| OCR Text |
Show 1881.] PROF. W. H. FLOWER ON THE MANATEE. 455 flesh upon a large Manatee, and he is a very heavy beast, his bones being enormously thick and strong." This letter was also found among his papers, evidently in answer to inquiries he had made:- " S.S. Gaboon, 15th Oct. 1879. " R. B. Bobree, Esq. " D E A R S I R ,- " With reference to the conversation we had respecting the Amanaty, I have much pleasure in giving you the following information, facts well known by all European traders and missionaries stationed in Old Calabar. " The Amanaty is well known as going ashore at quiet places after sunset, about 30 miles up the river, and feeding on grass which grows freely amongst Indian corn. To prevent him doing so much harm to the corn, natives have fires burning during the night, the latter acting in this case as scarecrows at home. " I may also add that freemen and all chiefs of Old Calabar have a secret feeling similar to freemasonry at home ; and at any time a chief wishes to become a member he must either buy or catch an Amanaty as a gift to the members of the native society ; and it is well known that the natives watch the Amanaty going ashore, and when he is a good way into the cornfields they will stake him with bamboos and so, in many cases, catch him. " I remain, Yours very truly, " H. HARTYE, "Agent for Messrs. Thomas Harrison, Liverpool." These statements are very precise as to the power of free terrestrial locomotion in the animal, and so opposed to the conclusions to which I referred at the beginning of this note that I felt that they ought not to be withheld from publication. I must, however, still confess that a doubt arises in m y mind whether there may not have been some confusion (perhaps arising from imperfect comprehension of language) in the minds of the native informants (for the habits and appearance of the two animals were, of course, perfectly well known to Mr. Dobree) between the Hippopotamus and the Manatee, more especially as the second mode of trapping the Manatee with the beam of wood and cord described by Mr. Dobree is exactly the same as that used in many parts of Africa for killing the first-named animal. Thus Livingstone tells us that " both banks of the river Zambesi near the M b o m a village are dotted with Hippopotamus-traps over every track which these animals have made in going up out of the water to graze."..." The trap consists of a beam five or six feet long, armed with a spear-head or hard wooden spike covered with poison, and suspended to a forked pole by a cord which, coming down to the path, is held by a catch, to be set free when the beast treads on it." The valuable observations lately published by Dr. Murie1 and Dr. Chapman2 upon the actions and habits of living Manatees in con- » Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. xi.p. 19. 2 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia, 1875, p. 452. |
