HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



77 



by me I will subjoin briefly." They frequented the 

 shallow and sandy 'places about the sea-shore and 

 the mouths of rivers, attracted by the freshness o* 

 the waters; when feeding, the young ones were 

 kept in the centre of the flock, and they approached 

 so close to the shore, that their backs would be 

 above water as they fed, the gulls often alighting on 

 them to feed on the parasites with which their skin 

 was infested. They were so fearless that he often 

 stroked their backs with his hand, and when injured 

 they merely retired to deeper water, soon returning, 

 as though the injury were forgotten. They appeared 

 to be monogamous, and to bring forth their single 

 young one in the autumn. When feeding, which 

 they did most voraciously, about every five minutes 

 they thrust their nostrils out of the water to 

 breathe. Although such voracious animals, they 

 appear to have selected certain sorts of seaweed 

 on which to feed, in preference to others. In 

 winter they seem to have fared very badly, many 

 being killed by being dashed against the rocks by 

 the waves, or suffocated in the ice : all at this season 

 were miserably thin. The old ones evinced the 

 most touching affection for each other and their 

 young, and an old male, whose mate had been killed, 

 could not be driven from the spot so long as her 

 body remained in the water, and continued to haunt 

 the spot for three days, anxiously awaiting her 

 return. 



They were captured by a large hook, like the 

 blade of an anchor, with a line attached, which was 

 taken out in a boat, the other end of the line being 

 on the shore. When the animal was struck, the men 

 on the shore drew " the resisting one " to land, and 

 when it was wearied, and perfectly quiet, despatched 

 it with daggers and knives, " some cutting off 

 immense pieces from the live animal." The only 

 resistance it offered was expressed by a vehement 

 vibration of the tail and fore-arms, accompanied by 

 loud breathing. Large pieces of the rough 

 outer skin frequently became detached during its 

 struggles. 



When Steller first discovered this animal in 1741, 

 it existed in such immense numbers that he observes 

 there were sufficient to feed the whole of Kams- 

 chatka ; twenty-seven years after, in the year 1768, 

 the last of its kind is believed to have been killed. 

 The existence of such a valuable supply of excellent 

 food, so easily obtainable, soon became known, and 

 the whalers at once made Bhering's Island their 

 winter quarters, and resorted thither to provision 

 their ships ; the result was the speedy destruction 

 of this harmless and interesting animal. The only 

 remains of the Rhytina known to exist are, according 

 to Dr. Gray, two ribs in the British Museum, re- 

 ceived from the St. Petersburg Museum, and three 

 skeletons in Russia, — one at St. Petersburg, the 

 second at Helsingfors, and the third at Moscow. 

 a. That the other members of this remarkable familv 



will soon share the fate of the Rhytina there can be 

 very little doubt, for already it has been discovered 

 that, in addition to the value of its flesh as an article 

 of food, the oil obtained from the fat of the Dugong 

 possesses all the remedial properties for which 

 cod-liver oil has become so noted ; for this purpose 

 Mr. Scott* says, that of late years, in New South 

 Wales, " harpoons, nets, and boats with organized 

 crews, have been employed" in its capture. I 

 cannot share in his regret that '*' now that it has the 

 experience of the ways of man " the difficulty of 

 obtaining the Dugong has cramped the enterprise ; 

 were it otherwise, its days would be short indeed — 

 in fact, limited to the exact period required to kill 

 and boil down every dugong in New South Wales. 

 How constantly we have to regret that by 

 thoughtless and greedy slaughter, animals, which 

 properly protected and used with moderation, might 

 long have been preserved for our benefit, have been 

 utterly exterminated ; and yet the present state ot 

 the Northern seal-fishery shows how slow we are 

 at learning the lesson ! When will man learn that 

 it is not by killing the goose that the golden eggs 

 are to be obtained ? 



WHITE AND COLOURED YARNISH EOR 

 "RINGING" SLIDES. 



UNTIL within a comparatively recent period 

 the majority of microscope slides were covered 

 with elaborately gold-ornamented coloured papers ; 

 but as this covering prevented the use of the 

 Lieberkuhn, which, with the binocular, has now 

 become an almost indispensable part of the instru- 

 ment, as well as the plan being inapplicable where 

 large and deep cells are required, it has very justly 

 come to be discontinued. On the other hand, many 

 slides were finished off by being placed upon the 

 turntable and neatly encircled with a well-formed 

 ring of asphalt, or of coachmaker's black varnish, 

 giving them an exceedingly stylish appearance, 

 better appreciable, however, in the daytime and in 

 the cabinet, than suited to the gloomy shade of the 

 microscope lamp of an evening; hence it is not 

 surprising that light and bright colours should be 

 thought to be an advantageous substitute, and to 

 have become very generally adopted. 



A few years ago some slides came under my notice 

 in which this black ring had been superseded by a 

 foundation of some light-coloured material, which, 

 from its dingy and discoloured surface, appeared to 

 be composed of ordinary white paint, or white lead, 

 and the reflection made at the moment was, that 

 had the " permanent white " or oxide of zinc been 

 used, and a smooth or varnish surface been ob- 

 tained, it would neither have become discoloured 



* " Mammalia, Recent and Extinct." By A. W. Scott, M.A. 

 Sydney, New South Wales. 18/3. 



