ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1421 



MANATEE OR "SEA CO\V FROM THE AMAZON 

 Not dead, but resting- on its back. 



of fresh water and fed on bread, lettuce, cab- 

 bage and such vegetable trimmings as were 

 available. 



It is smaller than the brackish water mana- 

 tees, (M. latirostris) from Florida, which were 

 brought to the Aquarium several years ago, be- 

 ing only five feet in length. 



The nailless flippers and white breast, two 

 of the characters which distinguish it from other 

 species, are easily seen. Like our other mana- 

 tees it turns on its back when the pool is drawn 

 down for cleaning, and remains in that position 



until the water again becomes deep enough to 

 float it. 



Since coming to the Aquarium, our manatee 

 has fed chiefly on eelgrass (^Zostera marina) 

 and bread, eating a loaf every day. Lettuce he 

 no longer cares much for. This manatee is 

 much more active than any of the manatees 

 brought from Florida, often swimming actively 

 around the pool. It is also the most sociable 

 manatee ever kept here and will come to the 

 edge of the pool any time to have its back 

 rubbed. 



FISHES THAT HATCH EGGS IN THEIR 



MOUTHS. 



By C. H. TowNSEND. 



T LIE RE are two species of salt water cat- 

 fishes to be found on the New York coast, 

 the gaff-topsail catfish (Felichth_i/s marin- 

 us) and the sea catfish (^HexaneTnatichthys fe- 

 lls). Both species have about the same range 

 along the Atlantic coast, being found from Mass- 

 achusetts to the Gulf of INIexico. 



They are interesting to naturalists on account 

 of the peculiar manner in which they care for 

 their eggs, which after being deposited are car- 

 ried in the mouth of the male fish until hatched. 



This habit is practiced by marine fishes x)i 

 several genera inhabiting other regions. It is 

 definitely known that the gaff-topsail catfish 

 carries the eggs in this way, and it is in all 



probability the same with the sea catfish. 



Prof. E. W. Gudger has taken as many as 

 fifty-five of the eggs from the mouth of a single 

 male of the gaff-topsail catfish and has also 

 found the newly hatched young in the mouth 

 of the fish. He determined by dissection that 

 the eggs are cared for by the male parent. The 

 eggs are among the largest in size produced by 

 any of the bony fishes, and are described as re- 

 sembling wliite grapes. 



The male fish must of course cease feeding 

 while the eggs are in process of incubation, as 

 the mouth becomes quite distended with its load 

 of eggs. 



The gaff-topsail catfish is so called on ac- 

 count of the height of its dorsal spine. The 

 sea catfishes are smooth-skinned fishes, reaching 

 a length of two feet and a weight of five or 



