als round which they had thrown such a halo of
romance. But to return to the prose of the subject. The Sirenia
consists of the Manatees (_Manatus_), the Dugongs (_Halicore_), and
the Stellerines (_Rhytina_); the latter is almost extinct; it used
to be found in numbers in Behring Straits, but was exterminated by
sailors and others, who found it very good eating. The Manatee
inhabits the African and American coasts, along the west coast of
the former continent, and in the bays, inlets, and rivers of tropical
America, but the one with which we have to do is the dugong or halicore,
of which the distribution is rather widespread, from the Red Sea and
East African coasts to the west coast of Australia. The latter
country possesses an organised dugong fishery, which bids fair to
exterminate this harmless animal. They are prized for the excellent
quality of the oil they yield, which is clear and free from
objectionable smell.

_GENUS HALICORE--THE DUGONG_.

Have grinders of two cones laterally united. The premaxillary region
is elongated and bent downwards, overlapping the very deep lower jaw,
which is similarly bent down. They have ordinarily two incisors in
the upper jaw, none in the lower. No canines, and molars 3--3/3--3,
total fourteen teeth. The incisor tusks in the bent-down upper jaw
are longer in the male, and sometimes project beyond the thick fleshy
lips, but in the female they are small. The head is round, the lips
thick and bristled with moustaches, the body is elongated, and the
tail terminated by a crescent-shaped flapper.

NO. 272. HALICORE DUGONG.
_The Dugong_. (_Jerdon's No. 240_).

NATIVE NAME.--_Mooda Oora_, Singhalese.

HABITAT.--Indian Ocean off Ceylon.

[Illustration: _Halicore dugong_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Body pisciform, terminated by a horizontal fin with
two lobes; colour slaty brown above, sometimes bluish black, whitish
below.

SIZE.--From 5 to 7 feet long usually, but said to reach 10.

Dr. Kellaart says that at an early age this animal has as many as
32 teeth, viz. inc. 4/8, and molars 5--5/5--5, but when adult there
are only 14, as mentioned above. The molars, according to Dr. Murie,
succeed each other, the fore ones dropping out, and others from
behind taking their places. It feeds on fucus and other seaweeds,
and the flesh is considered good eating, and not unlike veal or, some
say, pork. They are lethargic in disposition, and in those countries
where they have been unmolested they