392 Dr KNOX on the Dentition of the Dugong, and on the 



the head and cranium, put into my hands by the politeness of 

 this Society. 



When Mr SWINTON transmitted the preparations and parts 

 of the dugong, to which I have already alluded, to this country, 

 he at the same time sent the separate bones of another dugong, 

 which had been macerated and prepared in the East Indies. 

 These bones, seemingly an entire skeleton of an adult animal, 

 came accidentally into the hands of the curators of the Univer- 

 sity Museum, and Professor JAMESON, Keeper of that Museum, 

 very readily granted my request, that he would allow these 

 bones to be articulated by my assistant, Mr F. KNOX, who, being 

 much conversant with these matters, would take every care that 

 the workmen employed by him should in no shape injure the 

 skeleton, as had happened to a deplorable extent to the skeleton 

 of a young dugong, at present deposited in the Museum of the 

 University *. 



* The animal to which the young skeleton I now speak of belonged, reached 

 this country several years ago, and, as I have been assured, entire. It was the mu- 

 nificent gift of some patron of science to the Museum of the University. I many 

 years ago pointed out, from a cursory and hasty view of the skeleton, when prepared, 

 that a highly blamable neglect had been shewn in its preparation, inasmuch as the 

 bones of the sternum and rudimentary pelvis had evidently been lost or destroyed. 

 My brother, somewhat more than a year ago, having had occasion to re-examine this 

 skeleton, discovered that the original teeth (probably all milk-teeth, as the skeleton 

 must evidently have been that of a young animal) had been lost, and their place sup- 

 plied by the workman to whom the articulation of this invaluable skeleton was en- 

 trusted, who had substituted for the absent teeth those of a variety of other animals, 

 and even pieces of ivory. So that all that remains of this splendid gift is a muti- 

 lated skeleton, which ought not to be exhibited in any museum. I trust that no- 

 thing contained in this note will be construed by any one into censure of the Cura- 

 tors of a museum, which is really a private collection ; on the contrary, we may re- 

 gret with them that the person to whom they entrusted the dissection was found to 

 be altogether unfit for real anatomical research. I mentioned these facts, first dis- 

 covered by my brother, to several persons, and they, somehow or other, have got in- 

 to the public journals ; but this was not originally intended. 



