Oct. 20, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



245 



My figures so thoroughly portray the general form of 

 the Manatee, that it hardly seems necessary to enter upon 

 any very extended description in this place; we are to 

 especially note, however, the fish-like form of the body, 

 terminating behind in the broad, somewhat rounded and 

 horizontal tail; the constricted neck connecting this body 

 with a rather small, oblong head; the complete absence of 

 hind hmbs, with the fingerless paddlelike forelimbs, the 

 latter tipped on either side with three small nails; the 

 total absence of all fins; the wonderful minute eyes and 

 ears, the latter being without any external pinna; the 

 great tuinid upper lips overarching rather a large mouth, 

 the former having a, sparse growth of stiff bristles grow- 

 ing upon them; the wrinkled skin, which is of rather a 

 deep gray color, and having a few scattered hairs growing 

 over it in some specimens, more especially in the younger 

 individuals. But of all the external characters of a Ma- 

 natee none are so noteworthy as the fleshy pads, one on 

 either side, that go to form the extraordinary upper lip. 



ually resort to the shallower waters of rivers, bays and 

 lagoons, where they move sluggishly about on the bottom, 

 browsing much in the same way that the terrestrial 

 herbivora do upon land, their food consisting exclusively 

 of the aquatic plants which so abundantly grow in such 

 situations. In quiet weather, they sometimes seem to 

 enjoy getting into deeper water, where by the assistance 

 of their lungs, they are permitted to float at the surface, 

 which they do arching their body in a, peculiar manner. 

 Indeed, their lungs seem to act very much in the same 

 manner as the swim-bladder of fishes is known to operate, 

 and while Manatees are feeding they may be seen to rise 

 every few minutes to the surface to breathe, but instances 

 of their getting completely out on the land remain yet 

 to be proven, and when placed there, their acts are in the 

 extreme most awkward. So far as their senses are con- 

 cerned, these creatures have fair eyesight, acute powers 

 of hearing, and the other powers probably well developed. 

 They are not known to be possessed of the ability of 



Industries of the United States." Mr. True in closing his 

 article in that work, says, "In the Manatee, then, we have 

 an animal of great size, of gentle disposition and appar- 

 ently of rapid growth, which lives in places readily ac- 

 cessible to man, and is easily captured, and which furn- 

 ishes meat which is not inferior, oil which is remarkably 

 fine, and leather which possesses great toughness. From 

 these considerations it would seem evident that, with the 

 proper protection, it would furnish no small revenue to 

 the people in those portions of our country which it in- 

 habits, for centuries to come." (p. 128). 



Finally, to those interested in the progress of science in 

 Florida, I should say that we have not as yet by any 

 means a complete history of this animal, and accurate 

 reports upon the following subjects are very much to be 

 desired; (1), an accurate observation giving all the cir- 

 cumstances of a Manatee voluntarily coming ashore to feed 

 or for any other purpose; (2), the manner of coition, the 

 period of gestation, the mode of delivery, the number of 



GROUP OF SOUTH AMERICAN MANATEES. 

 Adapted from a drawing by Henry "W. Elliott from the " Transactions of the Zoological Society of London," by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U. S. Army. 



Professor Garrod in alluding to these says of them that, 

 "These pads have the power of transversely approaching 

 towards and receding from one another simultaneously 

 (see figs. B & C). "When the animal is on the point of 

 seizing (say) a leaf of lettuce, the pads are diverged trans- 

 versely in such a way as to make a median gap of con- 

 siderable breadth. Directly the leaf is within the grasp 

 the lip-pads are approximated, the leaf is firmly seized 

 between their contiguous bristly surfaces, and then drawn 

 inward by a backward movement of the lower margin of 

 the lip as a whole." 



It is said that Manatees have the power of carrying 

 their young about within the grasp of their forelimb or 

 limbs, and that their appearance at these times has given 

 rise to the fabulous mermaid of nursery tale renown, but 

 so far as the writer is concerned, if these mythical maids 

 of the sea, which so often filled my dream -head in boyish 

 days, or my fanciful reveries of perhaps riper years, bore 

 any resemblance to the beauty that sits up on the.tip of 

 her tail in the group herewith presented, I beg to be ex- 

 cused an introduction, and, well, perish the thought in a 

 mind thus so rudely disappointed, I fain would remark, 

 "Not for Joseph." Certain it is, however, that these 

 animals can make considerable use of these paddles of 

 theirs, for with them they assist in tucking their food 

 into their mouths, and in moving about on the bottom of 

 the river or lagoon where they may be feeding, they use 

 them in conjunction with the tail, in assisting their loco- 

 motory acts. 



Manatees avoid getting into the open see, but habit- 



emitting any voice-sound. They seem to bear captivity 

 well, and living specimens have been studied with great 

 interest and advantage at the Zoological Gardens of Lon- 

 don, where they have been successively kept. In be- 

 havior, they always seem to be gentle and inoffensive, 

 exhibiting on all occasions great concern and affection 

 for their young. Indeed, man has proven to be their 

 greatest enemy, and they are forever pursued and cap- 

 tured for their flesh and skin and the oil which they yield. 

 Thus it is that Manatees are on the road to extinction, 

 which, everything considered, in time is sure to come 

 about. The methods of capturing the Manatee are 

 many; (1) they may be shot as they rise to the surface to 

 breathe, an operation that requires great skill and quick- 

 ness; (2) they are taken in some localities by means of an 

 ingenious kind of net; (3) finally, they are captured by 

 the various modes of spearing and the use of the harpoon. 



So far as the breeding habits of the Manatee is con- 

 cerned, but little or nothing is known; the best authori- 

 ties have it that the period of gestation lasts eleven 

 months, and the young follow their mother about for six 

 months or perhaps longer. It is a well known fact, of 

 course, that the dam suckles her young at her breasts, 

 there being two mammae, which are post-axillary in posi- 

 tion. 



In concluding, it gives me pleasure to state that in my 

 account of this animal, I have been much assisted through 

 my perusal of True's history of it in that admirable work, 

 recently published by the United States Commission of 

 Fish and Fisheries, entitled "The Fisheries and Fishery 



calves at a birth, how the latter are suckled, their size and 

 appearance, and how long they remain with their dam, 

 and a great deal of their structure and anatomy, are all 

 subjects almost unknown to us. 



The Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective As- 

 sociation gathered together its members for the first 

 time this autumn on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and by general 

 consent the meeting was pronounced a decided success. 

 Fifty members and their friends, among whom was Mr. 

 A. G. Faye, Jr., editor of the new Boston sporting journal, 

 Judge and Jury, as a special guest of the association, sat 

 at the tables of the Tremont House. It being the first 

 meeting since June there was very little business to be 

 transacted; the only new members were H. M. Daggett, 

 Jr. , and W. M. Bunting, and the major portion of the 

 evening was given up to social chat. President Samuels 

 first called upon Mr. Walter M. Brackett, who gave an 

 account of salmon fishing in Canada, and following him 

 Mr. Samuels gave some very entertaining and amusing 

 reports of his own experiences in Cape Breton, where he 

 had spent the summer months. Mr. Faye gave a very 

 practical talk upon methods for furthering proper protec- 

 tion of game, and suggested that the association should 

 extend its correspondence and make affiliation with all 

 sporting clubs in the State, both for the good of all and 

 for its own interests, especially in forwarding the good 

 work. — Hub. 



