124 Proceedings of the Natural History Society. 



Sea and east coast of Africa ; H. dugong, Bay of Bengal and East 

 Indies; H. australis, North and East Australia. 



The fossil forms number thirteen genera and twenty-nine 

 species, all limited to EDgland. 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 Halithcrium 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 ° S. of the Equator, will embrace all 

 the species now found living. Another line drawn at 60 N. 

 will show between 30° and 60° N. the area once occupied by 

 the twenty-nine fossil species. 



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

 tertiary group of Sirenians, and its position as marking an 

 " outlier " of the group now swept away.f The greater northern 

 extension of the group seems good evidence of the once warm 

 climate enjoyed by Europe, Asia, and America in the tertiary 

 period. 



IX. Proceedings oe the Natural History Society, 

 for 1883-84. 



(Continued from page 64.) 



The Fourth Meeting of the session was held on Monday evening, 

 March 31st, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt in the chair. After discussion 

 concerning the Society's Journal, the following were appointed 

 an editing committee : Dr. Hunt, Dr. Harrington, J. T. Donald, 

 D. P. Penballow and D. A. P. Watt. 



Messrs. F. B. Caulfield, C. J. Young, J. J. JRobson and E. O. 

 Robert were elected ordinary members of the Society, and Messrs. 

 A. Inglis and Thos. Devine were proposed for membership. 



t Only three or four examples of the reconstructed skeletons of Rhytina 

 are known at the present day. viz. :— a nearly perfect skeleton in the St. 

 Petersburg xMuseum (described by Xordmann and Brandt), a less perfect 

 one at Stockholm (obtained by Nordenskiold) and the one now under con- 

 sideration, obtained by Mr. Damon. 



