It not only gives milk to its young, but it is warm-blooded, while fishes are, you know, cold-blooded. It also breathes through lungs instead of gills like fish. In all these things it resembles the whale. The fact is that neither whales or sea-cows are really fishes, though they are generally considered as such, as they live in the water and swim about like fishes. Sometimes a sea-cow is found that measures fifteen feet, but, usually, they are much smaller. Perhaps you may have heard of this creature by the name of manatee. Its body is oblong; it has a flat tail, which is quite broad; its fins are something like arms, and its head is small, with the most comical face you ever saw. I am afraid you would be so impolite as to laugh in its face if ever you saw one. It has rather a stupid expression, in which respect it differs from its cousins of the seal family. But it has ideas of its own, and very good ones; and it is very playful when in its native element. It is easy to capture these poor beasts, for they always swim in crowds; and, if one is hurt with the harpoon, the others, instead of taking themselves out of danger, stay by their wounded comrade, and do everything in their power to assist him. They will try to pull out the weapon, or bite at the rope attached to it, and in this way hunters can often secure a whole troupe of manatees. [Illustration: CAPTURE OF SEA COWS.] The sea-cow has a thick skin, and a layer of fat under it to keep it warm. The arm-like fins are terminated by curious appendages like fingers, except they are united by a sort of membrane, or skin. At the ends of these are nails, similar to finger nails. The resemblance of these fins to hands must be strongly marked, for it is from these it gets its name of manatee, from the Latin _manus_, a hand. It is said by some that the female manatee carries her young in these arm-like fins, but this is not at all probable. The sea-cow feeds upon plants, and is, therefore, generally found near the shores of rivers and lakes. It prefers a warm climate. It is hunted for its oil, of which it yields a good supply of very excellent quality; and for its flesh, which is juicy and tender eating. The female manatees are affectionate mothers. They take great care of their children, and keep them by them a long time, to train them in the way in which they should go. TWO EXTREMES. The ostrich is the largest bird known to exist in the world. Its body is rather small in proportion to the length of its neck and its legs. The latter are very large and strong. The wings and tail are short, and the feathers are extremely beautiful. For these feathers they are hunted; but their speed is so great that it is impossible for the swiftest horse to overtake them. The European hunters shoot them, and the native Africans have various expedients for entrapping them. They can run from a hunter as fast as the fleet-footed antelope.