248 GUIANA TRICHECHUS. 



singular animal which he chose to name a Sea- 

 Ape, and which Mr. Pennant supposes to belong 

 to this genus. It was about five feet long, with a 

 head like a dog's : the ears sharp and erect : the 

 eyes large : on both lips a kind of beard : the 

 form of the body was thick and round ; thickest 

 near the head, tapering to the tail, which was 

 bifurcated, the upper lobe longest : the body co- 

 vered with thick hair, grey on the back and red 

 on the belly. Steller could not discover any feet or 

 paws. It was full of frolick, and sported in the 

 manner of a monkey; swimming sometimes on 

 one side of the ship, and sometimes on the other ; 

 and looking at it with much seeming surprise. 

 It would come so near the ship that it might be 

 touched with a pole; but if any one stirred, it 

 would immediately retire. It often raised one 

 third of its body above the water, and stood up- 

 right for a considerable time ; then suddenly dart- 

 ed under the ship, and appeared in the same atti- 

 tude on the other side, and would repeat this for 

 thirty times together. It would frequently bring 

 up a sea-plant not unlike a bottle gourd, which 

 it would toss about and catch again in its mouth, 

 playing numberless fantastic tricks with it. 



END OF PART I. 



London : Printed by T. Davison, Lombard- street. 



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