15 
Behring’s second expedition, in the year 1741, on tho shore of an 
island in Lchrings Straits, named after that celebrated navigator. 
During an enforced stay of ton months on this island, owing to 
tho loss of his ship, Steller had ample opportunities of studying 
the habits of this animal, and has loft an excellent memoir, which 
was published in 1751, after tho death of tho author, and this is 
the only account of the species wo have. In appearance and habits 
tho Iihytina greatly resembled its near relatives the Manatees and 
Dugong, all tho known species of which are inhabitants of the 
warm seas of tropical climates. Many of its structural peculiarities 
were very remarkable. In winter it seems to have had a bad time ; 
many wore killed by being dashed against tho rocks by the 
naves or suffocated by tho ice, and at this season all were miserably 
thin. When Steller first discovered this animal in 1741, it existed 
in such immense numbers that, ho tells us, there were sufficient 
to feed all Ivamtchatka; in 1708, only twenty-seven years after, 
the last of its kind is believed to have been killed. The whalers 
so soon as it became known what a store of excellent food, so 
easily obtainable, was to bo found on Behring’s Island, resorted 
thither to provision their ships. Tho result I have just told you. 
At tho present time tho only remains of the Khytina known are, 
according to Dr. Gray, two ribs in the British :\rusoum, received 
from St. Petersburg, one complete skeleton in the museum of the 
latter city, a second at Helsingfors, and a third at l\roscow. 
It is to bo feared that the remaining members of the order 
Sirenia, three or perhaps four in number, will soon share tho firte 
of tho Rhytina. They arc all inhabitants of the warmer regions of 
the earth, and were formerly very numerous, but from tho ease 
with which they were captured soon became less frequent. :Most 
of us have had an opportunity of seeing the l^Ianatee alive in 
London, and could not firil in being struck with its old world 
•ippeaiance, aud to have wondered that such a strange creature 
should have survived the later Tertiary period when tho members 
of the order appear to have been most numerous. 
Naturally associated with the home of tho extinct Bhytina is 
another animal, which, although not actually lost to man, from 
