MAN 
fifting of a male, a female, a half-grown young 
one, and a very fmall one; one family keeping 
at a fmall diftance from another. The females 
oblige their young to fwim before them, while the 
other old ones furround, and guard them on every 
fide. The affeftion between the male and the 
female is lb flrong, that if the latter fhould hap- 
pen to be attacked, the former will defend her to 
the utmoft; and, if fhe is killed, he attends her 
body to the fhore, and for feveral days fuccef- 
fively continues to fwim about the place where 
fhe was landed. 
The Manatus brings forth in autumn, and is 
fuppofed to go with young about a year. It has 
neither voice nor cry, and makes no kind of noife 
except what proceeds from breathing. It's inter- 
nal parts refemble thofe of the horfe; it's guts be- 
ing longer than thofe of any other animal, the 
horfe only excepted. 
Thefe creatures are extremely voracious j and, 
when their hunger is appeafed, they fall afleep 
on their backs. Martyr informs us, that one of 
them lived in a lake of Hifpaniola twenty-five 
years ; was fo very tame as to come to the margin 
on being called j and would even ferry people over 
on it's back to the oppofite fliore. The backs 
and fides of thefe creatures are ufually above wa- 
ter; and as their fkins are covered with a fpecies 
of lice peculiar to themfelves, great numbers of 
fea-guUs continually perch on their backs, and 
pick up the infefts. 
Theie animals remain in the American and 
Kamtichatkan feas during the whole year; but are 
fo exceedingly lean in winter, that it is an eafy 
matter to count the number of their ribs. They 
are ufually taken by means of harpoons; but, af- 
ter being ftruck, the united efforts of thirty men 
are required in order to draw one of them afhore. 
Sometimes, after they have been transfixed, they 
will fallen their paws on the rocks, and adhere fo 
clofely, as to leave their fkins behind them before 
they can be difengaged. Whenever one of them 
is fbruck, it's companions repair to it's afllftance : 
fome of them endeavour to overturn the boat, by 
getting under it; others to break the rope, by 
prefllng it down; and fome ftrike at the harpoon 
with their tails, in order to force it out, and this 
expedient fometimes proves fuccefsful. 
When expofed to the fun, the fat or blubber of 
the Manatus, which lies under the n<:in, has a moft 
delicious fmell and tafte, and is infinitely prefera- 
ble to the fat of any other fea animal: it has alfo 
this peculiar property, that the heat of the fun will 
not render it rancid, nor in the leaft injure it. In 
tafte, it refembles oil of almonds ; and, in all cafes 
where butter is ufed, it is a moft excellent fubfti- 
tute: any quantity of it may be eaten without the 
fmalleft injury to health, as it has no other effeft 
than that of keeping the body open. The fat of 
the tail is of a firmer and harder confiftence; and, 
when boiled, is even more delicate than the former. 
The fiefh is redder and coarfer than beef; and may 
be kept feveral days, in the warmeft weather, 
without putrifying: it requires a conficierable 
time in boiling, and afterwards taftes like com- 
mon beef. The fat of young ones poffefi"es the 
flavour of pork, and the lean refembles veal. 
Some are of opinion that the fiefh of the Manatus 
refembles that of a turtle; which indeed may be 
very probable, fince both animals are found in the 
fame element, and fabfift on the like food. 
There is another variety of this animal, the 
MAN. 
Trichcchus Manatus of Linnasus, principally 
found in frefh-water rivers, though fometimes 
on the fea-coafts. A fpecimen of this creature, 
in the Leverian Mufeum, is fix feet and a half 
long; and it's greateft circumference is three feet 
eight inches : but Dampier meafured ieveral in the 
Weft Indies, which were ten or tv/elve feet long, 
and four or five feet in circumference; Clufius 
examined one which was fixteen feet long; and 
Gomora aflerts, tl iat feme of them meafare twenty 
feet. 
This fpecies chiefly differs fiorn the former in 
having a round tail; whereas the other is whale- 
tailed. That fingular animal called the Sea- 
ape feems alfo to be a variety of this, genus. See 
Ape, Sea. 
MANBALLA. The Ceylonefe name of a 
fpecies of ferpent; called alio the canine or dog- 
ferpent, from it's manner of flying at every thing 
that comes in it's way, after the manner of Ena;- 
lifti dogs. It is of a deep brown colour, beauti- 
fully variegated with white. 
MANDRIL. A fpecies of baboon or monkey. 
MANGABKY. The White- eyed Monkey, 
defcribed by Bufibn. 
MANGO-FISH ; the Polynemus Paradifojus 
of Linn^us. This fifti is entirely of an orange 
or gold colour, Ibmewhat refembling the tinge of 
the golden ones of China. From the under-fide 
of the gills, on each fide, fhoot forth feven ftiff 
hairy fubftances, the uppermoft being fixteen 
inches long, from which they gradually fliorten to 
two inches: above thefe, on each fide, there is a 
pretty long fharp fin ; and at the beginning of the 
belly, exaflly below the gills, there is another pair 
of fins. A fingle fin appears on the belly, below 
the vent; and on the back there are two fingle 
fins. The tail is much forked; and a fine ob- 
lique line paffes over it's fcales, on each fide, 
from head to tail. The fins and tail are fo;ne- 
what darker than the reft of the body. The 
Mango-Fifh, firft defcribed by Edwards, is a na- 
tive of the Oriental fcas. 
MANGOUSTE. An animal fo called by 
Buffon. See Ichneumon'. 
MANICOU. See Opossum. 
MANIS. In the Linnrean fyftem, a genus of 
brutes, in the clafs of mammalia, having no teeth, 
a taper extonfile tongue, the mouth narrowed to 
the fnout, and the body covered with fcales. 
There are two fpecies; one with five, and the 
other with four toes, on the feet. 
Manis, Long-Tailed; the Manis Tetra- 
da6lyla of Linnsus, and the Phatagin of Bufibn. 
The back, fides, and upper part of the tail, of this 
animal, are covered with large ftrong fcales. The 
mouth is fmall, and deftitute of teeth; the tongue 
is long; the nofe is flendcr; and the head is 
fmooth. The body, legs, and tail, are guarded 
by large fiaarp-pointed ftriated fcales ; and the 
throat and belly are covered with hair. The legs 
are fliort; there are four claws on each foot, one 
of which is very fmall; and the tail is a little ta- 
per, but blunted at the extremity. This creature 
is peculiarly diftinguifned by it's tail, that is ccn- 
fiderably more than twice the length of it's body, 
which does not exceed fifteen inches; the tail be- 
ing at leaft three feet four inches long. It is a 
native of Africa, and the warm eaftern latitudes; 
and approaches fo nearly to the genus of lizards, 
as to appear to form a link of the chain of beings 
which conneds the proper quadrupeds with the 
reptile 
