THE SEA COWS 



59 



which ranges from Western Austraha to the Red Sea and 

 from Mauritius to the Indian Archipelago. The animal to 

 some extent resembles the rhytina, having a large, whale- 

 like tail, entirely different from that of the manatee. The 

 head is large and deep ; the mouth large ; the fore limbs 

 are long but clawless. The prevailing color is a deep black. 

 In former years 

 large herds of du- 

 gongs were to be 

 seen, especially at 

 the Mascarene Is- 

 lands, where they 

 browsed upon the 

 beds of seaweed; 

 but they were, un- 

 fortunately, con- 

 sidered dainties 

 and were killed 

 off by the natives. 



Dugong oil is valued in trade. To supply this com- 

 modity a fishery was established in Australia some years 

 ago, which has almost resulted in the destruction of the 

 animal in that region. The male dugong has large incisor 

 teeth ; but in the female the teeth do not penetrate the 

 upper jaw sufficiently to be of any use. They grow with 

 the skull and are really tusks sheathed in the bone of the 

 jaw. Like the manatees, the dugongs are slow, cumber- 

 some creatures, frequenting the mouths of rivers and 

 naturally not timid. They attain a length of twenty-five 

 feet, and when standing upright in the water bear a close 

 resemblance to a human being. 



Fig. 40. — The Dugong. 



