steller's account of the sea cow. 199 



rendered thorougMy passive by the spears, it was fiuisbed by their knives and other 

 weapons and drawn to land. Great pieces were cut from the animal while still alive, 

 but all that he did was to work his tail vigorously and to brace himself with his fore 

 feet, so that great pieces of skin were often torn off". Besides, he breathed heavily, as 

 with a groan, and the blood from the wounded back spurted up like a fountain. As 

 long as he kept his head under water the blood did not flow out, but as soon as he raised 

 his head to breathe the blood leaped forth anew. This happened because the lungs, 

 being situated at the back, were wounded first, and as often as they were filled with 

 air they increased the force of spurting blood. From this I have concluded that the 

 circulation of the blood in this animal, as in the seal, is in a double fashion — in the 

 open air, through the lungs, but under water, through the foramen ovale and ductus 

 arteriosus, although I did not find both. But I think it happens that they breathe 

 differently from fishes, so that they can better swallow solid food, rather than for the 

 sake of iiromoting circulation [propter deglutitionem solidorum potiusquam propter cir- 

 culationem promovendam). 



The full-grown, very large animals are more easily taken than the young ones, 

 because the young move about far more vigorously, and even if a whole hook should 

 be fixed in one of them it can get free by tearing the hook out of the skin. We saw 

 this done more than once. 



But if one animal is caught with the hook and begins to plunge about rather vio- 

 lently those near him in the herd are thrown into commotion as well and endeavor to 

 assist him. To this end some of them try to upset the boat with their backs, others 

 bear down upon the rope and try to break it, or endeavor to extract the hook from the 

 back of their wounded companion with a blow from their tails, and several times they 

 proved successful. It is a very curious evidence of their nature and of their conjugal 

 affection that when a female was caught the male, after trying with all his strength, 

 but in vain, to free his captured mate, would follow her quite to the shore, even 

 though we struck him many blows, and that when she was dead he would sometimes 

 come up to her as unexpectedly and as swiftly as an arrow. When we came the next 

 day, early in the morning, to cut up the flesh and take it home, we found the male still 

 waiting near his mate ; and I saw this again on the third day when I came alone for 

 the purpose of examining the entrails. 



As to voice, the animal is dumb and utters no sound, but only breathes heavily and 

 seems to sigh when wounded. I will not venture to assert how much, their eyes and 

 ears are worth. Anyway, they see and hear but little, because they keep their heads 

 under water. At all events, the animal himself seems to neglect and despise the use of 

 these organs. 



Of all those who have written about the manatee, no one has given a fuller or 

 more careful account than that most curious and painstaking explorer. Captain 

 Dampier, in his travels, published in English in London in 1702. As I read it I could 

 find no fault with it, although, a few statements did not correspond with our animal.' 

 For instance, he says that there are two species of manatees, in one of which the eyes 

 are better than the ears, and in the other of which the ears are better than the eyes. 

 What he says about the manner of hunting the animal, namely, that the Americans 

 approach without any noise and without speaking, so as not to frighten the manatee, 



'It is of course to be remembered that Dampier was speaking of the true manatees Trichechus 

 inunguis and T. Jatiroatris. 



