News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-06-27
THE sEA-Cow,
a Very Curious and Interesting Lit
tie Creature.

The principal "lion" at the Zoologi
cal gardens at the present moment is a
sea-cow, otherwise mermaid" correct
ly manatee, sc entifically Manatus aus
trails, from Demerara This curious and
very interesting little creature has been
an lnhabitant of the gardens since March
2, during which its fame and its name
have spread abroad somewhat to the
mystitication of many. Visitors flock
to the reptile house eagerly in
qrIiring for the ''cow-fish. the
mermaid, the ''curious reptile which
is half fish and half SERPENT" the
"man- snake" the ''cow-serpent," but
most frequently they ''want to see the
mermaid
The animal is difficult to keep in cap
tivity. Only one example has previous
" been ia the Zoologit al collections aud
that survived but one month.
But NdRdtus differs in several remark
able particulars from others of his class,
conspicuously so in its mouth, which is
large, prominent and elaborate feature,
as may easily be observed when the an
imal approaches the front of its tank,
and particularly when it is feeding. You
may then see that its thick, feshy lips
are exceedingly mobile, even prehensile.
The upper lip is almost double, there
being pair of projecting lobes, strong
ly armed with sharp, strong bristles,
which are in constant movement, like
brush on swivel, and with which the
manatee grasps, sweeps and pushes into
its mouth the floating vegetable food.
The manner in which the creature uses
this pair of brushes reminds one of
hungry, greedy child using its fingers
to push food into its mouth, because it
cannot eat fast enough. This young
animal is supposed to be about a year
old, and seems never to tire in the bus
mess of thus seizing and S curing shreds
of sttuce leaves offered him. About
eight good lettuces day are his con-
sumption, the keeper breaking them up
and casting the fragments into the wa
ter. In addition to lettuces, and by way
of second course, he eats some two or
three roots of beet, according to their
size; these being also divided, are grasp
ed in the same manner. Where teeth
would be you can perceive hard, horny
gums, which are used to crush the food,
true teeth being only incipient. In this
extraordinary, prchensile muzzlc, with
its pair of brushes above, we sec mouth
especially adapted to tho needs of the
animal, whose natural food is the long
slippery sea-weed and aquatic vegetation
usually swaying about by tho motion of
the water, and not easily grasped by an
ordinary mouth. No doubt those sen
sitiye and movable bristies also clear the
food from whatever may cling to it not
palatable to the vegetarian. One con
but be struck with the handy manner,
so to speak, in which they are intelli-
gently used.
Another variation from the seal and
dugong families is in the hind limbs, or
their absence rather, rs they coalesce to
form tho rounded otter-lil1c tail or pad
tlle, used in swimming. The anterior
limbs or fins arc also remarkable, being
more in the form of hands than seals
hippers. They are longer and with n
distinct elbow Joint. On tho Glnder side I
of these fiippers, beueath the thick skin, I
the anatomy of the fingers can be easily
traced. The form and usc Of these fore
limbs, SO like a hand, gives the creature
its name, Ndnatee, from manus, n hand. |
You will see them in continued and not |
ungraceful action. In tho adult ami
mails very short nails or claws are deyel- |
open. In This young one the nails are not |
visible; they may be extremely small or
not yet grown. The nostrils are close
together on top of the head, and are
kept tightly closed by valve while
under the water; but when the manatee
rises TO tho surface to take q
fresh inspiration, which he does about
once minute, you may then see the
nostrils quickly opened, and in an in
slant closed again. He has no ears ap-
parently, no voice, no temper and but
very little intellect. But he is tractable,
gentle and not incapable of affection.--
London Globe.