AYES. 
87 
found near the mouths of the West African rivers, or it may 
have been M. americanus, Linn., which is found near the mouths of 
the Amazon, Orinoco, and other South American rivers. It would 
be difficult now to determine, inasmuch as it has ceased to visit the 
Island, and the cause for its departure is not known. About half a 
century ago one or two were seen on shore at an unfrequented spot 
on the S.W. coast called Manatee Bay ; it does not appear that 
they were abundant, as their arrival was considered of sufficient 
importance to be recorded, and thus we read that the 23th .pn , 
1691, and the 25th September, 1739, were days on which sea cows 
were discovered ; on the latter day it was at Old TV oman s a ey , 
as they yielded a good supply of oil they were when seen se om 
allowed to escape. As recently as the year 1810, it is recorded tha 
one came on shore at Stone Top Valley beach, and was shot by r. 
Burnham ; it measured seven feet in length, and ten gallons of oil 
were obtained from it. Another was also seen in the same yeai 
at Manatee Bay. 
CLASS II.— AVES. 
Carinaive. 
The feathered portion of the St. Helenian fauna can scarcely be 
said to be so interesting from a scientific point of view as the rest ; 
still it possesses one land and at least eight sea species which are 
indigenous; the former, the “Wire-bird” of the Islanders, doubtless 
so named because of the similarity between its legs and bits of thin 
wire, has been the subject of much confusion, until clearly demon- 
strated by Mr. J. E. Harting, in the Bis for July, 1873; and it is 
to that gentleman and to the Editor of the Bis that I am so much 
indebted for their kind permission to use the plate of this bird 
which appeared in that journal. Mr. Harting says : It frequently 
happens that a general description of form and colour, intended to 
indicate a particular species, applies so well to another for which it 
was not intended, that unless measurements are added, or some 
marked specific character pointed out, it is impossible to discriminate 
the two without reference to the type or types which furnished the 
description. 
“ A case in point is afforded by the Charadrius pecuarim of lem- 
minck. When that eminent ornithologist described and figured (PI. 
Col. 1S3) a little plover from the Cape of Good Hope, he doubtless 
imagined that his plate would convey to the eyes of his readers what 
