The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-07

TO her the squint eyed rhinoceros Is n para
Ron of pulchritude, and the lately departed
Johanna u dazzlingly allurinR sylph. From
nose to tail. a distance of o feet / inches, there
isn't a feature or line of the sea COW to spoil
the general effect OF delightful ugliness. She
has the figure of u meal sack, skin like a
weather-beaten tin roof. q snub nose that &C.
cupies all the space which should have been
given 20 her face. and little twinkling eyes
that peer out UNEXPECTEDLY from the folds Of
fat somewhere about the region Of the back
OF her neck. Projecting from her snout are
n number of feelers that act like fans, Great
ing q draught In the water when she waves
them. whereby everything in sight is waited
toward her mouth. 1t is her own patent way
OF feeding. and is perhaps the easiest method
in use. For the rest. she weighs 1900 pounds
Is probably about twenty-five years old, and Is
scientifically designated as Irtchtch,S Amert-
cdnts. She is the only one Of her species that
has been in the menaGerie for sixteen years.
When captured this sea-cow was feeding on
water weeds at the mouth Of the st. Lucie
River. which empties into the Atlantic Ocean
on tho east coast Of Florida, about 800 miles
south OF Jacksonville. g.. w. Harle OF West
Palm Beach was her captor, and 1t took him
three days to get her. Mr.. Harle has cap
tured and sold three manatees before this one,
and Is making a regular business of 1t. 1t was
last December that he got this one. in a net
especially constructed for such big fishing. He
had gone to the St Lucle River hoping to find
q manatee up there feeding, as they come In
from the ocean to eat the rank water grass Of
the everglades. After two days of cruising
around in his boat he saw. on a calm morning.
q huge snout appear on the surfncs OF the
river, and heard a long-drawn sighing sound.
mai breathes air and has 70 come 70 the sur.
face every. five or six minutes. Aided by an
os'i hi4 net M and a dreS t rspi otSe eh around Soe as st to
pen the sea cow in the shallow water. Then
rhe was slowly dragged out on land and taken
home by boat. a gang of a dozen men aiding In
the TRANSPORTATION. No danger attended the cap
ture. as the manatee Is without means OF offence
or defence. She throve in captivity, and became
so tame that when her captor would touch her
on the side she would lift her fipper out Of the
TPaaim Beach she was taken to Jacksonville by
rail in the tank. and thence by steamer to this
city; She arrived In good condition at central
Probably Mr.. Harle knows as much about
living, and he frankly admits that he knows
very, little. Science has not gone far into the
very rare. and do not frequent waters that are
much traversed by ships. In q way the man
a former age. There are more fossil than there
are living species. OF the habits OF this Pc
culia, animal Mr.: Harie says, .,.. .,ou .o,
mainly in rivers, and in the everglades. swim
ming in from the ocean. probably at night;
They can travel in three feet of water. and
they are very swift-so swift that they can
outswim a shark. I've seen them come dart
Ing in from the outside waters with sharks In
chase. fhe manatee's tail is very big and
strong, and 1t strokes up and down, sending the
animal ahead with surprising force. l be-
lieve that they live to be very old. although
I'm not sure of that. Their eyesight Is very
keen, but they are. think. quite defective in
turb them, whereas the instant they catch
sight OF n man they. dive and are away at n
tremendous pace. This one IL fair sized, but
| have eeen them as long a. fifteen feet. I've
seen little ones. too. not more than two feet
long. For their size they are extremely heavy,
for they are big bOEed, and the bones are solid
ivory. You wouldn't guess this one TO weigh
more than 500 pounds 10 look at her, but
she'll weigh three times that.
"DOwn in South America the natives ~harpoon
manatees when they can find them. and eat
the flesh, which is said to he very good. have
never tasted II myself. Where they live when
they are at sea. whether in the depths or near
the surface, / don't know, except that they
must come up to breathe very frequently; so
! suppose they skirt the shores. AS TO stheir
mlgrations | don't know either. ] don't be-
lieve there Is any animal about which less is
known than this kind"
Quite a crowd gathered about the building
whore the newcomer was temporarily put yes
terday afternoon, but there was no public
view of her. Through a misapprehension on
the part of n Park policeman regarding the pro-
nunciation of the name, word went abroad In
the crowd that there was In the building n
1t was a tiger until the policeman said some.
thing about Its tank. wlereupOn they concluded
that IL must be II crocodile.
1t II believed that before long there will be
over, the second one is not expected TO arrive
either Nv rail or shin.