THE NORTHERN SEA-COW 1 5/ 



by naturalists with whales and porpoises, but are 

 now justly ranked as a separate class of mammals — 

 the Sirenia. The sea-cow was remarkable in inhabit- 

 ing the icy waters of the Northern Pacific ; existing 

 sirenians are found only in hot climates, frequenting 

 the coast in shallow water, and in the case of the 

 manatees, also ascending the rivers. 



The discovery of the rhytina constitutes one 

 of the romances of natural history. In Novem- 

 ber, 1 74 1, Vitus Behring, the well-known Danish 

 navigator, who held the rank of captain in the 

 Russian Navy, was drifting hopelessly at random in 

 the sea which bears his name. He manaored to cast 

 anchor off what is now Behring Island : the storm 

 in an hour tore through the cable and dashed the 

 unmanageable craft towards the shore. By a happy 

 chance she drifted into a deep basin which formed a 

 natural harbour, and by the exertions of Lieutenant 

 Waxell and Herr Steller (a German physician and 

 zoologist) the scurvy-sick crew were safely landed. 

 Many of the invalids died : doubtless it was due to 

 the energy and resourcefulness of Steller that more 

 lives were not lost. Owing to the imperative need 

 of nursing the sick the vessel had to be abandoned — 

 grounding in a violent storm she broke up and many 

 of the provisions were lost. The crew were thus 

 compelled to take to hunting : they ate sea-otter 

 meat and also the fiesh of two whales that had been 

 stranded. In the spring there arrived more food in 



