342 Mr J. W. Clark, On Rhytina gigas. [Feb. 25, 
destruction on Bering’s Island, “for fear the sea-cow should 
become extinct there also.” This advice was disregarded, and 
Captain Billings, who explored Bering’s Sea between 1785 and 
1794, records: “sea-cows were very numerous... but the last of 
this species was killed in 1768 on Bering’s Island, and none have 
ever been seen since.” This statement is confirmed by the diary of 
Bragin, who wintered on Bering’s Island in 1772, and enumerates 
the animals to be met with there, omitting Rhytina; and by that 
of Schelichoff, who wintered there in 1783, and gives similar 
information. 
The survivors of Bering’s expedition built themselves a vessel 
out of the wreck, with which they reached Petropaulski at the 
end of August, 1742. Steller had wished to bring back with him 
a skeleton of a young sea-cow, or at least some fragments, “spolia 
quedam,” but the size of the craft did not admit of this; his 
specimens amounted to no more than two of the horny plates 
which were attached to the palate of the sea-cow, and did duty 
for teeth, as in Manatus and Halicore. These fragments, and a 
sketch of the animal, which appears in the Zoographia of Pallas, 
but without history or authority, constituted (with Steller’s paper 
and diary) the whole evidence respecting Ahytina for more than 
a century. The Academy of St Petersburg offered rewards for 
information and specimens, but without succéss. They were told 
that “strange bones were found in the soil of Bering’s Island,” 
but failed to obtain any of them until 1844, when a broken skull 
was brought to Brandt. Subsequently he obtained two skeletons, 
one of which is nearly complete, and appears to be composed 
of associated bones. On these ample materials he founded the 
elaborate monograph contained in the Symbol Sirenologicee. 
Bering’s Island is now let by the Russian Government to the 
Alaska Commercial Company, and by their permission, the authori- 
ties of the National Museum at Washington, U.S., have caused 
diligent search to be made for bones of Rhytina with great success. 
The skeleton in the Cambridge Museum was obtained from Wash- 
ington, through the kindness of the late Professor Spencer F. 
Baird, at the instance of Professor Newton. The missing parts 
have been modelled from the more complete skeleton in the 
British Museum, by the kind permission of Dr Woodward, Director 
of the Geological Department. 
