PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 61 
But now as to the sea-cow. We found the remains of one, and I will 
here give an extract from my journal concerning this event. 
August 27, 1882, Cape Tolstoj—Mr. Osche went out hunting, while I 
was occupied in searching for fossils. From the extreme point of the 
cape I took some bearings of the other capes visible from here, and 
was just looking over my collections of stones when Mr. Osche returned 
with the cheerful message that he‘had found what he thought to be a 
skeleton of a sea-cow. Immediately we seized the spades and set out 
for the place. Having removed some spades full of soil, I soon became 
convinced that his supposition was right, but at the same time it was 
evident that the skeleton was in such a bad state of preservation that 
it would hardly be of any use. It was situated in a sand-bank 12 feet 
high, about equally distant from the base and from the top of the 
shore, close to a rivulet, which here had cut its bed through the bank 
and earried away the whole caudal portion of the skeleton. The dis- 
tance from the sea was 500 feet in a straight line, and the height above 
high tide not less than 10 to 12 feet. The head of the skeleton pointed 
towards the west. It was lying horizontally on the back, slightly bent 
towards the left; most of the bones were in their natural position. The 
top of the sand-bank was covered with thick sod, and both above and 
below the skeleton the bank consisted of moist and rather fine sand, of 
the same kind daily washed up on the beach and deposited in horizontal 
and alternating blue and brown layers, the latter color greatly predomi- 
nating. The color of the sand near the bones was blackish, sometimes 
iridescent. In spite of the miserable condition of the bones, I finished 
the exhumation in order to ascertain whether all parts were in their 
proper place. This caused us much pain and labor, not only because 
the sand had to be removed from the very top, but especially because 
the fine particles of the upper and dry layers were whirled by the strong 
breeze into our eyes. 
Altogether, fourteen dorsal vertebre with their ribs, the cervical 
vertebrae, the skull and sternum, two scapule, two humeri, and one 
cubitus were dug out; the other cubitus could not be found, nor any 
trace of a metacarpal bone. While all the other parts were found in 
situ, the sternum was lying outside, close to the right extremity, while 
the left one, consisting of a scapula and humerus only, was placed 
within the throat, close to the spine. 
As stated above, the bones were in a miserable state of preservation, 
being decomposed in a very high degree, and so brittle as to be ineapa- 
ble of bearing their own weight, falling into many pieces when lifted 
out, even with the greatest care. Even the ribs, which are so hard that 
they present the appearance of ivory, were entirely rotten. Some 
bones had the consistency of flesh, while other parts would glide away 
between the fingers like soft soap. All the bones were of a dark red- 
dish-brown color. 
The impossibility of securing anything of value under such circum- 
