The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-19
THE NORTHERN SEA COW.
ver, DiGerent Animal Prom the
.-, cow or Manatee OF the south.

Er1m the Alaska News
sr.-v persons have seen The skin OF Il
..-v owned by Uncle Dick Wnloughl
--.- .t~ but il is safe 10 say few ha'
..r.1 thought 10 the character
4l its mode Of existence, Zoe
All -ra it became 10 be extinct. &
-4 1. the islands 70 the WesiWa-
..sr.-r- mixture Of mammal and Is
formerly be found in great nun
. This was particularly true OF Be
Island which was also me nome {
-.rls o- sea otter, that eAtremel
... .lr-uearing animal IS nlcn is j.,
-a- more and more rare eAcn yea
..-el all soon DE extermlnated cou
r-t G-l-raphically, as We'll as III II
. 10 natural history, bering Island
die 0t the most curious ISLANDS IA ID
....rr. part of the Pacific ocean IL " q
r-a where Bering, after MS last disa
L-.- lyase in this sea, whcn now Des
r-al..l-. 0u Sept. l9, 11H, finished his =
career as a. dlse0verer, shortly atterf
SNIP. daring IL Storm crushed aSalus
r- Oh tie north coast Of the IS
r.r OF his fellow travellers SUI -
hmm among them the learned nat 80
ri ~ H. 1,eturar Bt0Ty
g this island, where he involuial -
spent his time from the middle OF 9F1-i-
L-. i-al. To the end Of August l4I -
AS far as Is known, BeTlns lsl3u I ou
~, ,,f.-sir f,- ,,,1r mn kns the
G ss-eIerons III the marSburiOus
utmultar1us animals existing ba = az a.
so t1 compare the preent condilq oI ~
island since it has for nearly aceHtu
and "a half been mecilessly eYoseu ~
hunting and the cupidity Of manflu' VIZ ~,
The YNae0us, striking descriptf icy ~
S,eIler. which prompted an kpeultloil
some time ago, to be made by party o.
gentlemen for the purpose of hVesusal-
u- animal life in that seques1ed corner
OF the world. Several months fefe spent
Cu Beriug island, and their psefNatlOils
and collections have prov neAceeulhsIy
valuable. ,,e
Since the time of steller + animal life
has undergone a consideraf change on
The island Foxes COR, Hfe correctly,
'1jellracker.' SWedish) efled theh III
unusual numbers. Not alof dlu they eat
mp everything that couldfe eaten az a..
which was left outside, Tlt tney Iorcsu
themselves into tine hoses during the
day as Wen as night ald carried away
everything they could. ken articles that
could De of no use TO theb, such as knives,
sticks sacks shoes AM socks. Frequent
lvu became necessary 10 drive them away
with sticks, and at bst they became
through the slynessl and cunmngness
with which they managed to consummate
their theying, and be cleVerness with
which they cOmbnedtheir efforts to at
tain objects which tIey alone could not
cOmpllsh--reauy dngerOus, mischief
making animals for be castaways. Since
thea thousands upoul thousands have been
taken here. by fur helters. Now they are
sJrare that during he stay of the curiO-
hunting party on tk island mot a single
animal was seen. Tie remaining ones are
said not to have the omsrly So commonly
seen. black blue coat but the white, which
is not so very COSTLY On the neighboring
Copper island there bre still considerable
numbers Of 'black-blR foxes.
Steller and his fJiow travellers killed
here In 174f-42 200 "a offers. This ami
mai, known for its very costly and fine
fur, is now entirely driven from Boring
Island.
Of sea lions, whfh were formerly very
numerous but fey now visit the place;
also sea bears, anil, finally, the most Gu
Ilous of all the fo'mer mammalia on BerA
ing Island, the great sea cow is now al
together eXtincI
stenar's sea cow took the place, in
certain way, O, the hoOfed animal among
the sea mammalia. 1t was of a nut
brown color. and covered with hair which
had grown together into an outer hide
mlch IKE The bark Of an old oak tree
ir-leHgth was, according 10 Steller. even
70 thirty-fve feet, and its weight almost
oV pounds. The head was large neck
snort, hardly disEnguishable, fore part of
Ae body thick, but suddenly narrowing
backward. 1t had two short fore legs,
which terminated abruptly without any
myers or nails, but close gathered bristle
nditi hnd legs We're missing altogether
ana replaced by tail fin, something like
the whale. Ieats, which were very rich
u mix with the females, had their place
og,"eeh the fore legs. The flesh and
Mllh resembled very much that of neat
cd.t-e, ~ was even better than the latter
according TO Stelier
Inc sea COWS We're almost constantly
occupied 10 feeding on those sea weeds
round In abundance along the coast in
No'uS Whlel they moved neck and head
= an OK. They show great gluttonv. and
"SIe not disturbed in the least by the
aresgHt9 OF people. 1t was possible to
~ up TO and even to touch them without
1nef helhg scared or seeming to mind II
IONdid each other they showed great
sldectloh, and when one was harnoonAd
'i5 IlIeis made unusual efforts to save it.
" Hen SteIer was there the animals col
tY iu great nerds as neat cattle graz
- ne 5'eIy" mere along the shores. A great
---tlineI We're killed by Steller and his
~ m ''lIIoHs. Later the hunt for these an
tI.9 was an important food item for
"'l9 russians who sailed from Kan
seAalka 10 he Aleutian Islands Ein-
So Were Killed yearly and they were
- eAlFImlnated, if we excent a few
on '''i H,a gone astray, a that time only
81 beIlng Island According 10 Mo-
4-odendorf quotes from The Yer5 ia, "iteI
4gssarcAes which the celebra ted acadan, -
t'--9 Won b2er and Won Brandt had made
&c Sea cow had not been seen before
~ i - > tlihe, ll4l, and the last was said
MANY zen Zen Allied in l76S. During the
. - investigations that were made
~ me natives, reliable inforrnafion
liz oldIned that the sea COW had heen
~ - ~, much later. A creole "a rnixtUra
o-5 i'IssIan and AleuO, who is 67 wears
NJ, ~ cIeEer appearance and perfect
in go cohdLon, said that his father dieS
- - aged " years The father. was
Is1 ~ w G4hynlen, and came to Re,,jno
5,.. ~ !" men l6 years of age, in l777. The
e. t"o or three years after HE sr,.i.-,I
used 10 kill sea cows. "a : thew o,ro,,o "a
-" wafer mark. Only the henri U1os
,.- ',-i' lhe hide was used for bidorl- 70
In - duelLce Oh It's thickness it was sniff
s-fff " par Is. Two such split hides w.
Ia,l--.I.1 i1 H. 70 cover bidarka of % fAet -
Af-7smH' = leet in width, and feet Sen+h ~
3'-s mat time hone Of these oni ~.
"a- been killed nSse ahImaIs
49, - SosEalsed that a sea COW had chou.
CO. muGh later around the island 'Tr.a II
les! Ieodor Merchcnin ana So. L 70
~ eoouI twenty-five years aoo ~ - aSI
~. wees, on the east of the ,Sio-.., u
vow, a. inca they did not know II ~, -
h3i s -.CH 4oF#ard and tapored backwarT
a1a,.t ' Ge.lIore Ieet and showed ISL
and e-ai zen ieet above the water risin,,
80 az y SINKING. 1t blew, NOT tbro,1a,55
e.s e9,,,5-e,, put through It's mouth wbieb
lr7y,r l9t elongated. It's color w.
I'm an B" ~ large light spots. II had rs
II VA. ne pack, but when II raised itsa a%
n. posslpie TO see the vertehroe i,, ISL
r., IIInee of its very lean cop5itIdP,'
a. If 9toIy agreed fully, and annaaras
THO ,-e4eu 70 DC given credence ~