124 NATURAL HISTORY OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



method are given iu the notes of an observer, Mr. J. Francis Le Baron, writing from Titnsville in 1880. 

 His account of the fishery, given with much fullness, bears all the evidences of correctness. I may 

 be allowed to quote the part which pertains to my subject : " The manatee hunter aims to catch 

 the animal alive, and for this purpose quite an extensive outfit is required. It consists, first, of a 

 large seine net, about one hundred yards long and six or eight feet wide, made of ' spun yarn,' so 

 called, which consists of three or four rope yarns spun into one line, about the size of a (Jothes- 

 line, and very strong. The meshes are fifteen inches wide. The head-line consists of a strong 

 rope, and floats made of wood, shaped like a double-ended boat, are placed at intervals along this 

 to keep the top of the net near the surface of the water. The bottom is weighted with small 

 pieces of brick or stone, just enough to cause the net to hang perpendicularly in the water. A 

 large sail-boat is also required. The hunter, taking the net in the boat, proceeds quietly to the 

 part of the river frequented by the manatee, and keeps a sharp lookout for the animals, which 

 have a habit of passing up and down the river by certain points. If the lookout perceives a 

 manatee in the river above him he knows that sooner or later the animal will take a cruise down 

 the river, and he proceeds accordingly to stretch his net across the channel. One end of the net he 

 first makes fast to a small bush or twig, or, if no tree is available, to a stake driven for the purpose 

 into the bank. To this the shore end of the net is fastened bj' a small cord secured to the head- 

 line, and the stake or bush before mentioned, care being taken to use a cord so small that in its 

 struggles it will be easily broken by the animal, for a reason which will appear hereafter. The 

 boat is then rowed across the stream with the other end of the net, and when the latter is stretched 

 to its full length, the boat is anchored and the net secured by a similar easily broken cord to the 

 boat in such a manner that the first struggle of the animal will be felt by the occupants of the boat, 

 being communicated by the cord to a tell-tale, or the cord is fastened to the body of one of the 

 hunters, who now go to sleep if night has come on, or perhaps while away the time by a game of 

 cards, keeping perfectly quiet. There are very likely several manatee in the river, and before long 

 one attempts to pass by the boat. His progress is of course arrested by the net, and his struggles 

 to force a passage are at once communicated by the tell-tale cord. Unsuccessful in his first attempt 

 to effect a passage, the manatee increases his efforts, and the result is that the slender cords holding 

 the net to the shore and the boat are broken, and the net with the manatee entangled drifts away 

 with the current. The frantic efforts of the animal only serve to closer enwind him in the meshes 

 of the net, which doubles and wraps itself around him closer and closer. It is now that the objects 

 of the light sinkers and slender holding cords are apparent, The manatee is a warmblooded 

 animal and must come to the surface for air every few minutes. If the sinkers are too heavy, or if 

 the net is immovable in the water, he is unable to do this and is drowned. The large floats serve 

 now to show the hunters the location of the prey, and they bear down upon it and tow it with the 

 confined animal into shoal water. Here a large box or tank is ready. The net is unwound, ropes 

 are placed around the animal, and by the united efforts of the hunters, he is transferred to the box. 

 The box is then towed to the ' crawl,' which is an inclosure formed by driving stakeis close together 

 in the water with their tops projecting several feet above, and is generally near the home of the 

 hunters. The box is floated into the crawl and the animal let out. He is there kept and fed daily 

 until an opportunity occurs for shipment. This is made in the same large box, which is water- 

 tight and about half filled with water, Such is the method employed by the Indian River hunters 

 for catching the manatee alive. It is, however, often shot with a rifle, from the shore or a boat, 

 when feeding or coming to the surface to breathe, but the hunter must be very quick and expert 

 with his weapon, as they show only one-third of the head, and that only for a second. The profits 

 of manatee hunting are large. The skeleton, if properly cleaned, will readily bring a hundred 



