, marked with transverse 

 hillocks. There are no incisors nor canines in the 

 adult subject ; but in the very young ones we find 

 two very small sharp-pointed teeth in the intermax- 

 illary bones, which speedily disappear. Vestiges 

 of claws may be discovered on the edges of their 

 fins, which they use with tolerable dexterity in 

 creeping and carrying their little ones. This has 

 given rise to a comparison of these organs with 

 hands, and hence these animals have been called 

 Manatis, which word, by corruption, became Laman- 

 tin. The stomach is divided into several sacs or 

 receptacles : the caecum is separated into two 

 branches, and they have an inflated colon. All 

 herbivorous characters. 



In consequence of their mode of living, they have 

 also been called sea-cow, sea-horse, $x., and by reason 

 of the mammae, mermaids, fyc. (Trichecus Manatus, 

 Linn.) Buff. XII., lvii. 



They are found towards the mouth of rivers, in 

 the hottest parts of the Atlantic Ocean, and it 

 would appear that those of the American rivers 

 differ specifically from those of Africa. They 

 grow to fifteen feet and upwards in length. 

 Their flesh is used as food. 



