SUPPLEMENT TO THE ORDER 

 CETACEA. 



The name of this order is derived from the Greek K^to/-, 

 a name employed originally by Aristotle, to designate 

 those marine animals in which he recognised characters 

 essentially different from those of the class of fishes, and 

 which, though so little like in external form, do yet apper- 

 tain to the class Mammalia. 



The first among the Herbivorous Cetacea, according to 

 the Baron's arrangement, are the Lamantins, or Manatis. 

 To the zoological description of this genus we have 

 nothing to add. 



The Lamantins live on the shores of the Atlantic, and 

 frequent the mouths of rivers. Sometimes they ascend 

 those rivers to a considerable distance, advancing occa- 

 sionally, according to the account of La Condamine, more 

 than a thousand leagues into the inland. They are essen- 

 tially herbivorous, assemble in very numerous troops, and 

 appear to possess a mild and sociable character. The 

 females have generally one or two little ones at a birth, 

 and the period of gestation is reported to be one year. 



There are two species well characterized, the Lamantin 

 of America, (Manatus Americanus, Buff".) and the Lamantin 

 of Senegal (Manatus Senegalensis.) The first, when adult, is 

 sometimes more than twenty feet in length. A foetus of 

 this species, observed by M. F. Cuvier, was fourteen inches 

 altogether in length ; the head four inches nine lines, from 

 muzzle to occiput ; the tail was about three inches long 

 and two wide; the eyes were remarkably small, and the 

 aperture of the ear excessively so. It was moreover con- 

 cealed by the epidermis, and could not be observed until 



