o t n 
3 1 / 
"The Hijlory of ANIMALS, 
breads; and both fexes have the parts of generation and the navel perfedtly refem- 
bling thofe of the human fpecies : the fkin is hard, firm, and almoft impenetrable* 
and has fhort, brownifh, or greyifh, hairs on it, but they do not ftand thick, or cover 
it in the manner of thofe of land-animals. 
It is a native of Africa, and of the Ead and Wed Indies, and generally lives about 
the mouths of large rivers 5 it is found, however, fometimes out at fea, at great dis¬ 
tances from land. It is common in the Red Sea, in fome of the great rivers of Af¬ 
rica, and in the Amazons river in America, and is often feen fleeping on the furface of 
the water, about the American and Eadern Idands. 
It feeds on vegetables, and it’s flefh is white, firm, wholefome, and of a very 
agreeable tade j it has a power of making an odd noife with it’s breath : it is ex- 
treamiy fhy, when out at fea, and has fuch a quick fenfe of hearing, that the people 
who go out in fearch of it, though they fee many in an hour, find it very difficult to 
get within reach of one. 
Gefner calls it Manatus; Aldrovand and Jondon, Manatus Indorum; Charleton 
and others, Manati; Ray, in his Synopds of Quadrupeds, among which he reckons 
it, calls it Manati dve Vacca marina3 Clufius and Hafs, Manathi3 Herrera, Taurus 
marinus, Zuchelli La Donna 3 and Rochefort, See-kaeejen. The Spaniards call it 
Monathi and Monati3 the French, Lamandn and Namantin ; the Portuguefe, Pezze 
Moueller andMuger j and we, the Sea-cow, and the Manatee. 
It is probably from an imperfedt view of this fiffi, that the opinion of mermaids, 
mermen, and fyrens fird arofe. This creature has a way of railing itfelf* upright, and 
Handing, for fome minutes together, half out of water 3 a perfon who ffiould look at it 
from a didance in front in fuch a podure, would fee fomething like hands and breads, 
and this feems to be all that has give origin to the reports of feeing mermaids, &c. 
We are told alfo of fome of them having been caught and taught to fpin, but we have 
no exadt defcriptions of thefe mermaids. The manatee and the feals are all wonder¬ 
ful tradtable creatures, and will be taught a thoufand odd things: we had lately, in 
London, a feal diewn publickly, which was more obedient, and had more tricks 
than a fpaniel. From fome fuch indance in a tame manati, it is very poffible the 
dory of a mermaid, and her being taught to fpin, may have got footing in the world ; 
for it is very certain, that there never was any fuch creature as is defcribed under that 
name. 
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