. The animals of the world. Brehm's life of animals;. Mammals. ^be Sea Cow6. TWELFTH ORDER: TUDENTS reading the name "Sirenia" in zoology would naturally think of the fabu- lous creatures of antiquity which were said to be half Woman and half fish, which inhabited the crystal waves of the ocean and by their wonderful sweet singing aftd still more enticing ges- tures, by the stately poise of their heads and their glow- ing glances, lured the poor sons of the earth to follow them to the ocean's depths and be lost; but if he should expect in this connection an account of such
. The animals of the world. Brehm's life of animals;. Mammals. ^be Sea Cow6. TWELFTH ORDER: TUDENTS reading the name "Sirenia" in zoology would naturally think of the fabu- lous creatures of antiquity which were said to be half Woman and half fish, which inhabited the crystal waves of the ocean and by their wonderful sweet singing aftd still more enticing ges- tures, by the stately poise of their heads and their glow- ing glances, lured the poor sons of the earth to follow them to the ocean's depths and be lost; but if he should expect in this connection an account of such beings, he would be greatly mistaken. Naturalists have in this case only proven their predilection for adopting poetical names, without having fulfilled the requirements of poetry. The name of Sirenia has been about as appropriately chosen for the ocean- dwellers in question as has been that of the Greek wood-nymphs (Hamadryas) which has been bestowed upon the queerest of Monkeys, which, indeed, is beautiful only in the eyes of a naturalist, and neither in its looks nor its actions has any suggestion of a nymph. General Cfiarao- The Sirenia or Sea Cows form an teristics of the order by themselves. In their inte- Sirenia. j-ior anatomical structure they show the greatest afifinity to the hoofed animals and may be regarded as a branch of them, which has adapted itself to an aquatic life. Many naturalists place them among the Whales as a special division or family, but the differences between them and the latter animals are so great that the plan of placing them apart is well justified. They are distinguished by a small head, separated by distinct demarcation â from the body and furnished with a bulbous snout, bristly lips, and nostrils opening at the extremity of the muzzle; by the clumsy, peculiarly articulated body, sparsely covered with short, bristle-like hair, and by their peculiar dentition. They have only two limbs, namely, the anterior pair, but they are genuine fin-limb
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectmammals, bookyear1895
