Hold out a cabbage leaf to a manatee which has been kept in a tank as a pet--for though timid they are affectionate when kindly treated; the gentle beast extends its head toward the leaf, and in so doing parts the lobes of the upper lip, leaving a wide gap. As soon as the leaf is within this space, the lip lobes come together and hold the leaf firmly with their bristly surfaces. Then the lobes draw backwards, and the leaf is thus pushed into the mouth where there are some twelve teeth to chew it. The mermaid has in all twenty-two teeth, but some fall out before others come, so it generally has twelve in its mouth at one time. While the manatee lives constantly in the water, it breathes air through its nostrils into its lungs. To secure air it comes to the surface of the water once in every three or four minutes. When it thus rises it will blow like a whale and send a spout of spray and water twelve or fifteen feet into the air. It seems to enjoy this blowing; it also enjoys rolling itself on the sand and fine pebbles in the bottom of the stream. It rolls and plunges to cleanse its skin; it is its way of making its toilet. After a roll the manatee rises to the surface, parts its lip lobes, gives a good blow, draws in all the air it can, and returns below. Lily pods and pads, bananas,[77] a coarse river grass called manatee grass, are its favorite food. A large manatee will eat three bushels of lily-pods in a day. The manatee is a strong, swift swimmer, and dives with wonderful agility. In its favorite haunt, the Santa Lucia River, the mermaid’s babies are born among the lily-leaves, and in that green and pleasant nursery, the clean white sand for their bed, the fragrant lilies rocking on the water, the butterflies and dragon-flies darting out and in among the shadows, and the birds singing and sporting above them, they live for several weeks. When they are quite small their mothers carry them around in their flippers if they seem tired or do not go fast enough, but the manatee baby can swim as soon as it is born. Being now very scarce, the manatee is largely increased in value. One fifteen feet long would cost two or even three thousand dollars. A large skeleton is worth a thousand dollars. The hides and flesh have been so much sought after that the creatures have been hunted nearly out of existence. Formerly the Indians made light, strong, and handsome canoes of manatee skins.