Mayne Reid - The Castaways

We are unwilling to interrupt the course of our narrative by disquisitions on subjects of natural history, and, therefore, relegate to a note the following particulars about the dugong. This strange mammal belongs to a genus of the family Manatidae , or Herbivorous Cetacea. The species of which a member was discovered by our castaways, is the Halicore Indicus , or dugong of the Indian Archipelago; and, as we have said, is never found very far from land. Its dentition resembles, in some respects, that of the elephant; and from the structure of its digestible organs it can eat only vegetable food; that is, the algae , or weeds, growing on submarine rocks in shallow water. When it comes to the surface to breathe, it utters a peculiar cry, like the lowing of a cow. Its length, when full-grown, is said to be twenty feet, but few individuals seem to exceed twelve feet. In its general appearance it is very much like the manatee , or manatus, which haunts the mouths of the great South American rivers.

Strictly speaking, the Singapore oyster is a gigantic species of Clam, ( Tridacna ).

To these particulars we may add that the durion ( Durio zibethinus ) belongs to the natural family of Sterculiaceae , of the same sub-order ( Bombaceae ) as the silk-cotton tree. It grows to a great stature; its leaves are like those of the cherry, and its pale yellow flowers hang in large bunches. Each tree yields about two hundred fruit in a year. The fruit contains ten to twelve seeds, as large as pigeons’ eggs, and these, when roasted, are as good as, and taste very much like, roasted chestnuts.