THE DUGONG. 383 



The Manatee still inhabits the east coasts and the great rivers 

 of South America, such as the Orinoco, the west coast of sub- 

 tropical Africa, the Gaboon, and adjacent shores. The Du- 

 gong occupies the east coast of Africa, from the Red Sea to 

 the tropic of Capricorn ; also the coasts of the East Indies and 

 as far south as the north and east coasts of Queensland, Australia. 

 But within late historic times the geographical distribution of the 

 living Sirenia has everywhere beconie more and more restricted, 

 and their extinction by man seems imminent, owing to the narrow 

 limitation of their feeding-ground, which is confined to those 

 spots in comparatively shallow water along those coasts only 

 where marine algte occur in most abundance. 



E. D. M. 



