The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-03
NORTHERN SEA cow.
Very Different Animal From Sea
Cow or Manatee of Florida.
From the Alaska News.

From the Alaska News.
Many persons have seen the skin of the
sea COW owned by Uncle Dick Willoughby
Of this city, but it is safe to say few
have ever given a thought to the char
acter of the animal, its mode Of exist
ence, food and how it came to be ex-
tinct. On numbers OF the islands to the
westward this curious mixture Of mammal
and FISH could formerly be found in great
numbers.
Since the time Of steller the animal life
has undergone a considerable change on
the island. Foxes (or more correctly.
"fjellrackor' Swedish existed then in
unusual numbers Not alone did they eat
up everything that could be eaten at all
which was left outside, but they forced
themselves into the houses during the
day as well as night, and carried away
everything they could even articles that
could be of no use to them, such as
knives, sticks, sacks, shoes and socks.
frequently 1t became necessary to drive
them away with sticks and at last they
became-through the slyness and cum
ningness with which they managed 10
consummate their thieving, and the clev-
erness with which they combined their
efforts to attain objects which they alone
could not accomphsh-really dangerous,
mischief making animals for the casta-
ways. Since then thousands upon thou
sands have been taken here by fur hunt
ers. Now they are so rare that during
the stay OF the curio hunting party on
the island not a single animal was seen.
The remaining ones are said not to have
the formerly so commonly seen black blue
coat, but the white, which is not so Verv
costly. On the neighboring Cooper Island
there are still considerable numbers of
black-blue foxes
Steller and his fellow travellers killed
here in 1741-42 700 sea offers. This animal
known for its very costly and fine fur. is
now entirely driven from Bering island
OF sea lions, which were formerly very
numerous, but few now visit this place
also sea bears, and finally, the most curl
GUS OF all the former mammalia on Ber-
ing island the great sea COW, is not alto
gether extinct.
Stella's sea COW took the place, in a GER
tain way, of 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, much
IKE the bark of an old oak tree Its
length was according to Steller, even to
thirty-tive feet, and it's weight almost 500
pounds. The head was large, neck short,
hardly distinguishabe, fore part of the
bDhy NllAChg Dul SuuQGuly narrowing back
ward. 1t had two short foreegs which
terminated abruptly, without any fin
gers or nails, but with close gathered
bristle hair; hind legs were missing al
together and replaced by tall fin, some
thing like a whale. Teats, which were
very rich with milk in females, had their
place between the forelegs. The flesh
and milk resemble very much that of neat
cattle; it was even better than the latter,
according to Steller.
The sea cows were almost constantly
occupied in feeding on those sea weeds
found in abundance along the coast, in
doing which they move neck and head as
an OK. They show great gluttony, and
were not disturbed in the least by the
presence of people. 1t was possible to
go up and even touch them without their
being scared or seeming to mind it, To-
ward each other they showed great affec-
ton and when one was harpooned the
others made unusual efforts to save it,
When Steller was there the animals COL
lected in great herds as neat cattle, graz
ing everywhere along the shores. A great
number were killed by Steller and his COM
panions. Later the hunt for these animals
was an important food item for those Rus
slams, who sailed from Kamtchatlka to the
Aleutian Islands. Hundreds were killed
yearly and they were soon exterminated
If we except a few animals gone astray,
at that time only on Boring Island.
The bones of the sea COW are now found
lying near the water edge, but on beach
shelf six to ten feet high, thickly COW
cred with grass. They are usually COW
cred with layer of debris of one to one
and a half feet thickness, and in order
to find them it was necessary to explore
the ground with a bayonet or a sharp
iron, as 1t would have been too laborious
to dig up the whole grass layer. A per-
son very soon gets accustomed to dts
tinguish by the sound or the feeling Of
the bayonet whether he has struck
against a stone, piece of wood or piece
of bone
In consequence of their hard ivory like
condition the bodies are used by the ma
tives for sleigh runners and for cary
ings. They are, therefore, already to a
great extent used up and rarer than other
bones. The bones from the fingers seem
in most cases to be entirely destroyed,
and the same is the case with the extreme
tail parts.
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