458 
ZOOLOGY OF 
being twenty feet long, whereas none I have seen could 
have exceeded six or seven. 
Herbivorous Cetacea are also found in the Amazon ; 
they are called by the Brazilians, Peixe boi, or cow-fish, 
and by the Indians, Juaroua. 
It has not yet been ascertained, whether the cow-fish 
of the Amazon is the same as the Manatus of the West 
Indies and the coasts of Guiana, or a distinct species. 
All the accounts of the Manatus Americanus mention it 
as being twelve or fifteen feet long on the average, and 
sometimes reaching twenty. Those of the Amazon ap- 
pear to average seven or eight feet only ; of five or six 
specimens I have myself seen, none have exceeded this ; 
Lieutenant Smyth saw one on the Upper Uaycali, of the 
same size ; and Condamine describes the one he saw as 
not being larger. 
The inhabitants of the Amazon give accounts of three 
kinds, which they seem to consider distinct, one smaller, 
and one larger than the common kind, and differing also 
in the shape of the tail and fins, and in the colour. 
The West Indian species is always described as having 
external nails on the edge of the fin, or fore-arm. This 
I never observed in the Amazon species ; though in cut- 
ting the edge of the fin to take out the bones entire, I 
mnst have noticed them, had they been at all so pro- 
minent as usually described ; neither does Lieutenant 
Smyth mention them, though he could hardly have over- 
looked so singular an external character. 
I am therefore inclined to think that the Amazon pos- 
sesses one or two distinct species. Having carefully pre- 
pared a skin and skeleton of a fine male (which, with 
