662 VERTEBRATA. 
THE MANATEE. 
The S. attenuatus, found at Cape Horn. 
The S.fuscus, described by Gray in the Zoology of the Erebus and Terror. 
The S. rostratus, inhabiting the North Sea, and which has been taken at Holland and at Brest. 
Genus PONTOPOMA : Fontopo7-ia, includes the P. Blainvillei^ which has been found off 
Monte Video. 
Genus INIA : Inia, includes the /. Geoffroyii, a native of the shores of Tipper Pern. 
Genus PLATANISTA : Flatanista, includes the Sou Sou, F, Gangetica^ of India — the Susu 
of BufFon, the Flatanista of Pliny, the Dauphin du Gauge of Cuvier. 
THE S5REJVIA. 
These animals resemble some of the Pachyderraata, and especially the elephants : the nostrils 
are in front of the snout, and are not nsed as blow-holes ; the head is of moderate size, and the 
bones are dense and heavy. They inhabit the sea-shores, especially about the mouths of rivers, 
up which they sometimes penetrate to some distance. They feed entirely upon sea-weeds and 
aquatic plants, and do not, as stated by some authors, quit the water to pasture on the banks. 
They are said frequently to support themselves in an upright position, with the upper part of the 
body out of the water, when they are said to present a somewhat human appearance at a distance, 
the illusion being assisted by the long whiskers which usually project from the upper lip, and the 
pectoral mammae of the females. It is supposed by Cuvier, and many other naturalists, that the 
lively imaginations of the ancient mariners raised upon this slight foundation the wonderful 
stories of Tritons and Sirens, Mermen and Mermaids, that we meet with in the old writers. The 
seals may also have contributed to the same superstitions. 
The Sirenia have been variously classed by different naturalists ; we shall include them under 
three genera: 
Genus MAISTATUS : Manatus. — This includes the Manatee or Sea-Cow, M. Australis — the 
Lamantin of Buff'on ; Lomantin d'Amerique of Cuvier. It is of a gray-black color, nine or ten 
feet long, and has vestiges of nails on the edges of the flippers, which are used dexterously in 
creeping and carrying the young. This has caused these organs to be compared to hands, whence 
their name Manati or Manatee. They are gregarious, and generally go in troops. The young 
are placed in the center of the herd for protection, and on the approach of danger all unite for 
the common safety. It is alleged that, when one has been struck by a harpoon, its companions 
will tear out the weapon, and they are so attached to their young that if the calf be taken the 
captors are sure of the mother, from the recklessness with which her maternal affection leads her 
to the place of capture. If the mother be captured, the young follow her to the shore, and fall 
an easy prey. The shallow bays of the Antilles and the quiet creeks of the South American 
rivers, particularly in Guiana and the Brazils, are its favorite haunts. 
The M. latirostris inhabits the Gulf of Mexico and the coasts of Florida and the West Indies. 
It is sometimes fifteen feet in length. 
