supplied by a horny plate in the middle of each jaw. The mammæ are two, situated upon the breast, as are those of the Elephant. The lips are set with thick wiry bristles: the nostrils are placed at the extremity of the muzzle, which is obtuse and truncated; the eyes are protected by an inner membrane, which can be drawn over the iris: the bones of the skeleton are dense and solid in texture, and not filled with oil, as in the Cetacea.
Genus Manatus. (Cuv.)
The form of the Manatee has been compared to that of the leathern bottles used in the south of Europe. The body is oblong, terminated by an oval tail-fin; the head is somewhat conical, with a broad, tumid muzzle; beset with stiff, but very short bristles; no perceptible depression marks the situation of the neck. There are eight molars in each jaw, which are ridged doubly or trebly, and have the root distinct from the crown; strongly resembling those of the Hippopotamus and Tapir: there are no canines, nor incisors in the adult. The swimming paws have vestiges of nails at their edge. The skin is rough and coarse, like that of an elephant.
The best known species is the Manatee of America, (Manatus Americanus, Cuv.) which frequents the mouths of rivers, and quiet secluded bays and inlets in the islands of the West Indies, and the coasts of Guiana and Brazil. It is said to attain nearly twenty feet in length, and is of a dull bluish-black hue, with the inferior parts rather lighter. It is gregarious in its habits, capable of strong attachment to its species, which
