Miscellaneous. 421 



1741. It was then confined to two islands (Behriug's Island and 

 Copper Island). In forty years (1780) it was believed to have 

 been entirely extirpated. It was a toothless herbivore, living along 

 the shore in shallow water, and was easily taken, being without fear 

 of man. Its flesh was good, and it weighed often 3 or 4 tons. 



The Author then described some of the leading points in the ana- 

 tomy of Rhytina, and indicated some of the characters by which the 

 order is distinguished. He referred to the present wide distri- 

 bution of the Sirenia: — Manatus with three species, namely, M. 

 latirostris, occupying the shores of Florida and the West Indies ; 

 M. americanus, the coasts of Brazil and the great rivers Amazon 

 and Orinoco ; 31. senegahnsis, the west coast of Africa and the rivers 

 Senegal, Congo, &c. 



Halicore with three species, namely, H. tabernacidi, the lied Sea 

 and east coast of Africa ; //. dugong, Bay of Bengal and East Indies ; 

 II. australis, North and East Australia. 



The fossil forms number thirteen genera and twenty-nine species, 

 all limited to England, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, 

 Austria, Italy, Malta, and Egypt, and to the United States and 

 Jamaica. 



The Author gave some details as to the dentition of fossil species, 

 of which Halifherium and Prorastomus are the two most remarkable 

 types. 



Lastly, with regard to the geographical area occupied at the 

 present day by the Sirenia, the Author pointed out that two lines 

 drawn 30° N. and 30° South of the equator, will embrace all the 

 species now found living. Another line drawn at 00° N. will show 

 between 30° and 00° N. the area once occupied by the twenty-nine 

 fossil species. 



He looked upon Rhytina as a last surviving species of the old 

 Tertiary group of Sirenians, and its position as marking an " out- 

 lier " of the group, now swept away. 



The greater northern extension of the group seems good evidence 

 of the once warmer climate enjoyed by Europe, Asia, and America 

 in the Tertiary epoch. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Preliminary Notes on the Echinoderms of Beaufort. 

 By Henry F. Nachirieb. 



Recent work on the morphology and embryology of invertebrates 

 and the speculations on the phylogeny and relationships of the 

 various classes of animals now claiming the morphologist's consider- 

 ation make a coherent history of the evolution of the Echinoderms 

 very desirable, especially as no satisfactory explanation (so far 

 as I know) of this interesting class of Invertebrates has ever been 

 given. From what has been done it is evident that before we can 

 Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Sev 5. Vol. xv. 29 



