No. 469] 



BIOLOGY OF THE DUGONG 



53 



lay motionless at the bottom, resigned to its fate. The intervals 

 between breaths also became longer; at first they were from 43 

 to 00 seconds, then later, from 100 to 120 seconds apart. The 

 following intervals were particularly noted: 10 1. I.'!. CO. .'>s, <)."), 

 45, 105, 145, 85, 52, 50, 56, 120, and 85 svmwU. Thr l-mirest 

 interval was 145 seconds though of course it niu^t !>.■ k.-pt in mind 

 that in this case the animal was livino; under abnormal conditions, 

 of which it must have been sensible, despite its partial freedom. 

 The exhaled air had the .same aromatic o.lor that i> ])eeuliar to the 

 flesh, the excreta, the fat, and the steam from the boiling meat. 



Thus the captive was studied for a number of hours, though 

 but little else was brought out, for the radius of movement of 

 which it availed it.self was very small. Such observations as were 

 made, however, were concerned almo.st entirely with the breath- 

 ing. If one .struck the animal with the tiller, it took each stroke 

 with a slight .shudder of the entire body. A more (h-lieate sensi- 

 tiveness of the skin could be made out at the corners of tiie mouth 

 only. If one touched this regi(m with the thumb, the dugong 

 suddenly raised its head a hand's breadth from the bottom. 



At evening the animal was rolled up onto the shore. During 

 this process it thrashed al)out l)ut httle aiid allowed itself to i)e 

 borne to land as quietlv as a harrel. Not until it was choked did 

 it repeat the tremendous >trokes witli tlu" tail; at other times it 

 moved neither the hind(>r pari of the bo.lv n.>r the llipp.'rs. ^riie 

 latter were held a-ainst the l>n>ast, but if they were pulled away 

 from the bo.ly, thev remaine.l in that position. For forty-ei-ht 



ated by <|uiekly thrusting two u'un wads into' the iiostrib .luring- an 

 inhalation. It raided it^ hca.l, u<ue three mi^lit\ Mrok,-. uitli ii. 

 tail and expinMl. 



After thi. description. neee..ita!e<l !•> the nature of the 

 the bioloi:ieal d.iaiU will auaiu be .v>temalicallv .liM U.sr.l. A 

 litde ha. alread.N Uvru ^aid in n-ard to the matmer of iii^piratio,, 

 and expiration ' Until pro. c^m-. take pla<-e out ..f u:,ter and ex- 

 clusively through the nose. When the captiuv.l duo-on- was 

 a.spln\iate<l b\ elosinu' it^ tio-^triU. it ma.le no attempt to open 

 and breathe through its mouth. These conditions in the dugong, 

 it is interesting to observe, correspond exactly to those found 



