1^2 THE EXTINCTION OP ANIMALS. 



is often confoiuided witli the blaubok, although the latter 

 was a considerably smaller and otherwise different species. 

 When the blaubok was killed off cannot now be ascertained, 

 but it was certainly abundant at the Cape in the first half 

 of this century. Unfortunately, the British Museum has 

 not a single specimen of tliis antelope, although a head 

 is preserved in Paris. 



The second African mammal is the quagga (Equus 

 quagga), a near relative of the zebras, but distinguished by 

 the hinder portion of the body being devoid of stripes. 

 This animal was described by Sir Cornwallis Harris in 

 1839 as existing in immense herds, although its distribution 

 was always very local ; but of late years there is no definite 

 record of a single specimen having been seen. If, as is 

 probably the case, it is truly extinct, there is no record of 

 the date of its disappearance. Of the almost total ex- 

 termination of the square-mouthed rhinoceros, mention 

 has been alread}^ made. 



Curiously enoiigh, the northern sea-cow was not the 

 only animal discovered on Behring Island in 1741, during 

 Behnng's involuntary sojourn, which ap2)ears to have 

 since become extinct. This second species was Pallas's 

 cormorant (Phalacrocorax perspieiUafus), the largest repre- 

 sentative of its genus, and distinguished by its lustrous 

 green and purple plumage, and the bare white sjaectacle- 

 like rings round the eyes. This bird, which weighed from 

 twelve to fourteen pounds, had small wings and was a 

 poor flyer, with a stupid, sluggish disposition. Steller 

 relates that it occurred in great numbers, and was exten- 

 sively used as food by the meml.iers of Behring's party. 

 About 1839, Captain Belcher, of the " Sulphur," received 

 as a great rarity a present of one of these fine birds from 

 the Grovernor of Sitka, by whom some other specimens 

 were sent to St. Petersburg ; but since that date nothing 

 has been heard of the species, which probably became 

 extinct within about a century of its discovery. Dr. 

 Stejnegar, who visited Behring Island in 1882, instituted 

 a careful search after this bird in vain, although he was 

 rewarded by finding some of its bones buried in the soil. 

 The sjsecies is now represented only by four mounted 



