652 



SIR WM. TURNER ON THE PLACENTATION OF HALICORE DUGONG. 



just above the tongue-like lobe, ran upwards for If inch, when it ended in a shallow 

 transverse groove not quite \ inch long. On each side of the mesial groove was a lateral 

 groove of about the same length, which passed obliquely downwards and outwards to the 

 most projecting part of the lip on its own side. The palpebral fissure was small, so that 

 only a limited surface of eye-ball was exposed. The auditory meatus was about the size 

 of the head of a small pin. The two anterior nares were situated above the muzzle ; they 

 were crescentic in shape with the concavity downwards, and were about -j^ths of an inch 

 asunder ; each nostril was -^ths of an inch wide and T ^ths of an inch in vertical diameter, 

 and had a flap-like piece of skin at the orifice. The pectoral limb was paddle-shaped, and 

 with a slight indentation in its posterior end near the ulnar border. The lobes of the 

 horizontal tail projected behind the mid point, so that the hinder border was concave, but 

 there was no mesial notch. The anal orifice was relatively large. The penis projected 

 through a circular hole surrounded by a fold of skin which was 5 inches in front of the 

 anus. The umbilical cord projected from the wall of the abdomen 2 inches in front of 

 the orifice for the penis. It is difficult to get exact information of the length of the 

 adult Dugong, as the statements in the books vary from 8 or 10 feet to 20 feet. On the 

 supposition that the adult is only 10 feet long, then this foetus had attained quite one- 

 half of the adult length. 



Dimensions of Fcetus. 



Length along curve of back, 

 From middle of tail to anus, 

 From anus to orifice for penis, 

 From orifice of penis to umbilicus, 

 From axilla to tip of pectoral limb, 

 Greatest breadth of pectoral limb, 

 From angle of mouth to eye, 

 Width of mouth slit, 

 From mouth to nostril, 

 From eye to external meatus, 



Feet. Inches. 

 5 4 



1 1 



5 



2 

 7 



- *U 



d 4 



I am also indebted to Mr de Vis for a much smaller foetus from another uterus, which 

 was, however, unaccompanied by any of the membranes. It was a male, and was 

 curved on itself like the larger specimen. The surface of the skin was a pale drab 

 colour, and was marked; with spots which obviously showed the position of the hair 

 follicles, though no hairs were to be seen, neither was any moustache visible. The 

 muzzle showed the mesial tongue-like process, which was relatively larger than in the 

 older specimen. The muzzle was flattened in front. The eye-balls were relatively large, 

 but the palpebral fissure was very small. The anterior nares were small, and the auditory 

 meatus was so minute as to be scarcely visible. The tail was bilobed, but the mid point 

 projected a trifle further back than the lateral lobes. The pectoral fin was paddle-shaped, 

 and with a similar indentation in its border to that described in the older fcetus. There 

 was no dorsal fin. This fcetus was only 14 centimetres long (5^ inches). 



