HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
316 
scarcely perceptible. Its eyes are small; and two.holes which it opens: and shuts at 
pleasure, may be denominated its gills and ears. As it seldom shews its tongue, 
which is not large, many have asserted that it has none. It has grinders, and even 
tus'ks, which appear as in a wild boar, but it has no fore teeth. Its gums are very 
bard, and with them it tears up and browzes upon the grass at the bottom of the 
sea. Its flesh is excellent and wholesome, and resembles that of the best veal. The 
largest of these animals are about twenty feet in lehgfh. 
(i The females have breasts like those of a woman. Some mention that it has 
two young ones at a time, and that it suckles them both together, Supporting them 
at its bosom with its paws; but as I never saw it embrace more than one, I am 
inclined to believe that the former! account is erroneous. 
“ This extraordinary nurse, seems to verify the description of the prophet Jere¬ 
miah, in his Lamentations, cb. iv. * Even the sea monsters draw out the breast; they 
i give suck totheir young ones,; but the daughter! of mypeople is become cruel, like 
* the ostr'icbfes An die wilderness/ ni f:ei 
“ This fish is taken with great ease. It feeds in flocks like sheep, not more than 
three or four feet from the surface of the water ; and when we went into the midst 
of them they did not quit their station, so that we could take which we pleased, 
either by shooting them, or dragging them by main force on shore,* though the 
latter mode would employ three or. four men. to effect it. We sometimes found 
three or four hundred of them feeding together, and so little disposed were they to 
avoid us, that we often touched their breasts in order to select the fattest. By tying 
a rope round the tail, they were dragged out of the water; and as the flesh of the 
smaller ones is the most delicate, our fishery was confined to them. The fat is 
firm, and well flavoured; and neither in its appearance or taste can the flesh 
be distinguished from that of butcher’s meat. This animal dies immediately on 
losing a little blood. 
“ Our discovery of its being an inhabitant of these seas, arose from our finding 
a dead one on the shore, some months after our arrival in the island. We did not 
however' observe that it was amphibious; indeed, it is to be doubted whether it is 
able- to 'drag along its unwieldy shape on the land. 
u A large number of other kinds of fish inhabit the surrounding seas r all of which, 
excepting oysters and eels, are different from those of Europe. 
“ Sea-eels were easily caught with a line, as well as those of the fresh water. 
