Report of the Geological Society of London. 123 

 VIII. Eeport of the Geological Society of London. 



March 25, 1885.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, D.Sc, LL D, 

 F.E.S., President, in the Chair. The following communications 

 were read : "On an almost perfect Skeleton of Rhytina gigas 

 — Rhytina stelleri ('Steller's sea-cow'] obtained by Mr. Robert 

 Damon, F.G.S., from the Pleistocene Peat-deposits on Behring 

 Island." By Henry Woodward, LL.D., F.E.S., F.G.S. 



The author spoke of the interest which palaeontologists must 

 always attach to such animals as are either just exterminated, 

 or are now in course of rapid extirpation by man or other agents. 

 He referred to the now rapid destruction of all the larger mam- 

 malia, and expressed his opinion that the African elephant, the 

 giraffe, the bison and many others, will soon be extirpated unless 

 protected from being hunted to death. The same applies to the 

 whale and seal-fisheries. He drew attention to a very remarkable 

 order of aquatic animals, the Sirenia, formerly classed with the 

 Cetacea by some, with the walruses and seals by others, and by 

 De Blainville with the elephants. He particularly drew attention 

 to the largest of the group, the Rhytina, which was seen alive 

 and described by Steller in 1741. It was then confined to two 

 islands (Behring 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 three or four tons. 



The author then described some of the leading points in the 

 anatomy of Khy tina, and indicated some of the characters by 

 which the order is distinguished. He referred to the present 

 wide distribution of the Sirenia : — Manatus with three species,* 

 namely, M. latirostris occupying the shores of Florida and the 

 West Indies; M. americanas, the coasts of Brazil and the great 

 rivers Amazon and Orinoco ; M. senegalensis, the west coast of 

 Africa and the rivers Senegal, Congo, etc. 



Halicore with three species,* namely H. tabernaculi, the Red 



* Dr. Murie affirms, that, after examination of many specimens, he be- 

 lieves that only two species exist at the present day, one of Manatus, and 

 one of Halicore. 



