The Real and Only Mermaid.
An animal called tbe dugong frequents the bays of tbe Red sea, the east coast of Africa, Ceylon, the isles of the Indian archipelago and the west coast of Australia. It lives on the seaweeds growing in the shallow waters and is never found on land. About 12 feet long— though specimens 20 feet in length are not -very rare — with a rounded head and fish like tail, the dugong is the creature which gave rise to the stories of mermaids. And certainly when standing upright in the waves, holding its baby in its arms, it offered a close enough resemblance to a kind of human being to explain the too lively fancy of the ancient sailorrof the east. The young are caught for "the table," and are said to taste like veal or pork, which may account for the name of "sea pig," by which they are known in some places. They are so much hunted for food and oil that they will one day be extinct. The dugong is an excellent mother, and the capture of the baby leads to her capture also, for she sever deserts her offspring.
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Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH18960912.2.20
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Manawatu Herald, 12 September 1896, Page 4
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Tapeke kupu
196The Real and Only Mermaid. Manawatu Herald, 12 September 1896, Page 4
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