finely pinnated leaves, interlocking above,
form arches and woven canopies of elegant and diversified shapes. The
fruit, in size and shape like the date, has a pleasant flavoured juicy
pulp, and falls to the ground when ripe.

PART THREE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE WONDERS OF THE WATERS.

THE MANATEE, OR COW-FISH.

To maintain the claim of its ocean character, the Amazon possesses that
huge, whale-like creature the manatee, or cow-fish, called by the
Brazilians _peixe boi_, or _vacca marina_. It is generally about seven
or eight feet long, though it attains a length of ten feet or more, and
nine feet and upwards in girth. On the upper part the body is perfectly
smooth, and of a lead colour. It tapers off towards the tail, which is
flat, horizontal, and semicircular, without any appearance of
hind-limbs. The head is in reality small, and the neck
undistinguishable; though it has an enormous mouth, with fleshy lips
like those of a huge cow, with an ugly countenance. On the lips are
stiff bristles, while a few hairs only are scattered over the body.
Just behind the head are two powerful oval fins, beneath which, in the
female, are the breasts. The ears are very minute holes, and the eyes
are extremely small. The skin of the back is fully an inch thick; and
beneath it is a layer of fat, also an inch or more in thickness. The
fins of the fore-limbs consist of bones exactly corresponding to those
of the human arm, with five fingers at the extremity--every joint
distinct, although completely encased in its thick inflexible skin.

The manatee ranges from the mouth of the Amazon to the upper waters. It
feeds on the grass growing on the borders of the lakes and rivers. It
swims at a rapid rate, moved by the tail and paddles. The creature is
hunted and killed by the natives with harpoons, the flesh being much
sought after. The taste is somewhat between that of pork and beef. The
natives dress it by cutting the meat into small pieces and sticking them
on skewers, which they place in a slanting position over the flames to
roast.

The female produces one, though sometimes two at a birth, which she
holds in her paddles while giving suck. From twenty to twenty-five
gallons of oil are obtained from each sea-cow. The poor manatee, little
able to defend itself, has other enemies besides man. The jaguar lies
in wait for it on the trunk of a tree overhanging the placid pool, and
seizing it with his powerful claws as