Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-04-24

About one hundred years ago the
voyagers to the Arctic seas were ia
miliar with a large and powerful ami
NAL resembling our manatee; in fact,
it was a northern representative of
this animal called the rhytina. 1t was
extremely common, seemingly taking
the place of the cloven-footed crea.
lures among the milk givers of the
sea- In general appearances the Arc
tic sea cow was a stupendous specta-
Gle, attaining when full grown
length of thirty five feet, and weight
of several tons. The general color
was dark brown; the skin thick and
leathery, covered with thick brist-
ling hair that matted together, form
ing a protection from the ice and cold,
aud was compared in appearance to
the bark of tree. The head of the sea
COW was small in proportion to the
animals size, and, instead of possess
ing teeth, was provided with two mas
ticating plates-one in the gum and
the other in the under Jaw. The tail
somewhat resembled that Of a whale.
having two flukes. The fore fins, or
paddles, were blunt and without nails,
having instead thick growth of
bristling hairs. Such was the general
appearance of the animals that when
first discovered were pasturing in vast
herds among the seaweeds of the
shore. They showed no fear OF the
men, even allowing themselves to be
touched by them; but when one was
injured it is said that they displayed
much bravery in its defense. Such
was the state of things in the year
1742 AT this time vessel was
wrecked in the Arctic sea, the crew
escaping and making their way to
Behring island For some time they
subsisted upon fish and BIRDS but fin
ally the game became scarce, and on
the first of June in the year mention.
ed, they began a warfare upon the
sea-cow that has since been named
after Steller, ono of the party. The
animals were killed with harpoons,
and each was SO large that forty men
could scarcely drag it through the
water.
The men were finally rescued from
Behring Island, but in 1854, a vessel
commanded by Russian, Ivan Kras-
sinikoff, arrived there and destroyed
large numbers of the animals. In
the succeeding year an explorer
named JaJSooley, seeing that they
were about to become exterminated.
laid petition before the authorities
of Kamchatka asking that the ami
mails be protected by law. He was
not needed, however, and in 1857 an
other expedition landed at the islands,
and others in 1858 and 1868, and until
1880, when the last living sea-cow
was seen by q native of Volhynia
Thus in thirty-eight years from the
time these DnOnstrous animals were
discovered they were totally eXtermi-
mated, and to-day, not single skin
and only number of skeletons re-
main in in the possession of natural
lists to tell the story of the destruction
of an entire race of large and power
full beasts. Much interesting inform.
atioa concerning the rhytina was OBJ
tanned during the recent Swedish eX-
petition to the north. and Prof. Nor
denskiold found numbers of deposits
of their bones that are now utilized
by the natives for various purposes,
the ribs beng used for shoeing the
runners of sledges. When alive, the
fur or hide of the animal was mad >
by the natives into boats called lay
dars
It is supposed by some writer's that
the determination of the great mann
moth was FASTENED by early man,
who was of necessity hunter and
that the great elephant existed at the
same time with our ancestors is shown
by the tact that in France their bones,
together with those of man and many
animals now extinct have been
found. AS late as 1884 Nuttall, the
famous authority on birds, wrote con
corning the great aux:
LAS a diver he was unrivaled,
having almost the velocity of birds in
the air. They breed IN the Farce
islands, and in Iceland, Greenland
and Newfoundland, nesting among
the cliffs, and laying but one egg each.
They are so unprolific that If this egg
be destroyed no other is laid during
that season. The aux is known some
times to breed on the isle of st. Kllda
and in Papa Westra, according to Mr.
Bullock, for several years past no
more than a single pair has made
their appearance.
To-day not a single individual of
this species of aux is alive, and the
skin in the museum of natural history
in Central park, that is valued at over
one thousand dollars, one at Vassar
college, and several others, probably
not over twelve in all, are the only
specimens known in the world. Sixty
or one hundred years ago they were
extremely common along the north
ern coast, coming as far south as Ma
hant. but warfare was begun upon
them also, and, although it hardly
seems possible, their determination is
undoubtedly complete, the last living
bird having been killed in 1874 on a
group of islands called Funglasker,
on the southwest corner of Iceland.
Ia the last century these birds, which
we're large, handsome, and striking in
appearance. were very common at the
Farce islands. They were found to be
rrpgtI i 81 ha