Mar. 31, 1908. The Queensland Naturalist. 
17 
in form, characters, and mode of life, which have peopled 
the earth through vast ages of time, and to wliich nuiiieri- 
cally our existing forms are infinitesimal^ small, and that 
the knowledge we possess of an immense number of them, 
fully justifies the expectation of an enormous further 
advance in this direction. In the time of Linnseus the 
existence in any past time of a species having no longer 
living representatives on the earth, though perhaps the 
speculation of a few philosophical minds, had not been 
received amongst the certainties of science, and at all events 
found no place in the great work we are now considering.” 
At the period covered by Linnaeus’ literary activity, 
1735-1770, the Australian Fauna was almost a ten'a 
incognita. Our niarsupials were unknown to European 
naturalists, and generally speaking only world-roamers 
comprised amongst our animals had come under their notice. 
In fact, they perforce had to draw the material, on which 
they founded their statements, from the old world, or from 
the earlier explored regions only of the new. 
Accordingly the names that distinguish both the higher 
and the lower animals of this continent, are generally 
speaking not ones that we owe to Linnseus, although he is 
sponsof for the appelations of many of our genera that 
have extra-Australasian representatives. Amongst verti- 
brates I can however recall the dugong, and a dozen of our 
birds, that are known by the technical terms by which 
Linnseus designated them, nearly two hundred years ag >. 
The group of mammals that includes the Dugong and 
Manatees, that is now named Sirenia of Illiger, and that is 
an isolated one without relation with any other aninmls, 
Linnseus regarded as embracing the Walrus, from which 
they are perfectly distinct, and assigned to it the name 
TrichecJius. These anim.als he regarded also as one, his 
acquaintance with the Dugong through the account that 
had been j>ubli shed in Dan .pier’s voyages, being necessarily 
superficial. Luffion’s description and figure (skull) Histoire 
Naturdle XIII. . was probably published at almost 
suific:ently early a date to assist Linnseus in this m.atter. 
In accordance with his artificial classification, m.oreover, 
he included both in his order Brnta, that he had cha,racterised 
as lacking, front teeth (Dentes prim.ares) above ' and' belov% 
and that contained also such dissimilar animals to them and 
to each other, as are the Elephants and the Sloths. Cuvier, 
the successor of Linnseus, placed them amongst the Cetpv- 
ceans or Whales, with which again they have but few 
affinities.- In a Brisbane newspaper dated January 28th 
of the present year, the Dugong is spoken of as “ a large fish 
ot about the siz,e of a porpoise ” ; mirabile didtu ! This is 
an example of the present state of popular science in Queens- 
