> Beet LA ed tet ; 
¥ 
Dec. 29, 1881 ] 
NATURE 
205 
at thirty-seven years of age, through the jealousy and 
tyranny of Siberian officials was a cruel loss to science. 
In these chapters, all that is known to science concerning 
North Siberia and the neighbouring islands has been 
carefully epitomised, and will form a valuable manual for 
future scientific work. In cruising from the Asiatic to 
the American coast, Baron Nordenskjéld makes a remark 
which has an important bearing on a recent correspond- 
ence in these columns. “As in all the Polar Seas,” he 
states, “of the northern hemisphere, so also here, the 
eastern side of the Straits was ice-bestrewn; the western, 
on the other hand, clear of ice.” We regret that we can- 
not enter in detail on the many interesting facts given 
by Baron Nordenskjéld on the natural history of St. 
Lawrence, Behring, and other islands between Asia and 
America. He has collected all the information attain- 
able on Steller’s sea-cow (Rhytina Stellerz), which on 
Steller’s visit to Behring Island in 1741 was found pastur- 
ing in large herds on the abundant sea-weed on the shores 
of the island. Twenty-seven years after, not a specimen 
was to be found, and it was believed to be then extinct. 
But Baron Nordenskjéld adduces evidence to prove that 
a specimen was seen twenty-seven years ago, though there 
can be little doubt that it has really gone the way of the 
mammoth. The Baron does not believe that its ex- 
tinction is due to the destruction by hunters, but that 
it was a survival from a past age doomed to extinction, 
which overtook it when driven from its pastures on the 
shores of Behring Island, 
“ Steller’ s sea-cow (Rhytina Stelleri, Cuvier) in a way 
took the place of the cloven-footed animals among the 
marine mammalia. The sea-cow was of a dark-brown 
colour, sometimes varied with white spots or streaks. 
The thick leathery skin was covered with hair which grew 
together so as to form an exterior skin, which was full of 
vermin and resembled the bark of an old oak. The full 
Fic. 11.—‘‘ Seal-rookery ”” on St, Pzul’s Island, one of the Pribilov Islands. 
grown animal was from twenty-eight to thirty-five English 
feet in length and weighed about sixty-seven cwt. The 
head was small in proportion to the large thick pody, 
the neck short, the body diminishing rapidly behind. 
The short fore-leg terminated abruptly without fingers 
or nails, but was overgrown with a number of short 
thickly placed brush-hairs; the hind-leg was re- 
placed by a tail-fin resembling a _whale’s. The 
animal wanted teeth, but was instead provided with 
two masticating plates, one in the gum the other in the 
under jaw. The udders of the female, which abounded 
in milk, were placed between the fore-limbs. The flesh 
and milk resembled those of horned cattle, indeed in 
Steller’s opinion surpassed them. The sea-cows were 
almost constantly employed in pasturing en the sea-weed 
| which grew luxuriantly on the coast, moving the head and 
| neck while so doing much in the same way as an ox. 
While they pastured they showed great voracity, and did 
not allow themselves to be disturbed in the least by the 
| presence of man. One might even touch them without 
| their being frightened or disturbed. They entertained 
sreat attachment to each other, and when one was 
harpooned the others made incredible attempts to 
rescue it.” 
We give asketch of the sea-cow (Fig. 10), as also of the 
“rookery ” of the sea-bears, still found in abundance on 
St. Paul’s Island (Fig. 11). 
But we must take leave of a work abounding in in- 
terest, and in every way worthy of the important 
expedition of which it is the outcome. 
