"The encampment is generally square, enclosing an open s.p.a.ce, or forming a broad street, the houses being ranged on either side, with their doors towards each other. At these may always be seen the most picturesque groups, occupied with their various domestic duties, or smoking their simple wooden _calleeoons_. The more important encampments are surrounded by a fence of reeds, which serve to protect the flocks from petty thefts."
It is now our place to inquire how the Turcomans occupy their time. We have already described them as a pastoral and nomadic people; and, under ordinary circ.u.mstances, their employment consists in looking after their flocks. In a few of the more fertile oases they have habitations, or rather camps, of a more permanent character, where they cultivate a little corn or barley, to supply them with the material for bread; but these settlements, if they deserve the name, are only exceptional; and are used chiefly as a kind of head-quarters, where the women and property are kept, while the men themselves are absent on their thieving expeditions. More generally their herds are kept on the move, and are driven from place to place at short intervals of a few weeks or even days. The striking and pitching of their tents gives them employment; to which is added that of milking the cattle, and making the cheese and b.u.t.ter. The women, moreover, fill up their idle hours in weaving the coa.r.s.e blankets, or "numuds," in plaiting mats, and manufacturing various articles of dress or household use. The more costly parts of their costume, however, are not of native manufacture: these are obtained by trade. The men alone look after the camels and horses, taking special care of the latter.
Their flocks present a considerable variety of species. Besides horses, cattle, and sheep, they own many camels, and they have no less than three distinct varieties of this valuable animal in their possession,-- the dromedary with two humps, and the common camel. The third sort is a cross breed--or "mule"--between these two. The dromedary is slightly made, and swifter than either of the others, but it is not so powerful as either; and being inferior as a beast of burden, is least cared for by the Turcomans. The one-humped camel is in more general use, and a good one will carry a load of six or seven hundred pounds with ease.
The mule camel is more powerful than either of its parents, and also more docile and capable of greater endurance. It grows to a very large size, but is low in proportion to its bulk, with stout, bony legs, and a large quant.i.ty of coa.r.s.e, s.h.a.ggy hair on its haunch, shoulders, neck, and even on the crown of its head, which gives it a strange, somewhat fantastic appearance. Its colour varies from light grey to brown, though it is as often nearly black. This kind of camel will carry a load of from eight hundred to a thousand pounds.
The Turcoman sheep are of the large-tailed breed,--their tails often attaining enormous dimensions. This variety of sheep is a true denizen of the desert, the fat tail being unquestionably a provision of nature against seasons of hunger,--just as in the single protuberance, or "hump," upon the camel.
The horse of the Turcoman is the animal upon which he sets most value.
The breed possessed by him is celebrated over all Eastern Asia, as that of the Arab is in the West. They cannot be regarded, however, as handsome horses, according to the true standard of "horse beauty;" but the Turcoman cares less for this than for other good qualities. In point of speed and endurance they are not excelled, if equalled, by the horses of any other country.
Their size is that of the common horse, but they are very different in make. Their bodies are long in proportion to the bulk of carca.s.s; and they do not appear to possess sufficient compactness of frame. Their legs are also long, generally falling off in muscular development below the knee-joint; and they would appear to an English jockey too narrow in the counter. They have also long necks, with large heavy heads. These are the points which are generally observed in the Turcoman horses; but it is to be remarked, that it is only when in an under-condition they look so ungraceful; and in this condition their owners are accustomed to keep them, especially when they have any very heavy service to perform.
Feeding produces a better shape, and brings them much nearer to the look of a well-bred English horse.
Their powers of endurance are indeed, almost incredible: when trained for a chappow, or plundering expedition, they will carry their rider and provisions for seven or eight days together, at the rate of twenty or even thirty fursungs--that is, from eighty to one hundred miles--a day.
Their mode of training is more like that of our pugilistic and pedestrian performers, than that adopted for race-horses. When any expedition of great length, and requiring the exertion of much speed, is in contemplation, they commence by running their horses every day for many miles together; they feed them sparingly on barley alone, and pile numuds upon them at night to sweat them, until every particle of fat has been removed, and the flesh becomes hard and tendonous. Of this they judge by the feel of the muscles, particularly on the crest, at the back of the neck, and on the haunches; and when these are sufficiently firm and hard, they say in praise of the animal, that "his flesh is marble."
After this sort of training, the horse will proceed with expedition and perseverance, for almost any length of time, without either falling off in condition or knocking up, while horses that set out fat seldom survive. They are taught a quick walk, a light trot, or a sort of amble, which carries the rider on easily, at the rate of six miles an hour; but they will also go at a round canter, or gallop, for forty or fifty miles, without ever drawing bridle or showing the least symptom of fatigue. Their _yaboos_, or galloways, and large ponies are fully as remarkable, if not superior, to their horses, in their power of sustaining fatigue; they are stout, compact, spirited beasts, without the fine blood of the larger breeds, but more within the reach of the poorer cla.s.ses, and consequently used in by far greater numbers than the superior and more expensive horses.
"It is a common practice of the Turcomans to teach their horses to fight with their heels, and thus a.s.sist their masters in the time of action.
At the will of their riders they will run at and lay hold with their teeth of whatever man or animal may be before them. This acquirement is useful in the day of battle and plunder, for catching prisoners and stray cattle, but it at the same time renders them vicious and dangerous to be handled."
In addition to the flocks and herds, the Turcomans possess a breed of very large fierce dogs, to a.s.sist them in keeping their cattle. These are also necessary as watch-dogs, to protect the camp from thieves as well as more dangerous enemies to their peace; and so well-trained are those faithful creatures, that it would be impossible for either friend or enemy to approach a Turcoman camp without the inmates being forewarned in time. Two or three of these dogs may always be seen lying by the entrance of each tent; and throughout the night several others keep sentry at the approaches to the camp.
Other breeds of dogs owned by them are used for hunting,--for these wild wanderers sometimes devote their hours to the chase. They have two sorts,--a smooth-skinned dog, half hound half pointer, that hunts chiefly by the scent; and a greyhound, of great swiftness, with a coat of long, silky hair, which they make use of in coursing,--hares and antelopes being their game.
They have a mode of hunting--also practised by the Persians--which is peculiar. It should rather be termed hawking than hunting, as a hawk is employed for the purpose. It is a species of falcon denominated "goork," and is trained not only to dash at small game, such as partridges and bustards, but upon antelopes and even the wild a.s.s that is found in plenty upon the plains of Turcomania. You will wonder how a bird, not larger than the common falcon, could capture such game as this but it will appear simple enough when the method has been explained.
The "goork" is trained to fly at the quadruped, and fix its claws in one particular place,--that is, upon the frontlet, just between the eyes.
When thus attached, the bird, instead of closing its wings and remaining at rest, keeps them constantly in motion, flapping them over the eyes of the quadruped. This it does, no doubt, to enable it to retain its perch; while the unfortunate animal, thus a.s.sailed, knows not in what direction to run, and is soon overtaken by the pursuing sportsmen, and either speared or shot with the bow and arrow.
Wild boars are frequently hunted by the Turcomans; and this, like everything else with these rude centaurs, is performed on horseback.
The bow and arrow is but a poor weapon when employed against the thick, tough hide of the Hyrcanian boar (for he is literally the Hyrcanian boar), and of course the matchlock would be equally ineffective. How, then, does the Turcoman sportsman manage to bag this bristly game? With all the ease in the world. It costs him only the effort of galloping his horse close up to the side of the boar after he has been brought to by the dogs, and then suddenly wheeling the steed. The latter, well-trained to the task, without further prompting, goes through the rest of the performance, which consists in administering to the boar such a slap with his iron-shod heel, as to prostrate the porcine quadruped, often killing it on the instant!
Such employments and such diversions occupy only a small portion of the Turcoman"s tune. He follows another calling of a far less creditable character, which unfortunately he regards as the most honourable occupation of his life. This is the calling of the robber. His pastoral pursuits are matters of only secondary consideration. He only looks to them as a means of supplying his daily wants,--his food and the more necessary portion of his clothing; but he has other wants that may be deemed luxuries. He requires to keep up his stock of horses and camels, and wishes to increase them. He needs costly gear for his horse, and costly garments for himself--and he is desirous of being possessed of fine weapons, such as spears, swords, bows, matchlocks, daggers, and pistols. His most effective weapons are the spear and sword, and these are the kinds he chiefly uses.
His spear consists of a steel head with four flutes, and edges very sharp, fixed upon a slender shaft of from eight to ten feet in length.
In using it he couches it under the left arm, and directs it with the right hand, either; straightforward, or to the right or left; if to the right, the b.u.t.t of the shaft lies across the hinder part of the saddle; if to the left, the forepart of the spear rests on the horse"s neck.
The Turcomans manage their horses with the left hand, but most of these are so well broken as to obey the movement of the knee, or the impulse of the body. When close to their object, they frequently grasp the spear with both hands, to give greater effect to the thrust. The horse, spurred to the full speed of a charge, in this way, offers an attack no doubt very formidable in appearance, but perhaps less really dangerous than the other, in which success depends so greatly on skill and address. The Turcomans are all sufficiently dexterous with the sword, which is almost universally formed in the curved Persian fashion, and very sharp; they also wear a dagger at the waist-belt. Firearms are as yet little in use among them; they possess a few, taken from the travellers they have plundered, and procure a few more occasionally from the Russians by the way of Bokara. Some use bows and arrows, but they are by no means so dexterous as their ancestors were in the handling of those weapons.
Mounted, then, upon his matchless steed, and armed with spear and sword, the Turcoman goes forth to practise his favourite profession,--that of plunder. He does not go alone, nor with a small number of his comrades, either. The number depends altogether on the distance or danger of the expedition; and where these are considered great, a troop of five hundred, or even a thousand, usually proceed together upon their errand.
You will be inquiring to what point they direct themselves,--east, west, north, or south? That altogether depends upon who may be their enemies for the time, for along with their desire for booty, there is also mixed up something like a sentiment of hostility. In this respect, however, the Turcoman is a true Ishmaelite, and in lack of other victim he will not hesitate to plunder the people of a kindred race. Indeed, several of the Turcoman tribes have long been at war with one another; and their animosity is quite as deadly among themselves as when directed against strangers to their race. The _b.u.t.t_, however, of most of the Turcoman expeditions is the northern part of Persia,--Kora.s.san in particular. It is into this province that most of their great forays are directed, either against the peaceful citizens of the Persian towns and villages, or as often against the merchant caravans that are constantly pa.s.sing between Teheran and the cities of the east,--Mushed, Balkh, Bokara, Herat, and Kelat. I have already stated that these forays are pushed far into the interior of Persia; and the fact of Persia permitting such a state of things to continue will perhaps surprise you; but you would not be surprised were you better acquainted with the condition of that kingdom. From historic a.s.sociations, you believe Persia to be a powerful nation; and so it once was, both powerful and prosperous. That day is past; and at the present hour, this decaying monarchy is not only powerless to maintain order within its own borders, but is even threatened with annihilation from those very nomad races that have so often given laws to the great empires of Asia. Even at this moment, the more powerful Tartar Khans turn a longing look towards the tottering throne of Nadir Shah; and he of Khiva has more than once made a feint at invasion. But the subject is too extensive to be discussed here. It is only introduced to explain with what facility a few hundreds of Turcoman robbers can enter and hara.s.s the land. We find a parallel in many other parts of the world,--old as well as new. In the latter, the northern provinces of Mexico, and the southern countries of La Plata and Paraguay, are in just such a condition: the weak, worn-out descendants of the Spanish conquerors on one side, well representing the remnants of the race of Nadir Shah; while, on the other, the Turcoman is type enough of the Red Indian. The comparison, however, is not just to the latter.
He, at least, is possessed of courage and prowess; while the Turcoman, notwithstanding his propensities for plunder, and the bloodthirsty ferocity of his character, is as arrant a coward as ever carried lance.
Even the Persian can cope with him, when fairly matched; and the merchant caravans,--which are usually made up of true Turks, and other races possessing a little "pluck," are never attacked, unless when outnumbered in the ratio of three to one.
For all this, the whole northern portion of the Persian kingdom is left to the mercy of these desert-robbers. The towns and villages have each their large fortress, into which the people retire whenever the plunderers make their appearance, and there dwell till the latter have ridden away,--driving off their flocks and herds to the desert fastnesses. Even the poor farmer is obliged to build a fortress in the middle of his fields, to which he may retire upon the occasion of any sudden alarm, and his labourers till the ground with their swords by their sides, and their matchlocks lying near!
These field fortresses of Kora.s.san are altogether so curious, both as to construction and purpose, that we cannot pa.s.s them without a word of description. They are usually placed in some conspicuous place, at a convenient distance from all parts of the cultivated tract. They are built of mud, and raised to a height of fifteen or twenty feet, of a circular form,--bearing some resemblance to the well-known round towers of Ireland. A small aperture is left open at the bottom, through which those seeking shelter may just squeeze their bodies, and this being barricaded inside, the defence is complete. From the top--which can be reached easily on the inside--the farmer and his labourers can use their matchlocks with effect; but they are never called upon to do so,--as the cowardly freebooter takes good care to give the mud tower a wide birth.
He has no weapons by which he might a.s.sail it; and, moreover, he has no time for sieges: since an hour"s delay might bring him into danger from the force that is fast approaching. His only thought is to keep on his course, and sweep off such cattle, or make prisoners of such people as he may chance to find unwarned and unarmed. Now and then he ventures upon an attack--where there is much booty to tempt him, and but a weak force to defend it. His enemies,--the hated "Kuzzilbashes," as he calls the Persians,--if defeated, have no mercy to expect from him. All who resist are killed upon the spot, and often torture is the mode of their death; but if they can be made prisoners, the desert-robber prefers letting them live, as a captive is to him a more valuable consideration than the death of an enemy. His prisoner, once secured, knows tolerably well what is to follow. The first thing the Turcoman does is to bind the victim"s hands securely behind his back; he then puts a long halter around his neck, attaching the other end of it to the tail of his horse, and in this fashion the homeward march commences. If the poor pedestrian does not keep pace with the horse, he knows what he may expect,--to be dragged at intervals along the ground, and perhaps torn to pieces upon the rocks. With this horrid fate before his fancy, he makes efforts almost superhuman to keep pace with the troop of his inhuman captors: though well aware that they are leading him off into a hopeless bondage.
At night, his feet are also tied; and, thrown down upon the earth, he is covered with a coa.r.s.e "numud." Do not fancy that this is done to screen him from the cold: the object is very different indeed. The numud is placed over him in order that two of his captors may sleep upon its edges--one on each side of him--thus holding him down, and frustrating any chance of escape.
On arriving at the robber-camp, the captive is not kept long in suspense as to his future fate. His owner--for he is now in reality a slave-- wants a new word, or a piece of silken cloth, or a camel, or some other article of luxury. That he can obtain either at Khiva or Bokara, in exchange for his slave; and therefore the new captive--or captives, as the chance may be--is marched off to the ready market. This is no isolated nor rare incident. It is one of everyday occurrence; and it is a noted fact, that of the three hundred thousand people who const.i.tute the subjects of the Khivan Khan, nearly one half are Persian slaves obtained from the robbers of Turcomania!
The political organisation of the Turcomans is of the patriarchal character. From necessity they dwell in small communities that are termed "teers," the literal signification of which is "arrows,"--though for what reason they are so styled does not appear. Perhaps it is on account of the rapidity of their movements: for, in hostile excursions, or moving from place to place, they proceed with a celerity that may be compared to arrows.
Over each tribe or teer there is a chief, similar to the "sheik" of the Arab tribes,--and indeed, many of their customs offer a close a.n.a.logy to those of the wandering Bedouins of Arabia and Egypt, and the Kabyles of Morocco and the Algerine provinces. The circ.u.mstances of life--almost alike to both--could not fail to produce many striking resemblances.
The Turcoman tribes, as already observed, frequently go to war with each other, but they oftener unite to rob the common enemy,--the caravan or the Persian village. In these mere plundering expeditions they go in such numbers as the case may require; but when called forth to take side in anything like a national war, they can muster to the strength of many thousands; and then indeed, they become terrible,--even to the most potent sovereigns of Central Asia, by whom much diplomacy is employed to enlist them on one side or the other. It matters little to them what the cause be,--he who can promise them the largest booty in cattle or slaves is sure to have the help of their spears and swords.
The Turcomans are not Pagans,--that is, they are not professedly so,-- though, for all the regard which they pay to religious observances, they might as well be termed true Infidels. They profess a religion, however, and that is Mohametanism in its worst and most bigoted form,-- the "Sunnite." The Persians, as is well-known, hold the milder Sheean doctrines; and as the votaries of the two, in most countries where both are practised, cordially hate each other, so it is between Turcomans and Persians. The former even scorn the Persian creed, calling its followers "Infidel" dogs, or _Kuzzilbashes_; and this bigoted rancour gives them a sort of plausible excuse for the hostile att.i.tude which they hold towards them.
Taking them upon the whole, the Turcomans may be looked upon as true savages,--savages dressed in _silk_ instead of in _skins_.
CHAPTER TEN.
THE OTTOMACS, OR DIRT-EATERS.
On the banks of the Orinoco, a short distance above the point where that mighty river makes its second great sweep to the eastward, dwells a remarkable people,--a tribe of savages that, even among savages, are remarkable for many peculiar and singular customs. These are the _Ottomacs_.
They have been long known,--and by the narratives of the early Spanish missionaries, rendered notorious,--on account of some curious habits; but although the missionaries have resided among them, and endeavoured to bring them within "sound of the bell," their efforts have met with a very partial and temporary success; and at this present hour, the Ottomacs are as savage in their habits; and as singular in their customs, as they were in the days of Columbus.
The Ottomacs are neither a stunted nor yet a weak race of men. Their bodies are strong, and their arms and limbs stout and muscular; but they are remarkably ill-featured, with an expression of countenance habitually stern and vindictive.
Their costume is easily described, or rather cannot be _described_ at all, since they have none. Both, s.e.xes go entirely naked,--if we except a little belt of three or four inches in width, made from cotton or the bark of trees, and called the _guayuco_, which they wear around the waist,--but even this is worn from no motives of modesty.
What they regard in the light of a costume is a coat of paint, and about this they are as nice and particular as a Parisian dandy. Talk about "blooming up" a faded _belle_ for the ballroom, or the time spent by an exquisite in adjusting the tie of his cravat! these are trifles when compared with the lengthy and elaborate toilette of an Ottomac lady or gentleman.
The greater part of a day is often spent by them in a single dressing, with one or two helpers to a.s.sist in the operation; and this is not a _tattooing_ process, intended to last for a lifetime, but a costume certain to be disfigured, or entirely washed off, at the first exposure to a heavy shower of rain. Add to this, that the pigments which are used for the purpose are by no means easily obtained: the vegetable substances which furnish them are scarce in the Ottomac country; and it costs one of these Indians the produce of several days of his labour to purchase sufficient paint to give his whole skin a single "coat." For this reason the Ottomac paints his body only on grand occasions,-- contenting himself at ordinary times with merely staining his face and hair.
When an Ottomac wishes to appear in "full dress" he first gives himself a "priming" of red. This consists of the dye called "annotto," which is obtained from the fruit pulp of the _Bixa orellana_, and which the Indians knew how to prepare previous to their intercourse with Europeans. Over this red ground is then formed a lattice-work of lines of black, with a dot in the centre of every little square or diamond.
The black dye is the "caruto," also a vegetable pigment, obtained from the _Genipa Americana_. If the gentleman be rich enough to possess a little "chica" which is a beautiful lake-coloured red,--also the produce of a plant,--the _Bignoni, chica_, he will then feel all the ecstatic delight of a fashionable dandy who possesses a good wardrobe; and, with half a pound of turtle-oil rubbed into his long black tresses, he will regard himself as dressed "within an inch of his life." It is not always, however, that he can afford the _chica_,--for it is one of the costliest materials of which a South-American savage can manufacture his suit.
The Ottomac takes far less trouble in the building of his house. Very often he builds none; but when he wishes to guard his body from the rays of the sun, or the periodical rains, he constructs him a slight edifice--a mere hut--out of saplings or bamboos, with a thatch of palm-leaves.
His arms consist of the universal bow and arrows, which he manages with much dexterity; and he has also a harpoon which he employs in killing the manatee and the alligator. He has, besides, several other weapons, to aid him in the chase and fishing,--the latter of which forms his princ.i.p.al employment as well as his chief source of subsistence.
The Ottomac belongs to one of those tribes of Indians termed by the Spanish missionaries _Indios andantes_, that is "wandering," or "vagabond Indians," who instead of remaining in fixed and permanent villages, roam about from place to place, as necessity or inclination dictates. Perhaps this arises from the peculiarity of the country which they inhabit: for the _Indios andantes_ do not live in the thick forests, but upon vast treeless savannas, which stretch along the Orinoco above its great bend. In these tracts the "juvia" trees (_bertholletia_ and _lecythys_), which produce the delicious "Brazil-nuts"--and other plants that supply the savage spontaneously with food, are spa.r.s.ely found; and as the savannas are annually inundated for several months, the Ottomac is forced, whether he will or no, to shift his quarters and try for subsistence elsewhere. When the inundations have subsided and the waters become settled enough to permit of fishing, the Ottomac "winter" is over, and he can obtain food in plenty from the alligators, the manatees, the turtles, the _toninas_ or dolphins, and other large fish that frequent the great stream upon which he dwells. Of these the _manatee_ is the most important in the eyes of the Ottomac--as it is the largest in size, and consequently furnishes him with the greatest amount of meat.
This singular semi-cetaceous creature is almost too well-known to require description. It is found in nearly all the large rivers of tropical America, where it feeds upon the gra.s.s and aquatic plants growing along their banks. It is known by various names, according to the place and people. The Spaniards call it _vaca marina_, or "sea-cow," and the Portuguese _peixe hoi_, or "fish-ox,"--both being appellations equally inappropriate, and having their origin in a slight resemblance which there exists between the animal"s "countenance" and that of an ox.
The _West Indian_ name is the one we though the true orthography is _manati_, not _manatee_, since the word is of Indian origin. Some writers deny this, alleging that it is a derivative from the Spanish word "mano," a hand, signifying, therefore, the fish with hands,--in allusion to the rudimentary hands which form one of its distinguishing characteristics. This is the account of the historian Oviedo, but another Spanish missionary, Father Gili, offers a more correct explanation of the name,--in fact, he proves, what is neither more nor less than the simple truth, that "manati" was the name given to this animal by the natives of Hayti and Cuba,--where a species is also found,--and the word has no reference whatever to the "hands" of the creature. The resemblance to the Spanish word which should signify "handed," is merely an accidental circ.u.mstance; and, as the acute Humboldt very justly remarks, according to the genius of the Spanish language, the word thus applied would have been written _manudo_, or _manon_, and not _manati_.
The Indians have almost as many different names for this creature as there are rivers in which it is found; but its appellation in the "lingo ageral" of the great Amazon valley, is "juarua." Among the Ottomacs it is called the "apoia." It may be safely affirmed that there are several species of this amphibious animal in the rivers of tropical America; and possibly no one of them is identical with that of the West Indies. All have hitherto been regarded as belonging to the same species, and described under the scientific t.i.tle of _Manatus America.n.u.s_--a name given to the American manati, to distinguish it from the "lamantin" of Africa, and the "dugong" of the East-Indian seas. But the West-Indian species appears to have certain characteristic differences, which shows that it is a separate one, or, at all events, a variety. It is of much larger size than those of the South-American rivers generally are-- though there also a large variety is found, but much rarer than those commonly captured by the fishermen. The West-Indian manati has nails well developed upon the outer edge of its fins, or forearms; while those on the other kinds are either not seen at all, or only in a very rudimentary state. That there are different species, may be deduced from the accounts of the natives, who employ themselves in its capture: and the observations of such people are usually more trustworthy than the speculations of learned anatomists. The Amazon fishermen all agree in the belief that there are three kinds of manati in the Amazon and its numerous tributaries, that not only differ greatly in size--from seven to twenty feet long--and in weight, from four hundred to two thousand pounds,--but also in the colour of their skin, and the shape of their tails and fins. The species found in the Orinoco, and called "apoia" by the Ottomacs, is usually about twelve feet in length, and weighs from five hundred to eight hundred pounds; but now and then a much larger individual is captured, perhaps owing to greater age, or other accidental circ.u.mstance. Humboldt heard of one that weighed eight thousand pounds; and the French naturalist D"Orbigny speaks of one killed in the Bolivian waters of the Amazon that was twenty feet in length. This size is often attained by the _Manatus America.n.u.s_ of Cuba and Hayti.
The manati is shaped somewhat like a large seal, and has certain resemblances to a fish. Its body is of an oval oblong, with a large, flat, rounded tail, set horizontally, and which serves as a rudder to direct its course in the water. Just behind its shoulders appear, instead of fins, a pair of flippers, which have a certain resemblance to hands set on to the body without arms. Of these it avails itself, when creeping out against the bank, and the female also uses them in carrying her young. The mammae (for it must be remembered that this creature is a mammiferous animal) are placed just below and behind the flippers.
The muzzle is blunt, with thick lips,--the upper projecting several inches beyond the lower, and covered with a delicate epidermis: showing evidently that it avails itself of this prominence--which possesses a keen sense of touch--just as the elephant of his proboscis. The lips are covered with bristles, or beard, which impart a kind of human-like expression to the animal"s countenance,--a circ.u.mstance more observable in the "dugongs" of the Oriental waters. "Woman fish," too, these have been called, and no doubt such creatures, along with the seals and walruses, have given rise to many a story of sirens and mermaids. The "cow-face," however, from which the manati obtains its Spanish and Portuguese epithets, is the most characteristic; and in its food we find a still greater a.n.a.logy to the bovine quadruped with which it is brought in comparison. Beyond this the resemblance ceases. The body is that of a seal; but instead of being covered with hair, as the cetaceous animal, the manati has a smooth skin that resembles india-rubber more than anything else. A few short hairs are set here and there, but they are scarce observable. The colour of the manati is that of lead, with a few mottlings of a pinkish-white hue upon the belly; but in this respect there is no uniformity. Some are seen with the whole under-parts of a uniform cream colour.