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CATALOGUE
SEALS AND WHALES
BEITISH MUSEUM.
JOHN EDWARD GRAY, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., F.L.S., &c.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES.
1866.
FEINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
PEEFACE.
This Catalogue contains an account of all the specimens of Seals
and Cetacea, and their bones, that are contained in the British
Museum, and a description of the specimens which are contained in
other collections, in order to show what are the species which are
desiderata to the Museum Collection.
Man}- of the woodcuts are the same as were prepared to illustrate
papers published in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,'
which have been kindly lent by the Council of that Society for the
purpose.
JOHN EDWARD GRAY.
British Museum,
Dec. 15, 1865.
fz;~^ — n^
I.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Family Phocid^ 1
1. Stenokhynchina 8
1. Lobodon 8
carcinophaga 10
2. Leptonyx 11
Weddellii 12
3. Ommatophoea 13
Rossii 14
4. Stenorhynchus 15
Leptonyx 16
5. Monaclius 17
albiventer 19
tropicalis 20
2. Phocina 20
6. Callocephalus 20
vitiiliniis 20
? Caspicus 22
? dimidiatus 22
7. Pagomys 22
foetidus 23
? Largha 24
8. Pagophilus 25
Groeulandicus 25
9. Ilalicyon 27
Eichardi 30
10. Phoca 31
barbata 31
3. Teichechina 33
11. Halichcsrus 33
Grypiis 34
12. Tricheclius 35
Rosniarus 36
4. Cystophorika 38
13. Momnga 38
elephantina 39
14. Cystophora 40
cristata 41
Antillaruiii 43
5. Ahctocephalina . . 44, 368
15. Callfuhinus 44
uisiuus 44
Page
16. Arctocephalus 47
Monteriensis . . 49, 368
lobatus 50
Californiauus .... 51
nigrescens 52
Delalandii 52
Hookeri 53
Gilliespii 55
Falklandicus 55
cinereus 56
australis 57
17. Otaria 57
leonina 59, 369
Stelleri 60
Order CETACEA 61
Suborder I. Cete 62
Section I. Mysticete 68
Earn. Bal^nid^ 75
1. Balaena 79
Mysticetus 81, 370
Biscayensis 89
marginata 90
gibbosa 90
2. Eubalc-ena 91
australis 91
Sieboldii 96,370
3. Hunterius 98
Temminckii 98
4. Caperea 101
antipodarum . . 101, 371
5. Macleayius 103, 371
Australiensis 105
6. Palseocetus 106
Sedgwickii 106
Earn. Bal^nopterid.*: .... 106
Megaptebina 115
1. Megaptera il7
longimana .... 119, 373
2. Poescopia 125
Lalandii 126, 373
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Puge
? Novse-Zelandise . . 128
r* Bumieisteri 129
Americana 129
Kuzira 130
3. Eschrichtius 131
robustus 133, 373
Physalina 134
4. Benedenia 135
liaoxii 138
5. Physalus 139
antiqiiorum .... 144, 374
Duguidii 158, 374
Patachonicus 374
Sibbaldii ...... 160, 380
? australis 161
Brasiliensis 162
? fasciatus 162
Indieus 162
? Iwasi 163
antarcticus 164
6. Cuvierius 164
latirostris 165,380
Sibbaldii 380
7. Sibbaldius 169
laticeps 170
borealis 175
Sclilegelii 178
? antarcticus 381
Bal^nopterina 186
8. Balc-enoptera 186, 382
rostrata 188
Swinkoei 382
Section II. Denticete 194
Fani. Catodontidjj: .... 195, 386
Catobontina 386
1. Catodon 196
niacrocephalus . . 202, 387
australis 206
Pacific Sperm Whale 209
South African Sp.W. 209
Indian Sperm Whale 209
South-Sea SpenuW. 210
2. Meganeuron 387
Ki-efftii? 389
PlIYSBTEBINA 390
3. Physeter 210
Tiu-sio 212
4. Kogia 215, 891
breviceps 217, 391
Grayii 218
simus 391
Macleayii 391
5. Euphysetes 386, 392
Grayii 392
Fam. Platanistid^ 220
1. Platauista 221
Gangetica 223
Pago
ludi 224
Fam. Inud.^ 226
1. Inia 226
Geotfrojai .... 226, 393
Fam. Delphinid.^ .... 228, 393
Delphinina 231
1. Pontoporia 231
Blainvillii 231
2. Steno , 232
Malayanus 232
roseiventris 233
frontatus 238
compressus .... 234, 394
Capensis 394
lentiginosus 394
Gadamu 394
attenuatus .... 235, 394
? brevimanus 236
Tucuxi 236, 395
? pseudodelphis .... 395
? fluviatilis 237
? pallidus 237
? coronatus 238
? rostratus 238
fuscus 239
3. Delphinus 239, 395
microps 240, 395
longiro.stris 241
stenorhynchus .... 396
Delphis 242, 396
major 396
Moorei 396
Walkeri 397
marginatus 245
Janira 245, 398
punctatus 398
NovK-Zealandias . . 246
albimanus 247
Forsteri 248
Sao 248
Frithii 248
pemiger 249
Clymene 249
Styx 250
Tethyos 251
Euphrosyne 251
Alope... 252,399
fulvifasciatus 252
dubius 253
lateralis 254
4. Tursio 254, 400
Doris 255, 400
Dorcides 400
fraenatus 256
Metis 256, 400
Cymodoce .... 257, 400
? Guianensis . . 257, 4C0
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Vll
10.
Pago
trimeatue 258, 400
Abusalam 261, 401
Eurynome 261
Entropia 262
Catalania 262
Ileavisidii 263
obscunis 264, 400
compressicaudus . . . . 266
■. Sotalia 393, 401
Guianensis 401
Lagenorhynchus .... 267
Electra 268
cferuleo-albus 268
Asia 269
acutus 270
clanculus 271
breviceps 271
Thicolea 271
albirostri8 272
leucopleiunis 273
? Nilssonii 275
lateralis 275
fusiformis 402
Delphinapterus 276
Peronii 276
Pborealis 277
Orca 278
gladiator 279
intermedia 283
Capensis 283
brevirostris 285
Pseudorca 290, 402
crassidens 290
meridionalis 291
Grampus 295
Cuvieri 295
Rissoanus 298
Richardsonii 299
affinis 300
Sakamata 301
Phocajna 301, 402
communis 302
tubercidifera 304
spinipinnis 304
Neomeris 306
Phocajnoides ..... 306
Beluga 306
Catodon 307
Pago
Kingii 309
13. Monodon 310
monoceros 311
Fam. Globiocepiialid^. . . . 313
1. Globiocepbalus 313
Svineval 314
affinis 317
intermedius 318
Edwardsii 320
macrorbynchus .... 320
. Indicus 322
Sieboldii 323
Cbinensis 323
2. Spbferocephalus 323
incrassatus 324
Earn. ZiPHiiD^ 326
Hyperoobontina 327
1. Hyperoodon 328
Butzkopf 330
2. Lagenocetus 336
latifrons 339
Epiobontina 340
3. Epiodon 340
Desniarestii 341
4. Petrorbyncbus 342
Capensis 346
Indicus 346
ZiPHIINA. 348
5. Berardius 348
Arnuxii 348
6. Zipbius 348
Sowerbiensis 350
Layardii 353
7. Diopiodon 355
Seclielleusis 355
Suborder II. Sirenia 356
Fam. Manatib^ 356
Manatina 357
1. Manatus 357
austi'alis 358
Senegalensis 360
2. Halicore 360
Dugong 361
Tabernaculi 364
Rytinina 365
3. Rytina 365
gigas 365
Abbitions anb Cohrection.s 367
CATALOGUE
SEALS AND WHALES.
Family PHOCID^.
Cutting-teeth | or | or A or |, conical or truncated ; canines
conical, sometimes elongated ; grinders |^ or ||, more or less lobed
or plaited. Head rounded ; face more or less produced ; ears, very
small, rudimentary, or none external ; eyes large, only slightly
convex. Body elongate, hairy, attenuated behind; teats 2 or 4,
ventral. Feet short, enveloped in the body ; the fore feet short ;
fingers five- clawed ; the hind feet directed backwards, and close
together ; toes five-clawed. Tail very short, depressed, sharp-edged
on each side.
Fera (partim), Linn. S. N. i. 55.
Bruta (part.), Linn. S. N. i. 48.
Phoca, Linn. S. N. i. 55 ; Penmnt, Syn. Quad. 380 ; Gray, Griffith's
A. K. V. 175.
Phocadre et Trichecidse, Gray, Lond. Med. JRepos. 1821, 302.
Phocidffi et Trichechidffi, Grai/, Ann. Phil. 1825, 340.
Phocidfc, Gray, Zoo/. Ereb. fy Terror ; Cat. Seals B. M.\, 1850.
Mammiferes a nageoires, Ampliibies, Besm. N. Diet. Hist. Nat. xxiv.
34, 1804.
Amphibia, Gray, Lond. Med. Repos. 1821, 302 ; Latr. Fam. R. A.
51, 1830.
Phocaceema, Nilsson, Vetensk. Ahad. Handl. 1837, 235 ; lUuyn. Figurer
Skand. Fauna, 1840, transl. by Dr. Peters, Wiegm. Arch. vii. 301.
(Pinnipedia) Ruderfusse, Illii/er, Prodr. 138, 1811; Riippell, Verz.
Senck. Samml. 167, 1845.
Les Phoques et les Morses, F. Cm: Diet. Sci. Nat. Ux. 463, 465, 1829 ;
Duvernoy, Tab. R. A.
Tetrapterygia, J. Brookes, Cafal. Mas. 36, 1828.
Ursi (part), Wagler, K. S. Amph. 27, 1830.
Cynomorpba (Phoca et Otaria), I^dr. Fam. R. A. 51, 1825.
Brocha (Morse), Latr. Fam. R. A. 52, 1825.
Phoques, F. Cuv. Dents des Mamm. 113, 1825.
Amphibies quadrirtnies, Duve7-no;/, Tab. Am'm. Vert.
Quadrupeda Nectopoda sen Plectropnda, G. Fischer, Zoogiiom. 12.
Nectopoda, § 2. Pinnipeda (part.), G. Fiseher, Zoognom. 15.
Phocidre sen Brachiociontia, J. Brookes, CaUtl. Mvs. .36, 1828.
Tricliechidse seu Campodontia, J. Brookes, Catal. Mm. 37, 1828.
Otariadse, J. Brookes, Catal. Mus. 37, 1828.
Their limbs are short and fiii-hke, supported by the same number
of bones as those of other carnivorous mammalia ; the arm and leg
bones are much shorter ; the fingers and toes are armed with claws,
and are webbed together. They swim with facility, and dive for a
long period. On land they scarcely use their limbs in walldng,
the fore arms resting inactive on the sides, and the hind feet close
together, parallel on the sides of the tail ; they move, by the action
of the ventral muscles, in short jumps, or by wriggling themselves
alternately from side to side. They have very large, scarcely convex
eyes ; the nostrils are closed by their own elasticity, and opened at
the will of the animal ; their sense of smell is veiy acute, and the
convolutions of the bones and membranes of the nose are much
developed.
Of all the families of Mammalia the species composing that of the
Seals (Phockhe) are the most difficult of determination, partly on
account of their great resemblance to one another in external cha-
racters, and the changes which they undergo in colour and form
during their growth, but more especially on account of the difficulty
of observing them in their natural habitations.
The labours of M. de Blainville, the two brothers Cuvier, and
especially of Professor Nilsson of Lund, have done much to elucidate
the characters of the European species and those frequenting the
eastern coast of North America; the species found in the North
Pacific are only known by the descriptions of Steller, Pallas, and
Temminck. Many naturalists have been inchned to consider them
as identical mth those found in the southern part of the Pacific
Ocean, believing that the species migrate from one half of the world
to the other, though we have the testimony of most voyagers that
Seals are very rarely found between the equatorial line and 21°
north latitude.
The Seals of the Southern hemisphere have not been so well
studied, from the Avant of sufficient materials. Cuvier, when he
wrote the ' Osscmens Fossiles,' possessed only eight skulls, belonging
to four species (viz. 1. Fhoca Lc]]tonyx, 2. P. deplumtina, 3. P.pusiUa,
4. P. leonina ?J ; but as several of these had been brought home
without the skins, he could only refer them doubtfully to established
species. Indeed, almost the only knowledge that we have of the
Seals of the Pacific is derived from the observations of Cook, and the
Forsters, who accompanied that intrepid navigator as naturalists;
and the materials which they brought home were well collated by
Pennant in his ' History of Quadrupeds,' a work of very extraordi-
nary merit considering the date of its publication. England might
then fairly be described as taking, as she should do, the lead in
scientific zoology. This period has not been fairly estimated by the
modern school of zoologists, who, at the opening of the Continent
after the war, appear to have been so dazzled by the brilliant pro-
gress made by the Professors ajipointed by Napoleon, that they over-
looked the fact that these men were only following in the footsteps
of Pennant, Latham, Solander, the Forsters, Fabricius, and others
(who were either Englishmen, or had been fostered by the scientific
men of this country), as LinuiEus followed in the footsteps of Hay.
Besides the particulars given by Cook and Forster in the account
of their voyages, Forster communicated to Buffon the figures of two
of the species he had observed, accompanied by details of their
organization and habits, which were printed in the supplementary
volumes of Buffbn's ' Natural History,' and form the most complete
and best account we have yet had of the history of these species.
Peron and Lesueur, in their record of Baudin's voyage, indicate
some Seals found in the South Sea, and give fuUer details of the
Sea Elephant, they having been so fortunate as to fall in with some
males of that species ; but the Natural History of the voyage was
never published, so that we are indebted to Cuvicr (Oss. Foss. v.) for
the description of the only Seal they brought home, which appears
to have been the Fur Seal of commerce.
In the Zoology of Captain Duperrey's ' Yoyage of the Coquille,' a
Seal is figm-ed under the name of Fhoca molossina ; but the skull
and skin now in the Paris Museum, as Nilsson has correctly observed,
are only the young Sea Lion's. In the ' Voyage of the Astrolabe '
two other southern Seals are figured ; one called Otar'm cinerea,
Peron, which appears to be the Fur Seal of commerce, and the Otaria
ausf rails, which is very like the ArctoeepliaJus lobatiis, described from
a skuU in Mr. Brookes's collection many years previously. It is to
be regretted that the figures here referred to, especially of the skull,
are so bad as to be utterly useless for the determination of the species
without comparison of the original specimens.
In the French 'Voyage to the South Pole,' fig-ures are given of the
Sea Leopard and the common A\Tiite Antarctic Seal, the two most
common species found everywhere in these regions on the packed
ice ; the latter is named Phoca carcinoplmcia.
Mr. W. Hamilton has given an account of the Seals and other
mai-ine mammalia, in Sir W. Jardine's ' Naturalist's Library,' which
contains a carefully compiled account of these animals, and some
original figures from the specimens in the Edinburgh and Liverpool
Museums ; but, unfortunately, Mr. StoAvart, the draughtsman, has
been more intent on giA-ing them an artistic efi'ect than on attending
to their zoological characters. Thus, some which should have no
claAvs on their hind feet have large ones, and sometimes one too many
for any mammal ; and the toe-membranes of all the Eared Seals or
Otaries are represented as haiiy instead of bald. The same author
has given an account of the Fm- Seal in the ' Annals of Natural
History,' which he considers as different from the Sea Bear of Forster
b2
and other South-Sea navigators. According to Dr. Hooker, the Fur
Seals of the Falklands rarely exceed 3| or 4 feet in length.
Seamen have long divided the Seals, on account of the great dif-
ference in their form, into the Earless and Eared Seals. Buifon
adopted the division ; and Peron, in his account of Baudin's Voyage
(ii. 37), gave the name of Otaria to the Eared Seals. Cuvier and
most naturalists have adopted this name.
In the 'Medical Ecpository' for 1821, p. 302, I considered the
Seals as forming an order, named yl«ip7H'6/«, containing two families :
Fhocadce for Phoca and Otaria, and Tricheddce for Tricliecus,
Dr. Fleming, in 1822, placed the Otters (Lutra), Sea Otters (En-
hydra), Seals (Phoca), Ursine Seals (Otaria), and Wakus (Tricliecus)
in a single group, which he called Palmata. — Phil. Zool. ii. 187.
Dr. W. Vrolik, in 1822, in his ' Thesis de Phocis,' divides the Seals
into five tribes : — I. Phocce sine auriculis : Trihiis prima, P. vitu-
lina ; Tribus secunda, P, monachus ; Trihus tertia, P. mitrata ; Trihus
quarta, P. proboscidea, II. Otance (Phocce aunculatce) : Trihus
qtiinta, P. leonina, &c.
In the ' Annals of Philosophy' for 1825, I considered the genera
Phoca and Trichecus as each forming a family, and proposed to
divide the Seals thus : — I. Grinders many-rooted ; ears none ; nose
simple. 1. Stenorhi/nchi7ia,'Pe[agius and Stenorh}mchus. 2. Phocinu,
Phoca. — II. Grinders with simple roots, or with divided roots, and
with distinct ears. 3. Eidii/drina, Enhydra. 4. Otariina, Otaria
and Platyrhynchus. 5. Stemmatopina, Stemmatopus and Macro-
rhinus.
M. F. Cuvier, in 1825, in the ' Dents des Mammiferes,' 118, di\-ides
the Seals into those which have many roots to the grinders, including
P. vitidinci; P. Leptomjx, and P. mitrata, and those with simple-,
rooted grinders, as P. ursina and P. prohoscidea. In 1829, in the
article Zoologie in the ' Diet. Sci. Nat.' lix. 367, he divides them
into — 1. Les Phocpies proprement dits, including the genera Callo-
cephcdxis, Sfenorhi/ncJms, Pelagius, Stemmatopus, Macrorhinus, Ai-cto-
cephcdus, and Phtz/rhi/nchus, and 2. Les Morses, for the genus Tri-
chectis. In a paper on the genus, in ' Mem. Mus.' xi. 1827, 208, he
proposed to divide them into the following subgenera placed in three
sections : —
Sect. 1. Grinders similar, double-rooted. — 1. CaUocephcdus (vitu-
linus) ; 2. Stenorhynchus (leptonyx) ; 3. Pelagius (monachus).
Sect. 2. Grinders simple-rooted ; cutting- teeth -|. — 4. Stemmato-
pus (cristatus) ; 5. Macrorhinus (proboscidalis).
Sect. 3. Grinders simple-rooted ; cutting-teeth .^.—6. Arctocepilui-
lus (ursinus); 7. PJati/rhynchits (leoninus). An abstract of this
paper is given in Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 230.
Mr. Joshua Brookes, in the Catalogue of his Anatomical and
Zoological Museum, 36, 1828, divides the Tetrapterygia, or Seals,
into three families: viz. 1. Phocidce or Brachiodontia; 2. Otariadce;
and 3. Tricliechida'. or Gampodontia.
rHociii.E. 5
Latreille (F;im. Reg. Anim.), in 1S25, proposed to form the Seals
into an order, Anijohihia, containing two families: — 1. Cynomorplui ,
for Phoca and Otaria ■ 2. Brocha, for Trichechus.
Wagler (Natiirl. Syst. Amphibicn), in 1830, places the Seals in the
order Ursi, and divides them into three genera: — 1. Phoca (mona-
chus) ; 2. Rhinophoca (proboscideus) ; 3. Trichecus (rosmarus).
Professor Nilsson, in 1837, in a monograph of the species of Seals,
proposed to divide them into seven genera, distributed in two sec-
tions, thus : —
Sect. I. — 1. SfenorJii/nchus (leptonyx) ; 2. Pdagius (monachus) ;
3. Phoca (vitulina).
Sect. II. — 4. Hallchcenis (grypus) ; 5. Trichecus (rosmarus) ;
6. Ci/stophora (proboscidea and cristata) ; 7. Otaiia (jubata' and
ursina). See Vetcnsk. Akad. Handl. 1837, 235 ; Skand. Fauna, no. 20,
1840. This essay is translated into German by Dr. Peters in Wieg-
mann's Arch. vii. 301.
In Loiidon's 'Magazine of NaturalHistory' for 1837 (i. 5S3) and
in the ' Zoologj- of the Erebus and Terror ' is proposed the arrange-
ment which is followed in this Catalogue.
5]^. Turner, in 1848, proposed the following arrangement of the
family Phocida' from the study of skulls : —
I. AniocephnVnia : 1. Otaria; 2. Arctocephalus. II. Trichecina :
3. Trichecus. III. Phocina : 4. Morunga ; 5. Cystophora ; 6. Hali-
choerus ; 7. OmmatojAora ; 8. Lobodon ; 9. Leptonyx ; 10. Steno-
rhpichus ; 11. Phoca.— P/-of. Zool Sac. 1848, 88 ; Ann. 3f Mnrj.Nat.
Hist. 1848, iii. 422.
Synopsis of the Tribes and Gexera.
A. Grinders hco-rooted; cars none; toes simple, of fore feet short, of
hind feet uneqiml, the outer on each side longest, the middle shortest;
the jmlms a?id soles hairy.
a- Cuitinf/-teeth A; hind feet nearly clmvlcss ; muffle hnry on the edije
and between the nostrils ; fore feet trianyular ; wrist very short.
Stenorhj'nchiua.
* First, second, and third front npper and the first frotit hirer yrinders
sinffle-rooted, the rest two-rooted ; lotcerjaw moderate.
1. LoBODON. Skidl and muzzle elongate ; grinders unequally lobed.
** The front grinders of each jaio sinyle-rooted, the rest two-rooted.
t Lower jaw weak, with obtuse angle ; orbits very large.
2. Leptoxyx. Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle short, broad ;
giinders subconipressed, with a small subcentral conical tubercle
and a veiy small posterior one; lower jaw narrow behind, without
any hinder angle ; fore feet clawed.
3. Ommatopiioca. Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle very short,
broad ; orbits very large ; grinders small, compressed, with a central
incurved lobe, and a small lobe on each side of it ; fore feet very
slightly clawed.
6 PHOCID-E.
ft Lower jaw strong, with an acute angle ; orbits moderate.
4. Stenorhynchus.' Skiill aud muzzle elongate ; gTiiidei-s compressed,
with three cylindrical elongated lobes, the centre one longest and
largest.
5. MoNACHUS. Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle short, broad ;
orbits large ; grinders small, conical, thick, with a small anterior and
posterior lobe; lower jaw broad, with a distinct posterior angle;
upper cutting-teeth transversely notched ; palate angularly notched
behind.
b. Cutting-teeth f ; the first grinder in each jaw single-rooted, the rest
tico-rooted; muzzle bald, callous between and above the nostrils, and
divided by a central groove ; tvrist rather exserted ; fingers subequal ;
claws five, large. Phocina.
* Branches of lower jaxv diverging; Imuer edge of lower jaw rounded,
simple ; palate angularly arched behind ; angle of lower jaw blunt,
sloping behind.
G. Callocephalus. Muzzle rather naiTow ; whiskers waved ; toes gTa-
dually shorter ; web between the hind toes hairy ; hair subcylindiical ;
luider-fur thin.
** Branches of lower jaic diverging; lo^cer edge ofloicerjaw dilated on
the inner side.
7. Pagomys. Palate angularly notched behind; angle of lower jaw
blunt, sloping behind.
8. Pagophilus. Palate truncated behind; angle of lower jaw acute,
erect behind, with a notch above the basal tubercle ; muzzle rather
Eroduced ; -v^skers waved ; toes gi-adually sliorter ; web between
ind toes baldish ; liair dry, flat, close-pressed, without any imder-
fur.
*** Branches of Imoerjaw arched on the side and wide apay-t ; lotcer edge
produced on the inner side behind the symphysis ; palate arched.
9. Halicyon. Tubercle on inner edge of front part of lower jaw elon-
gate, shai-p-edged ; teeth moderate ; angle of lower jaw simple, with
a distinct notch above it.
10. Phoca. Tubercle on inner edge of front part of lower jaw bhmt,
ruooilose; teeth small; angle of lower jaw with a roimded lobe on
inner side above the basal tubercle ; muzzle broad, short ; forehead
convex ; whiskers smooth^ simple ; ear-hole large ; fingers unequal,
the third longest, second' "anS'Tourth long, the first and fifth shorter,
nearly equal.
B. Grindei-s with single root (except the tivo hinder grinders of Hali-
chcerus).
c. Ears xvithaut any co7ich; toes simjjle, of fore feet exseHed, of hind feet
large, the inner and outer ones large and long, the three middle ones
shorter ; palm and soles hairy, sometimes chaffy and callous from
ivear ; muffle hairy to the edge and betioeeti the nostrils.
* Muzzle large, truncated, simple ; canines large ; grinders lobed, when
old truncated. Trichechina.
11. Halichcebus. Muzzle broad, rounded ; cutting-teeth f ; grinders '—,
conical, the two hinder of the upper and hinder one of the lower jaw
double-rooted, the rest simple ; canines moderate ; whiskers crenu-
lated; muffle hairy; palm and soles hairy; claws 5-5, elongate:
12. Tricheciius. Muzzle very broad, truncated, swollen and convex
above ; nmflle, palm, and soles chafFy, callous, with the hair more or
less worn oil" in the adult (hairy when young?) ; cutting-teeth a in
youth, I in adult ; grinders 4-4, truncated, all single-rooted ; canines
of upper jaw very large, exserted.
*• Muzzle of the male icith a dilatile appemlage; cutting-teeth | ; gj-inders
with a large szvollen root and a small, compressed, simj)le, plaited
croion ; miiffle hairy. Cystophorina.
13. MonuNGA. Nose transversely wi-inkled above, exsertile ; muzzle of
the skidl broad, truncated in front ; forehead convex ; hinder palatine
bone short, transverse ; hair flat, truncated, close-pressed ; whiskers
round, rather waved, thick ; front claws obsolete ; crown of grinders
finely plaited.
14. Cystophora. Nose of male vnih a large compressed hood extending
to the back of the head ; muzzle very broad, hauy ; nostrils large ;
muzzle of skull broad, narrowed on each side in front ; forehead flat ;
palatine bone broad, square ; hair elongate, cylindrical ; whiskers flatr-
waved ; claws 5-5, distinct ; cro^\Ti of grinders strongly wrinkled.
d. Ears with a subcyliiidrical distinct external conch; toes of the hind
feet snhcqual, short, icith long membranaceous Jlaps at the end; fore
feet Jin-like ; palm and soles bald, longitudinally grooved ; nose simple,
ivith a rather large callous muffle above and betiveen the nostrils;
cutting-teeth f, tipper often bifid; grinders ^. Arctocephalina.
15. Callorhinus. Cutting-teeth subequal ; face of skuU short; fore-
head convex, regularly rounded from the end of the nasal bone to
the middle of the vertex ; nasal opening small ; palate rather concave,
contracted behind, short, nearly reachuig the middle of the zygomatic
arch ; lower jaw short, thick, flattened, expanded beneath just in
front of the condyle. ■
16. Akctocephalus. Cutting-teeth subequal ; face of skull elongate ;
forehead flattened, and nearly horizontal from the nasal bone to the
vertex ; nasal opening large, high ; palate rather narrower behind than
in front, rather concave, sliort, not reaching behind the middle of the
zygomatic arch ; lower jaw naiTow, with a crest-like ridge behind,
beneath, just in front of the condyle.
17. Otaria. Muzzle broad, high in front ; forehead rather convex ;
occiput high ; cutting-teeth |, upper and outer one very large, like
canines; grinders of adult -with very large roots and small, com-
pressed, lobed crown ; palate-bone rather wider behind than in front,
long, extending nearly to the articulation of the jaws behind ; lower
jaw broad, dilated in front and behind at the angle ; upper jaw elon-
gate, and dilate with age.
Sect. I. Grinders ^-., tioo-rooted; ears none; toes simple, of the fore feet
short, of the kind feet unequal, the outer on each side longest, the middle
shortest ; the judms and soles hairy. (See fig. 1.)
The skiill has no postorbital process nor alisphenoid canal. The
mastoid process is swollen, and seems to form part of the auditory
bulla. — Turner.
Flo-. 1.
Mouachus albiventer. Fore and hind feet.
Phoca, Graij, Griffith's A. K. v. 175, 1827.
Phoca, Sect. I., F. Cuvier, Mem. Mtis. xi. ; Nilsson, Wiegm. Arch.
vii. 306 ; Skand. Fauna, n. xx.
Phocidae seu Brachiodontia, /. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 36, 1828.
Phoques, les dents ont les racines multiples, I. Cuvier, Dents des
Mamm. 116. t. 38, 1825.
Phocina (part.). Turner, Proc. Zool Soc. 1848, 88.
PhocidiB, § 1, Grai/, Cat. Seals B. M. 5-8.
Subfamily 1. STENORHYNCHINA.
Cutting-teeth f ; hind feet nearly dawless ; muffle hairij to the edge
and between the nostrils ; fore feet triangular ; wrist very short.
Stenorhvnchina, Grm/, Ann. Phil. 1825, 340 ; ilag. N. H. i. 583, 1837 ;
Zool. Erebus Sf Terror ; Cat. Seals B. M. 5, 8, 1850.
* The first, second, and third front upper and the first front lower grimlers
single-rooted, the rest tivo-rooted; lower jaw moderate, rather iceak;
orbits large.
1. LOBODON.
Skiill elongate ; muzzle elongate ; grinders rather compressed, with
a large lobe in front, and three lobes behind the larger central one.
Head elongate ; ear- conch none externally ; muzzle broad ; nostrils
ovate, hairy to the edge ; whiskers rigid, tapering, waved. Skull
elongate, rather depressed ; nose broad, rather produced ; orbits
1. LohoDOX.
moderate ; the petrose portion of the temporal bone very convex,
nearly hemispherical.
Cutting- teeth A ; the upper middle ones moderate, with a smaller,
rather compressed crown ; the two others large, conical, like the
canines ; the lower pair small ; the two middle ones subcylindrical,
rather internal, projecting forwards and rounded at the end ; the
outer ones rather larger, blimt. Canines ^tj, conical, cuiwed, small,
the upper largest. Grinders |^, with large swoUen roots ; the crown
triangular, subtrigonal, lobed ; lobes rather recui-ved at the tip, the
Fitf. 2.
Lobodon carciuopliaga. Skull and hinder grinder.
larger lobe with one, or sometimes a second, small lobe in front, and
Avitli three lobes behind ; the first upper one smaller, with a single
large root, the second, third, and fourth nearly equal, and the fifth
smaller and more compressed ; the second and thii-d have the root
only divided at the base, the fourth and fifth have the root divided
nearly to the crown, and diverging ; the first under is smallest and
single-rooted, the rest are all similar, 2-rooted, the third being the
largest, and the fifth most compressed in the crown. The symphysis
of the lower jaw is very long.
The teeth of the j'ouuger animals have a rather broader crown,
with rather shorter tubercles, a rugose sm-face with some smaller
tubercles on the inner side, near the base of the hinder lobes, but
separated from them by a groove.
Body tapering behind. The fore limbs moderate, rather elongate,
triangular, hairy above and below ; toes 5, tapering, with a narrow,
thick, hairy web between them ; claws 5, elongate, acute, subequal.
The hind limbs large, broad, triangular, hairy above and below ; the
outer toes on each side of the foot very large, broad, rounded at the
end ; the three middle ones smaller, narrow, tapering, with a thick
hairy web between them ; the central one smaller and shorter ; aU
clawless. Tail short, conical, depressed.
Fur close-set, rather rigid, directed backwards, soft at the end ;
the hairs flat at the base, tapering to a fine point, without any under-
fur at the roots.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.
10 pnociDj:.
Lobodon, Graj/, Zool. Erebus i^- Terror ; Cat. Seals B. M. 5, 9.
Phoca, sp., Humh. Sf Jacq. Voy. Pole Sud (no description).
Steuorlijiiclius (part.), Owen, Ann. Sf May. N. H. 1843, xii. 331.
Halichoerus, sp., T. Peale.
This genus is more nearly allied to StenorJnjnchus than to Phoca,
to which the French surgeons have referred it ; but still it differs so
much from tliat genus in the conformation of the skull and in the
lobing and rooting of the teeth, that it can scarcely he left in it.
The latter peculiarity appears to have escaped Prof. Owen's research,
as in his generic character of Stenorhynchus he says, " Anterior
molars with one root, the rest with two roots," while in this genus
the three front upper molars are single-rooted, a character by which
it differs from all the other genera in the family.
1. Lobodon carcinophaga. Crah-eat'mg Seal.
Head, back, hind feet, and upper part of the tail pale oUve ; fore
feet, side of the face, body, and tail beneath yellowish white ; the
hinder part of the sides of the body and the base of the hind fins
yellow-spotted, spots unequal, often confluent ; whiskers white, the
upper ones smaller, dusky.
Phoca carcinophaga, Homh. Sf Jacq. Voy. Pole Sud, t. (skull, good :
not described) ; Pucheran, Voy. d' Urville, t. 10, 10 a.
Lobodon carcinophaga, Gray, Zool. Ereh. Sf- Terror, Mammalia, 2. 1. 1,
t. 2 (skidl) ; Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. M. 32 ; Cat. Seals B. M. 10.
Stenorh^Ticlius semdens, Owen, Ann. Sf Mug. N. H. 1843, xii. 331 ;
Proc.'Zool. Soc. 1843, 131; Cat. Ost. Mus. Coll. Surg. 641.
_Halicha3rus antarctica, T. Peale, U. S. Explor. Exped. 30. t. 5, skull,
^ fig. p. 31, 1848 ; ed. Cassin, 25, 1858, fig. skull, not good.
See Stenorhynchus vetus, Leidy, Proc. Acad. Nat. Set. Philad. vi. 377,
fig. tooth, said to be found in the greensand of New Jersey.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean, on the packed ice.
a. Skull : three-parts grown. Antarctic Seas. Presented by the
Lords of the Admii-alty, from the Antarctic Expedition. — SkuU
figured ' Zool. Erebus & Terror,' t.
b. Skiill : adult. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented
by the Lords of the Admiralty.
c. Skull : adult. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented
by Lieut. W. Smith, E.N.
d. Skull : adult. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented
by Lieut. W. Smith, R.N.
e. Skiill : adult. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented
by Lieut. W. Smith, R.N.— See Fig. 2, p. 9.
f. SkiiU : young. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented
by the Lords of the Admiralty.
(/. Skeleton. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by
the Lords of the Admiralty.
?i. Skull. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the
Lords of the Admiralty.
The skeleton and skull of this animal are described in detail by
Prof. Owen, Cat. OsteoL Mus. CoU. Sui-g. 641. no. 3937.
2. LEPTONTX. 11
*• The first front grinder in each jaw single-rooted, the rest two-rooted.
t Lower Jaw weak, luith an obtuse angle behind ; orbits eery large.
2. LEPTONYX.
Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle short, broad ; grinders
subcompresscd, with a small subcentral conical tubercle and a very-
small posterior one ; the lower jaw narrow behind, without any
hinder angle ; fore feet clawed.
Head flattened ; muzzle broad, rather short, rounded ; muffle hauy
between and to the edge of the nostrils ; nostrils ovate ; whiskers
compressed, slightly waved ; ears, no external conch. Skull slightly
depressed, expanded behind ; nose rather short, broad, high above ;
orbits rather large ; the petrose portion of the temporal bone convex,
hemispherical.
Cutting-teeth -i, conical, rather recurved, those of the upper jaw
largest ; the middle in each jaw smaller ; the outer upper much
larger. Canines pj, large, conical, curved, rather compressed, upper
largest. Grinders ?^, moderate, rather far apart, parallel to the edge
of the jaw, compressed, with subcentral, conical, prominent tubercle ;
the second, third, and fom-th, in the more perfect specimens, Avith a
small conical tubercle on the hinder edge, and a sharp-edged ridge
round the inner side of the base ; the front grinder in each jaw
smaller, and with a single conical root, tlic rest all 2-rooted nearly
to the crown. Lower jaw slender, with a short symphysis in front,
and narrow, without any angle at the hinder part of the lower edge.
FiR-. 3.
Loptonj-x Weddellii. Skull, and first and last grinder.
Fore feet small, elongate, triangular, hairy above and below, with
five graduated, distant, marginal claws : hind feet moderate ; the
two marginal toes largest, rounded at the end ; claws small, rudi-
m(>ntary, two middle largest.
Fur short, adpressed, without any under-fiir : hair slender, tapering,
slightly flattened.
The skull of this genus resembles in many respects Cuvicr's figure
of a skull of Phoca bicolor ; but it difters from it in all the grinders
] 2 rnociD.E.
being placed more longitudinally, and in the lower jaw being slender,
and without any angle on the hinder part of the lower edge. It is
far more nearly allied to that genus than to StenorhyncJius, to which
Prof. Owen (Ann. N.H. 1843, xii. 331, 332) has referred it ; observing
that his Sfen. serridens (our Lohodon cancrivorci) shows modifications
of the molar teeth which would give it a better claim to subgeneric
distinction than the Sten. WeddelUi (which, he observed, is the type
of the subgenus Lcptonyx of Mr. Gray) has been supposed to possess.
Prof. Owen made this remark, and drew up his specific character,
without having seen the teeth of this species ; for the skull was not
then removed from the skin, and the specimens in the British Museum
were stuffed with the mouth nearly closed.
This animal is easily known from Btenorhiinclms by the shortness
of the wrist and the triangular form of the fore feet, being interme-
diate in this respect between that gemis and Ommatophoca.
Mr. Swainson, in 1832, applied the name of Le^^toni/.v to a genus
of birds, and in 1837 the same name to a second ; but the former
had before been named Pteroptochos, and the latter Corijphospiza, so
that the name may still be used for the Seal.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.
Leptonyx, Grcn/j Mag. N. H. 183G ; Zool. Vvij. Erehis S,- Terror,
Mamm. ; Cat. Seals B. M. 6, 14 ; not Swainson.
1. Leptonyx Weddellii. False Sea Leopard.
Fulvous, with the front of the back and a line down the back
blackish grey ; whiskers brown, tapering.
Female and young blackish grey above ; sides with a series of
longitudinal yellowish spots.
Phoca Leopardina, Jaineson, Weddell, Voy. Smith Pole, i. 22, 24, 134,
t. , not good ; Spec. Mus. JEdin.
Sea Leopard, or Leopard Seal, Weddell, Vor/. S. Pole, i. 22, 134.
Otaria? Weddellii, Lesson, Pull. Sci. Nat. \ai. 343. 438, 1826.
StenorhjTicbus Weddellii, Lesson, 3Lunim. 200 ; Owen, Ann. 8/- Mag.
N. IL 1843, xii. 333.
Leopard Seal, Hamiltmi, Nat. Lihr. 183. t. 12 {from Caid. WeddeWs
specimen).
Leptonyx Weddellii, Gray, Maq. N. H. 1836 ; Zool. Voy. Erebus Sr
Terror, t. 5 (animal), t. 6 (skiill) ; Cat. Seals B. M. 16.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean. South Orkney, Weddell.
a, h. Skins : adult : stuffed. Santa Cruz. Presented by Capt. Fitzroy,
ll.N., 1833. — The specimens described as Leptonyx Weddellii,
Gray, Mag. N. H. 1836 ; Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. M. 31.
N.B. When this species was first described, I thought it was the
Leopard Seal of Weddell. I was afterwards induced to believe that
I was mistaken, as the name Sea Leopar-d was applied by the whalers
to Stenorhynclius Leptonyx ; but it would appear that they used the
same name for the two Seals ; and I have convinced myself, by exami-
ning the teeth of Weddell's specimen in the Museum of the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh, that my first opinion was correct.
3. oiiMAToriTorA.
13
c. Skin : stuffed : small. Antarctic Sea. Presented by the Lords
of the Admiralty. — Specimen described and figured in ' Zool.
Erebus and Terror.'
tl. Skull. River Santa Cruz, cast coast of Patagonia. Presented
by Capt. Fitzroy.
Skull of specimen a.
e. Skull, lliver Santa Cruz, east coast of Patagonia. Presented by
Capt. Fitzroy.
Skull of specimen h.
f. Skull. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the
Lords of the Admiralty. — The skull figured in ' Zool. Erebus and
Terror,' t.
g. Skull. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the
Lords of the Admiralty.
3. OMMATOPHOCA.
Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle very short, broad ; orbits
very large ; grinders smaU, compressed, mth a central incurved lobe,
and a small lobe on each side of it ; fore feet very slightly clawed.
Head short, broad ; ears small, with no internal conch ; muzzle very
short, rounded ; muffle hairy between and to the edge of the nostrils :
nostrils ovate ; whiskers tapering, conical. Skull depressed, expanded
behind ; orbits very large ; nose very short, broad, truncated in front,
high behind ; petrose portion of the temporal bone convex.
Cutting-teeth ^, small, conical, sharply recurved at the tip.
Grinders small, compressed, with a snbcentral, rather large, broad,
slightly incurved lobe, having a very small lobe on the inner side of
Fig. 4.
Oniinatoj)hoca Rossii. Skull and hinder grinders.
its front, and a larger conical one in the middle of its hinder edge;
the front grinder of each jaw is smaller and thicker, with a single
conical root, the rest all with two diverging roots to the crown.
14 ■ pnociDJK.
Lower jaw rather slender, with a short symphysis in front, and rather
narrow, with a thick rounded edge in the hinder part of the lower
edge in the place of the angle.
Fore feet moderate, elongate, triangular, hairy above and below ;
toes 5-5, tapering, subequal, separated by a thick, narrow, hairy
web ; claws two or three, veiy small, rudimentary, horny, acute.
Jffind feet large, broad, triangular, hairj' above and below ; the outer
toes on each side of the foot very large, broad, rounded at the end ;
the middle ones small, narrow, tapering, with a thick hairy web
between them ; the central one smaller and shortest ; all clawless.
Tail short, conical.
Fur very close-set, rather rigid.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.
Ommatophoca, Grmj, Zool. Erebus ^- Terror, 3Iamm.\ Cat. Seals B.M,
6, 18.
Ommatophora, Turner, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1848, 88, misprint.
1. Ommatophoca Eossii. Boss's Large-eyed Seal.
Greenish yellow, with close oblique yellow stripes on the side,
pale beneath.
Ommatophoca Rossii, Gray, Zool. Erebus Sf Terror, Mamm. t. 7
(animal), t. 8 (skidl and teeth) ; Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. M. 31 ; Cat.
Seals B. M. 19.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.
a. ftkiffod^kin. Antarctic Ocean. Presented by the Lords of the
Admiralty. From the Antarctic Expedition.
h. Skull of a. Figured in ' Zool. Erebus & Terror,' t. 8. f. 1, 2 & 4.
The first and second grinders of the upper jaw are small, with a
single conical root ; on the right side both these teeth are united
together in one cavity ; and as there are four other grinders on each
side, it would appear as if there were front grinders of two sets.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth of the same jaw have a compressed,
single, tapering root, with a deep central groove nearly dividing it
into two parts, the groove being deepest and most distinguishable on
their outer side. In the lower jaw the front grinder has a double
crown, with a thick single root, tapering below, as if formed of two
teeth united together by their roots ; the second and tliird grinders
have a broad, compressed, single root, divided by a rather deep,
central, longitudinal groove on each side ; and the fourth and fifth
grinders each have two tapering, nearly parallel roots, Avell separated
at the base from each other. In this skuU the palate is rounded
behind, and the suture between the two bones is much more nearly
in its centre. I do not recollect to have observed such a malforma-
tion, or soldering together of the roots of the teeth, in any other Seal.
c, d. Skull and skeleton.
The skull has the first upper and lower grinder with a single large
subcylindi'ical root, tapering to a point beneath, and each of the
other grinders has two conical separate roots diverging nearly from
the collar. The palate is broad and rather truncated behind, and
4. ST-KNOElITNCnrs.
15
the transverse suture between tlie two bones in the palate is rather
nioi'e than two-thirds the distance from the inner edge of the cutting-
teeth.
e. SkuU. Figured in ' Zool. Erebus & Terror,' t. 8. f. 3, 5. Antarctic
Ocean. Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty.
These skulls differ considerably from one another in the form of
the palate and in the teeth ; but it is probable that the teeth of the
skiUl (A) belonging to the skin (Zool. Erebus & Terror, t. 8. f. 1, 2, 4)
are a malformation.
ft Loivcrjaiv strong, with an acute angle behind; orbits moderate.
4. STENORHYNCHUS.
Skull elongate ; muzzle elongate ; grinders compressed, with three
cyHndiical elongate lobes, the centre one longest and largest.
Head elongate ; ear-conch none externally ; muzzle broad, elon-
gate ; muffle hairy to the edge and between the nostrils ; nostrils
acute ; whiskers slightly waved. Face elongate, rather compressed ;
nose tapering, rather produced and compressed on each side ; orbits
moderate ; the petrose portion of the temporal bone rather convex.
Cutting-teeth ^, conical, acute, incurved, granular, and with a
cutting-edge on each side in a regiilar row; the two outer larger ; the
upper much larger than the lower, and separated from the canines
by a broad space. Canines conical, with sharp cutting-edges within
and on the sides, the upper largest. Giindcrs '—, with moderate roots,
separated from the crown by a narrow groove ; the crown compressed,
divided into three elongate lobes, the centre lobe much the largest,
longest, and subcylindrical, the anterior and posterior lobes conical ;
Fi-. 5.
Stenorhynchus Leptonyx. Skull and gi-inders.
the bases of the lobes are surroimded by a sharp-edged ridge, with
two small, short, conical tubercles on the inner side, the larger one
being at the base of the separation of the hinder from the middle
lobe : the front grinder in each jaw is rather the thickest, with a
16 PHociDj;.
single thick conical root; all the rest have two rather diverging
roots, divided nearly to the crown ; the hinder tooth in each jaw is
rather the smallest. Sj^mphysis of the lower jaw short.
Body tapering behind. The fore limbs moderate, rather elongate ;
the toes are rather larger than the wrist, and each furnished with
a small nearly terminal claw. The hind limbs arc rather large, of
two nearly equal lobes, destitute of any claws ; the three middle
toes small, tapering.
The fur close-set, short, without any under-fur ; hairs flattened,
tapering at the tip to a point.
In the young skuU the grinders are well developed, while the
cutting-teeth are small and far apart ; the hinder grinders have four
lobes where they have only three in the adult.
Mr. MacMurtrie, in his translations of Cu-vier, erroneouslj' adds to
the generic character in the text of the author, " but with single
roots ;" this is repeated in the reprint of the American edition pub-
lished by Orr, i. 98.
Dr. Knox observes, " Teeth, | . f . t§=32 : the two lower middle
incisors peculiar. Vertebras : — cranial, 4 ; cervical, 7 ; dorsal, 14 ;
lumbar, 6; sacral, 3; coccygeal, 13=47.
" The nostrils opened much after the manner of the Cetacea, in
the form of elongated fissures, one inch from the extremity of the
snout ; the pelvic exti'cmities very large and far back ; tail extremely
short. The skin was hairy. The stomach contained numerous fish-
bones, a few feathers (gulls'), and some considerable portions of a
pale-green, broad-leaved, marine Fucus ; thousands of a small, hard,
round, white worm (parasitical) pervaded all parts of the mtestines.
The intestinal tube measured 71 feet 10 inches : caput caecum, 1 inch
9 lines : diameter of smaU intestines, 1 inch ; of large intestines, 1 inch
6 lines. Liver weighed 14 lbs. ; kidneys, 2 lbs. each ; spleen, 1 lb. ;
heart, 6 lbs. The arch of the aorta gave oft' an extremely short
mnominata, which divided it into a right carotid and subclavian,
and left carotid ; the left subclavian came oft" separately. It resembles
Tiedemann's third variety, pi. 3 (copy published in Edinburgh),"
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.
Stenorh-sTichus (Steuorhynque), F.Cuv. Did. Hist. Nat. xxxix. ; Mem.
3Ius. xi. 190 ; Did. Sci. Nat. fix. 463 (1829) ; Nilsson, Wiet/m. Arch.
vii. 307 ; Skand. Fauna ; Gray, Zool. Ereh. Sf Terror, Mamm. ; Cat.
Seals B. M. 6, 11.
Phoca, sp., Home ; Blainville ; F. Cuv. Dents des Manitn. t.
1. Stenorhynchus Leptonyx. Sea Leopard.
Grey, paler beneath, with small black spots on the sides of the
neck and body, and with a few smaller white spots on the sides ;
upper part of the hinder Hmbs dark, pale-marbled.
Phoca Leptonyx, Blainv. Journ. Phys. xei. 288, 1820 ; Desm. Mamm.
247, from Horne's specimen ; Ct/v. Oss. Foss. v. 208. t. 18. f. 2 ;
Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 178 ; Blainv. Osteogr. Phoca, 1. 1, & t. 4. f. ,
skull (Mus. Paris) ; F. C'uvier, Dents des ^lanun. 118. t. 38 a.
Seal from New Georgia, Home, Phil. Trans. 1822, 240. t. 29, skull.
5. MONAcnus. 17
Phoque quatrieme, Blaim>, in Desm. Mamm. 243, note; see Cm. Oss.
Fans. V. 207.
Stenorhynchus Leptonyx, F. Cuv. Diet. Sc. Nat. xxxix. 640. t. 44;
Mem. Mi/s. xi. 100.' t. 13. f. 1; Dents des Mumm. 118. t. 38 a;
Nihsoii, Wiefjm. Arch. vii. 807; Sluind. Fauna, t. ; Gray, Zool.
Erebus Sf Terror, Ma mm. t. 3 (animal), t. 4 (skidl); Cat. Oste'ol. Spec.
B. M. 31 ; Cat. Seals B. M. 13 ; Blainv. Osteo(ir. Phoca, t. 5. f. 0
(teetli and slnill) ; Owen, Ann. N. H. 1843, xii. 332.
Phoca lloiiipi, Lesson, iJiet. Class. II. N. xiii. 417.
Vho(:ii(^ii;\wyhynchii)ljti-pion\x,Blainv.-,Pucheran,Dumontd''UrDille,
Zool. t. 9.
The Small-nailed Seal, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. 180. 1. 11 (nails too large).
Stenorhynchus aux petits ongles, Hombr. Hf Jacq. Voy. a Pole Sad, t. 9.
Sea Leopard of the Jfl/alers.
Sea Bear of New Zealand, Knox, in letter. ^~.
Phoca m-sina, or Sea Bear, I'ollach, Neiu Zealand. ^'
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean, ou the packed ice. North shore, Ncw-
castlcj N. S. W., 6r. ^c?wie«. Drawn by Angas.
a. Skin : adult : stuffed. Antarctic Ocean. Antarctic Expedition.
Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty.
h. Skin : adult : unstuffed. 0 /; / ;, . . ^ '
c. Skidi. /2IlU^^-^^ ^ -\
d. Skidl. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the '' l'^^^
Lords of the Admii-alty. ^jj
SkuU figiu'cd in ' Zool. Erebus & Terror,' t. . f. . ' — ^'
e. SkuU. Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty.
/. Skeleton. Port Nicholson, New Zealand. Presented by Dr. ^
Frederick Knox. -^
r/. Skull. Antarctic Seas. Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty. •
h. Skidl and bones of the body. Antarctic Seas. Presented by the J . i/i.
Lords of the Admiralty.
Skull. Antarctic Seas.
The skull of this Seal is described by Prof. Owen in Cat. Ostool.
Mus. Coll. Surg. 642. nos. 3938-3941, and in Ann. N. H. 1843, xii.
331, he says the Sea Leopard is distinguished from it " by the spotted '
hide."
5. MONACHUS.
Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle short, broad ; orbits large ;
grinders small, conical, " thick, with a small anterior and posterior
lobe;" lower jaw broad, with a distinct posterior angle; "upper
cutting-teeth transversely notched;" cutting-teeth |.
Inhab. Mediterranean.
Monachus, Fleming, Phil. Zool. ii. 187, 1822; Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Ilandl
1837, 235; Gray, Cat. Seals B. M. 17.
Pelagios (Pehtge), F. Cuv. Mem. Mus. xi. 193, 196. t. 13, 1827; Gray,
Zool. Erebus Sf Terror, Mamm. 3.
Pehigius, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. lix. 403, 1829 ; Fischer, Si/n. Mamm.
230 ; Wleymann, Arch. vii. 308 ; Nilsson, Vet. Ahad. Handl. 1837,
23.5; Skand. Fauna, xx. t.
Heliophoca, Gray, Ann. <^- May. N. II. 18.>4, xiii. ( from yomiii' animal ).
Oj/i'^
18
Monachus albiventer. Skull. From Cuvier, Oss. Foss.
Muzzle rather elongate, broad, hairy, with a slight groove between
the nostriLs ; whiskers small, quite smooth, flat, tapering. Fore feet
short ; fingers gradually shorter to the inner one ; claws 5, flat,
truncate. Hiad feet hairy between the toes ; claws very small ; hair
short, adpressed, with very little or no under-fur. Skull depressed ;
nose rather depressed, rather elongate, longer than the length of the
zygomatic arch ; palate angularly notched behind. Cutting-teeth ^,
large, notched within, the middle upper much smaller, placed behind
the intermediate ones. Canines large, conical, sharp-edged. Grinders
1^, large, croAvded, placed obhquely with regard to the central pala-
tine line; crown large, conical, with several small conic rhombic
tubercles. Lower jaw angulated in front below, with diverging
branches, the lower edge of the branches rounded, simple. The
grinders, except the two first in both jaws, are implanted by two
roots ; their crown is short, compressed, conical, with a cingOlum
strongly developed on their inner side, and developing a small ante-
rior and posterior accessory cusp ; the upper jaw is much less deep
than in Halkhoerus ; the canines are relatively large, and the nasal
bones are much shorter.
The feet, palate, and teeth resemble those of the genus Callo-
cephahis (C. communis), but the grinders are larger and less deeply
lobed ; and it has the smooth whiskers of the restricted genus Phoca
(P. harhata). It diff'ers from the latter genus in the depressed form
of the skull, the large tubercular grinders, and the angular termina-
tion to the palate.
As the other subtropical Seal, Phoca troincalis (Gray, Cat. Seals,
B. M. 28), from Jamaica, described from an imperfect skin without
a skull, has similar small smooth wliiskers, it may very probably,
when its skull has been examined, be found to belong to this genus,
Avhich will then prove to be a subtropical form of the family.
THE PERFORIING I TALKING
FIS
Now Exhibiting, from 1 1 a.m. till 10 p.m.^ at
191, PICCADILLY.
ADMISSION, ONE SHILLING.
CHILDREN HALF-PRICE.
FASHIONABLE MORNING PERFORMANCES
Every Saturday, from 11 till 6 o'clocJc.
Admission, HALF- A-CROWN ; Children, One Shilling.
AFTER SIX, THE USUAL CHARGE.
This amphibious creature was caught with much trouble, and at great personal hazard,
by Signor CAVANA and Crew, off the Coast of Africa, on the 5th of May, 1854. It
measures 12 feet in length, weighs 8 cwt. and is the only individual of the species
hitherto publicly exhibited.
In offering this curious animal to public view, the Proprietor begs to inform his
visitors that they are not to confound it w-th the Marine Wolf, as it is quite of a dif-
ferent species. The female, which he has (he honor to present to the public, obeys the
word of command, and executes various pc fonnanccs, which liave caused great admira-
tion to the first naturalists of England, France, and Portugal.
The creature, notwithstanding its great ferocity, has with difficulty been tamed, and,
in a sense, domesticated. Such is its present docility and obedience, that it has left its
locality at night in search of its keeper, and has laid down to sleep by his side. It is of
enormous bulk, has two rows of teeth, and U covered with fine hair. It only feeds on fish,
of which it daily eats the iumiensc quantity of 45 lbs. It is ferocious and dangerous to
its enemy, but docile to its keeper, whoso orders and expressions it comprehends, and
whose face and hands it kisses. Its intelligence is so acute, that it pronounces several
words distinctly.
FROBI THE LIVERPOOL CHRONICLE.
The Talkihg Fish.— Public incredulity ir. reference to this extraordinarj- specimen of nature
hai been entirely dispelleit, and the ininunso number of ladies and gentlemen who have paid a visit
to the eBtablishnient in Elliott-street durini^ the past week testify to the remarkable and wonderful
character of the creature. It seems daily to advance in sagacity and intelligence, and on each suc-
ceeding visit w,' are struck with additioijal proof > of its traotaliility. Amonpst the numerous body
who have insp'rted it during the past week we see by the visitors' hook the nrimea of the Earl of
Sefton, the flnn. C. B. Molyiicux, the Hon. Frederick Hewey Bathurst, John Bramley-Moore, Esq.,
^f.P., Gilbert Henderson, Esq.. Kecordcr of Liverpool, M.ijor Ch.-.mbcrs, Captain Hornby, Knowsley
Cottage, Captain II. C Falkncr, Sck.— January TMli, 18.59.
Amongst the ladies and pentlemen who have visited the exhibition during the present week, we
notice in the visitors' book th-, nanus of Captain T. H, Sullivan, H.M.S. "Hastings"; P. T. Curry,
Esq., Coroner; B. Hcywood Jones, Esq., and Family, Lark-hill; the Rev. T. Rigliye Baldwin;
Robert de Lambert, Esq , Common Head, Windermere, Kendal; W. H. Maclean, E^q., ic. &c.
February Wi, 1R,5!).
M
o. MoNAcnrs.
19
1. Monachus albiventer. Monk Seal.
Phoqiie a ventre blanc, Biiffon, II. N. Supp. vi. t. 44; Cia: R. A. i.
1G(5 ; 0,s6-. Foss. V. 208. 1. 17. f. 1 (skeleton), f. 2, 3, 4, 5 (skuU) ; Loh-
stein, Ohs. Anat. Comp. ; Ranzani, Opusc. Scimt.
Phoca Monachus, Ilerm. Bed. Ahh. 1779, iv. 1. 12, 13 ; Desm. Mamm.
241.
Phoca Hermanni, Lesscm, Diet. Gass. H. N. xiii.
Pelagios Monachus, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. K(ct. xxxix. 550 ; Ann. Mus.
1813, XX. 38 ; Mem. Mus. xi. 193. t. 13 (skull) ; Blainv. Osteog.
Phoca, t. 5, 7, 8, 9; Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mm. Coll. Surg. 643_.__ I Sco^^<^
Pelagius Monachus, Nikson, Skmul. Fauna ; Wiegm. Arch. viii. ^(ydy . -^ ^(..-^U-i
Gray, Zool. Erebus S,- Terror. A"- ' ' "ff
Monachus Mediterraneus, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Ilandl. 1837, 235. u'li,^
Phoca albiventer, i^ofW. £/wic/i. 170. ' ^,7 7 a
Phoca bicolor, Shaw, Zool. i. 254. t, 70, 71. %i^LUt )
Phoca leucogaster, Peron. ( '' J
Phoca vitulina. Wolf, Ahhild. i. 18. t. 4 (good).
Phoque Moine, F. C'uv. Ann. 3Iiis. xx. 38.
Pied Seal, Penn. Quad. ii. 173.
Heliophoca Atlantica, Gray, Ann. Sj- Mag. N. H. 1854, xiii. 200 ;
P. Z. S. 1854.
Phoca leporina, Verreaux, not Lepechin.
Mediterranean Seal, Shaw, Zool. i. 255.
Iiihab. Mediterranean, Algiers. *» Atlantic, Madeira, MacAndrew. \y'
In Cumara das Lobos, Funcbal, Knight. Canaries, Isle Lobos?
a. Young animal. N. Atlantic, Deserta Grande Island.
h. Adult animal. N. Atlantic, Deserta Grande Island. Presented
by E. MacAndrew, Esq., F.R.S. Specimens described as Helio-
phoca Atlantica.
An imperfect sknll of this Seal is described in Cat. Osteol. Coll.
Mus. CoU. Surg. 643.
The Trustees of the British Museum purchased the dead body of
a Seal which had been exhibited in London as the " Talking Fish."
The proprietor, an Italian, at first said that it was from the coast of
South America, but afterwards admitted that it was from one of the
ports on the nortji side of the Mediterranean ; and on examination
it proved to be the Monk Seal {Phoca albiventer), the type of the
genus Monachus of Fleming and Pehif/ios of F. Cuvier, a genus which
was one of the desiderata in the Museum Collection.
The comparison of the skuU of this animal with the skuUs of the
Seal from Madeira, which I described in the ' Annals and Magazine
of Natural History' for March 1854, luider the name of Heliophoca
Atlantica, has shown that the latter animal is the same as the Medi-
terranean Seal.
The British Museum has since received from M. Yerrcaux a very
good skeleton of a Seal from Algiers, under the name oi Phoca lepo-
rina, wliich is evidently the same as the Phoca albiventer of Cu\ier
(Oss. Foss. V. t. 17).
These facts arc interesting as showing that the Seal which was
formerly believed to be confined to the north shore of the Medi-
c2
//
20 PHOCID.'E.
terraneaii is also found on the southern one and on the islands of
the Atlantic— P. i;. /S. 1864.
2. Monachus tropicalis. Jamaica Seal.
Grey-brown ; haii- very short, strap-shaped, closely adpressed,
black with a slight grey tip ; whiskers short, thick, cylindrical, re-
gularly tapering, without any appearance of wave or twist ; fingers
gradually shorter.
Phoca tropicalis, Gray, Cat. Seals B. M. 28.
Inhab. Jamaica.
a. Skin, imperfect, without skull.
Skin referred to in description of CystojiTiora AntUlarum, Gray,
Proc. Zool. Soe. 1849, 93.
SubfamUy 2. PHOCINA.
Cuithig-teeth ^ ; the first front grinder in each jaiu single-rooted,
the rest two-rooted; muzzle bald and callous between and above the
nostrils, and divided by a central groove; wrist rather exserted ;
fingers subequal ; claivs 5'5, large,
Phociiia, Graij, Ann. Phil. 1825, 340 ; Mag. Nut. Hist. 1837, i. 583 ;
Zool. Erehus ^- Terror, 3 ; Cat. Phocidcs B. 31. 20.
Phocaceerna, § 1, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837 ; Wiegm. Arch. vii. ;
Skand. Fauna, t. , 1840.
Phoca, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837 ; Wiegm, Arch. vii. ; Skand,
Fauna, xx. 1840.
Callocephalus, F. Cuv. Mem. Mus. xi. 1827.
6. CALLOCEPHALUS.
Muzzle rather narrow ; whiskers waved ; fingers gradually shorter ;
palate angularly notched behind ; hair subcyHndrical ; under-fur
thin ; web between the hind toes hairy. The branches of the lower
jaw diverging ; the lower edge of the lower jaw rounded, simple, the
angle blunt, sloping behind ; grinders large, crowded. (Fig. 7.)
Inhab. Northern Ocean.
Callocephalus (Callocephale), pt., F. Cuv. Mem, Mus. xi. 182, 1827;
Diet. Sci. Nat. lix. 463, 1829 ; Fischer, Syn. 230 ; Gray, Zool. Erebus
Sf Terror, Mamni.
Callocephalus, § *, Cat. Phoc. B. M. 21.
Phoca, sp., Linn. ; Fleming, Phil. Zool. ii. 187; Nilsson, Skand. Fauna,
xz.
1. Callocephalus vitulinus. Common Seal.
Finely sprinkled with blackish and whitish, and with greyish brown
and yellowish grey along the back, usually unspotted and blackish ;
the underside of the body whitish ; a widish, paler, unspotted ring
round each eye, and over each eye a small roundish spot, from which
a bristle proceeds. Edge of lower jaw rounded below in front, with
a short symphysis. Grinders large, rather crowded and oblique.
6. CALLOCEPHALUS.
Fiff. 7.
21
Calloceplialus vitulinus. Skull, griuder, and palate.
Phoca vitulina, Linn. ; Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837; Skand. Fmina ;
Wiegmann, Arch. vii. 31G ; Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 17G ; Blaiiw.
Ostiog. Phoca, t. 2, 5, 9 ; Gaimard, Voy. Islande, 1. 11. f. 1, 2 (skull) ;
Ball,' Trans. Roy. Irish Acad, xviii. t. 4. f. 11-13, t. 5, t. 6 ; Sketches
Brit. Seals, t. 8. f. 23-25 (animal), t. 9. f. 26-32 (anat.). jf^i f^^ \ l ., J /-^ • ^k/-
Phoca commuuig, Linn. Mus. Ad. Frid. i. 5. r, / J ^'
Phoca canina, Pallas, Zool. Rosso-Asiat. 114. ' /tf-yttl//
Phoca littorea, Thienem. Nat. Bemerk. 61. t. 6, 7, 8 ; Bidl. Sci. Nat. (^/^^^^
V. 216.
Phoque commune, var., F. Cuvier, Mamm. Lith. ix. t. ; Mem. Mus.
xi. 182. t. 12. f. \a,b,c.
Phoca variegata, Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i. 359.
Callocephalus vitulinus, F. Cuvier, Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 540 ; Gray,
Zool. Erehus 8)- Terror, 3 ; Cat. Osteog. Spec. B. M. 32 ; Cat. Phoc.
B. M. 21.
Seal, Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 71. t. 48.
Common Seal, Parsons, Phil. Tram, xlvii. 120. t. 6 ; Pen7i. Syn. 339 ;
Bell, Brit. Quad. 263.
Phoca Linnsei, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 414,
See Hund, Blumcnb. Ahhild. t. 73.
Veau marin, Perrault, Anim. i. 187. t. 97.
Phoque commune, Biiffon, H. N. xiii. 333. t. 45 ; Sujjpl. vi. t. 46 ; Cuv.
R. A. i. 165 ; Oss. Foss. iv. 278, v. 200; F. Cuvier, Ann. Mm. xvii.
377; 3Iamm. Lith. t. .
Var. ? Phoca commvmis octonotata, Kutorqa, Btdl. Soc. Imp. Nat.
Mosq. 1839, 189. t. 13. f. 1, t. 14. f. 1, 2, 3, t. 15. f. 1, 2 & 5, t. 16.
f. 1-4, and t. 18. f. 1-4 (skull).
Var. ? Phoca communis undulata, Kuto)r/a, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Mosg.
1839, 189. t. 13. f. 2, t. 14. f. 4-6, t. 15. f. 3, 4, t. 17, t. 18. f. 2.
Var. ? Phoque a fortes moustaches, Mus. Paris ; hde Nilsson, Wieg-
mann. Arch. vii. .311.
Inbab. North Sea. Caspian Sea. Baikal.
Skin : stuffed. Belfast. From Mr. W. Thompson's Collcetion.
h, c. Skins : stuffed.
d. Skull, (ireenland.
From Dr. Moller's Collection.
22 PHOCID^.
e. Skeleton : young. Coast of England. From Dr. Mantell's Col-
lection.
f. SkiiU. Greenland.— (Fig. 7, p. 21.)
\j. SkuU.
/*. Skull of specimen from coast of Europe.
i. Skeleton of specimen from coast of Holland. Presented by the
Zoological Society.
j. Skeleton. Greenland. From Mr. Warwick's Collection.—" Plioca
hispidus or P. annulatus," Warwick.
Middle toe of the fore flipper the largest, the others on each side
decreasing in length, so that the two outer are half an inch shorter
than the middle one ; the hind flipper with the outer toes largest
and connected by a thick membrane, containing three of the slender
and shoi'ter toes. — Sabine, Rosses Voy. 12.
A young Seal became so entirely domesticated and attached to the
ship, that it was frequently put into the sea and sufl'ered to swim at
perfect liberty, and when tired would return of itself to the boat's
side to be taken in. — Sabine, Bosses Voy. 13.
Lotverjaw not observed.
2. Callocephalus ? Caspieus. Caspian Seal.
Back and sides grey-brown, decorated with irregular, thickish,
yellowish rings ; the sides of the mouth gradually of a pale yel-
lowish ; hairs of the beard thick, pale. Length 4 feet.
Phoca Caspica, Nilsson, Vetensk. Akad. Handl. 1837; Skand. Fmma;
Wieyman, Arch. vii. 313.
Phoca canina, var. Caspica, Pallas, Zool. Rosso-Asiat.
Phoca vitulina /3. Caspia, Gmelin, S. N. ; Fischer, Syn. G75 ; Gray,
Griffith's A. K. V. 173.
CaUocephalus Caspieus, Gray, Zool. KSfT.S; Cat. Phoc. B. M. 24
Inhab. Caspian Sea.
3. Callocephalus ? dimidiatus. Nonvay Seal.
Whiskers waved ; dark grey above ; lips and beneath pure white.
Phoca dimidiata, Schlegel, Mus. Leyden.
CaUocephalus dimidiatus, Gray, Cat. Phoc. B. M. 24.
Inhab. Norway. Mus. Leyden.
May be only a particular state of one of the preceding species.
7. PAGOMYS.
The branches of the lower jaw diverging ; lower edge of the lower
jaw dilated on the inner side, with the angle blunt and sloping be-
hind (see fig. 9, c, p. 28) ; the palate angularly notched behind.
Inhab. Northern Seas. ,
Pagomys, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1860.
Calloceplialus, § **, part., Gray, Cat. Seals B. M. 23.
7. PAGOMYS. 23
1. Pagomys foetidus. Hinged Seal.
Back blackish ; on it, or on its side, there are largish, oval, whitish,
thin rings (from 11" to 2" long) ; the circle round the eyes is of one
colour ; the hairs of the beard are thin and brown ; the grinders
rather far apart, and straight as regards the margin ; fur short, crisp,
recurved at the tip ; lower jaw dilated and inflexed beneath in front.
Young greenish black (not eyed like the adult), beneath paler.
Phoca foetida, Midler, Znol. Dan. Prodr. viii. ; O. Fahr. Fauna Groenl.
13; Fischer, Syn. 577; Gray, Griffitlis A. K. v. 178. /f/^^ ^^^.^ ^ :IS~J ■
Phoca hispida (part.), Erxl, Syst. 589. /a ■ 13 ^- liq.
Phoca hispida, O. Fahr. Shrirt. Nat. Selsk. i. 74. t. 12. f. 1 (Ikull). '
Phoca Bothnica, Gmelin, S. N. i. 63.
Callocephalua fojtidus et C. hispidus, Gray, Cat. Seals B. M. 23.
? Phoca coucolor, Dekay, N. H. Neio York, 54.
? Phoca equestris, Pallas, Zool. Rosso- Asiat. iii. 40 ; Schrenck,' Aviur-
Lande, i. 182. t. 9. f. 1, 2 ( d' ), f. 3 ( J ), uniform-coloured.
Phoca fasciata, Shaw, Zool.
Phoca annellata, Nihson, Skand. Fauna, i. 362. t. 38 ; Thienem. Nat.
Bemcrk. 83. t. 9-12 ; Bidl. Sci.. Nat. v. 261 ; Wieymann, Arch. vii.
312; Gainiard, Voyage Ishnde, t. 11. f. 7; Ball, Sketches Brit. Seals,
1. 11. f. 36 (skull), cop. Thienemann ; liadde, Reisenin Suden von Ost-
Sibirien, 1862, i. 296. t. 1-3 (animal, skidl, and other bones).
Phoque commime, F. Cuvier, Mamm. Lithog. iv. t. , cop. Hamilton,
Seals, t. 4.
Callocephalus discolor, F. Cuvier, Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 545 ; Mem.
Mm. xi. 186.
Phoca (Callocephalus) hispida, F. Cuvier, Mem. 3Ius. xi. 189. t. 12.
f. 3, g, h, i (skuU) ; Gaimard, Voy. Isl. 3Iamm. 1. 11. f. 1, 2 (sluill).
Phoca discolor. Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 177.
Phoca Frederici, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 416.
? Phoca Schreberi, Lesson, Diet. Cl,ass. H. N. xiii. 414 (part.).
Callocephalus hispidus (part.), F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 547.
Callocephalus annellatus, Riippell, Verz. 107 ; Gray, Zool. E. cS'- T. 3.
? Ribbon Seal, Penn. Arct. Zool. i. 105.
Kuma of the Tugunsen, near Baikal.
Nerpa of the Russians.
Inhab. North Sea. England, Nilsson. Lake Baikal. .
a. Skin: stuffed. J kLt( t«-
h. Specimen : stuffed. North Sea. ."^ / ^
c. Skull of specimen 6. \A/hi^teU Ut^cj .
d. Specimen: stuffed. North Sea. /^tuc/,- iu oUt\^-ne^
e. SkuU of specimen d. ^£^^ ,^ ^ ^^
Herr Gustav Eadde gives the measurements of three skulls of Phocn -M^
vituJina from the East Sea, one Phoca Caspiea from the Caspian, and
four 7'. annellata — three from the East Sea and one from I-ake Baikal
(see o]i. cit. p. 301).
We have received a Ringed Seal (Pagomys fctiJus) that was born
in the Zoological Gardens and died soon after its birth. "■ It was
entirely covered with closely-set, well-developed fur of a silver-grey
colour, being rather browner on the u])per surface. It is 2 feet
8 inches long, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail ; the fore
paws arc 6, the hinder 8 inches long, and the latter arc 7 inches
24 I'HOCID.E.
wide when expanded. The webs of the feet are covered with hair,
and the claws are well developed and black. The whiskers are white,
well developed, and slightly waved." — Proc. ZooJ. tSoc. 1862, 202.
The Seal of the Severn, which Professor Nilsson regarded first as
P. annellata and then as P. Gvcenlanclica , Mr. Ball thinks, from its
small size and the form of the intermaxillarj" bones, is neither, and
that it has yet to be determined. — Ball, Proc. lioi/. Irish Acad. 1836,
19. f. 32-35.
2. Pagomys ? Largha. Larglm Seal.
Muffle bald, narrow, with a central groove ; whiskers compressed,
waved ; shining ashy white, with numerous scattered, smaU, oval
black spots, smaller and closer on the back ; feet brownish ash ; claws
long, black ; no under-fur.
Young yellow ; back dark grey, from the skin being visible through
the pale hair ; hair short, flattened ; web baldish.
Var. Spots larger, more equally scattered (Japan). — Skull and teeth
like P. oceanica, Temm.
Phoca Largha, Pallas, Zool. Rosso- Asiat. i. 113.
Phoca nummularis, Temm. Fauna Japon. c. 3. t. ; Schrenck, Aimir-
Lancle, i. 180 ; 3Iidclendor-ff', Eeise aussersten l^c. i. 122.
Chieu de mer de Detroit de Behiing, Choris, Voy. Pictoresque, t. 8.
Callocephalus Largha, Gray, Cat. Phoc. 24.
Phoca Chorisii, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 417 ; Fischer, Syn. 24.
Phoque tigre, Kraschetmenikotv, Hist. Kamtseh.
phoca tigrina, Lesson, Manuel, 550.
? Phoque de Stellar, Kra'chenn. Hist. Kamtseh. 107.
Pagomys ? nummularis, P. Z. S. 1864, 31.
luhab. North Pacific. Japan, M'^. Leyden. East Shore, Kamt-
schatka, Pallas.
This species is only known from some skins and three fragments
of skulls in the Leyden Museum, which were sent to me for com-
parison by the energetic Curator of the Leyden Museum.
The fragments of skulls above referred to consist of the face-bone
and the lower jaws of three specuuens ; the most perfect specimen
has part of the orbit and the upper part of the brain-case attached
to it. They are all from very young specimens, of nearly the same
age ; and, unfortunately, the most perfect one is without the hinder
portion of the palate, so that one cannot make sure that it has the
same form of the palatine margin that is found in Pagomys ; but
the part of the side of the palate that is present, when compared
with the same part in Pagomys, leads one to think it most likely to
be of the same form as in that genus.
The general form and size of the face, and the form of the teeth,
are very similar to those of a skuU of Pagomys foetidus of the same
age. It only differs from the latter in the lower jaw being rather
shorter and broader, in the grinders being larger, thicker, and rather
closer together, in the central lobe of the grinders being consider-
ably larger, thicker, and stronger, and in all the lobes of the grinders
being more acute. The lower margin of the lower jaw is dilated
8. PAGOPHILUS. 25
in front, just as in Pagomys faikhis ; but the jaws behind the dila-
tation diverge more from each other, leaving a wider space between
them at the hinder part. The form of the hinder angle of the jaAvs
is very similar in the two species. The orbit is rather smaller and
more circular ; for in P. fcctidus it is rather oblong, being slightly
longer than wide. The forehead appears, as far as one can judge
by the fragments, to be flatter and broader, and the nose rather
shorter.— (7ra.v, P. Z. S. 1864.
The lower jaws short and broad ; the grinders thick, with abroad
thick central lobe, and nearly side by side (in the skulls of the young
animals).
The following measurements show the difference between the two
species : —
P. fcetkhis. P. nummidaris.
in. 12ths. in. 12th3.
Length of lower jaw to hinder notch . . 2 11 17
Length of lower jaw to end of dilatation. 1 Sg 1 ^d
Length of upper teeth-line 1 3| 1 2
Length of three grinders 0 2| 0 3
Width at outside of hinder notch 19 17
Length of orbit 1 8| 1 5
The Phoca nummularis of Japan has been considered to be iden-
tical with Phoca Larr/lia of Pallas, from the east shore of Kamts-
chatka, the Phoca Chonsii of Lesson, and the Phoqne tigre of Kras-
chennenikow (which has been named Phoca tigrina by Lesson), on
the strength of their coming from nearly the same district ; but I
am not aware that specimens of any of the latter species exist to
verify the union and determine what are the species described under
these names. — Grag, P. Z. S. 18G4.
8. PAGOPHILUS.
Palate truncated behind ; fingers gradually shorter ; muzzle rather
produced ; hair dry, flat, close-pressed, without any under-fur ; web
between the hind toes baldish. Lower jaw with the branches diverg-
ing, dilated and inflexed beneath in front, so as to close in the front
part of the gidlet ; the angle acute, erect behind, with a notch above
the basal tubercle ; grinders rather distant. (Fig. 8.)
Inhab. Northern Ocean.
Callocephalus §, F. Cucier, 3Icm. 3Ius. xi. 1827.
Pagophilus ( subgen. of Callocephalus), Grai/, Zool. Erehus i^f Terror, 3.
Pagophilus, Cat. Phocidce B. M. 25.
1. Pagophilus Groenlandicus. Harp Seal.
Grey or whitish, with large and small black spots ; hairs of the
beard waved on the edges ; the cutting-teeth diminish in size ; the
grinders separate, straight ; edge of the mouth oblicjue. Length from
4 to 5 feet.
26
^(cJ^
h
Pagophilus GiOBulandicus. Skull.
Until six or seven weeks old white, — called White Coats at New-
foiintUand ; at one year old they have small spots ; at two years old
they have large spots, and the males are called Bed Lampicrs ; at
three years old the males and females have the harp-shaped band,
and are then called Saddlebacks. — Jukes, Newfoundland.
Phoca Grcenlandica, Miiller, Zool. Dan. Prodr. 8 ; O.Fahr. Fauna Granl.
11; Thienemann, Nat.Bemerk. 1. 14-21 ; JBull. Sci. Kat. v. 261. t. 15
& 18, t. 19 (skull) ; F. Cm: Mem. Mus. xi. 186. 1. 12. f. 2 ; Niksmi,
Skand. Fauna, i. 370. t. 37 (young) ; Wiegni. Arch. vii. 314 ; Gray,
Griffith's A. K. ii. t. 91 c?, t. 92, v. 177 ; Ball, Sketches of British
Seals,t. 12. f. 37-39 (skull), Mus. Paris ; Volkmann, Anat. Anim. i.
t. 4. f. 1, 8 1 Owen, Cat. Osteal. 3Ius. Coll. Surg. 646. ,
Phoca oceanica, Lepech. Act. Petroj}. 1777, i. 295. t. 7 &8 ; Fisch. Si/n.
238 ; Hamilton, Seals, t. 7.
Callocephalus oceanicus, Lesson, Man. 196.
Phoca semilunaris, Bodd. Elench. 170.
Phoca dorsata, Pallas, Zool. Rosso-Asiat. 112.
Phoca Miillei'i, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 412.
Phoca annellata, Gaimard, Voy. Islande, 1. 11. f. 7, 8, 9.
Callocephalus Groenlandicus, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 546 ; Mem.
Mus. xi. 186. t. 12. f. 2, d, e,f; Rdppell, Vm-z. Senck. Samml. 169.
Pagophilus Groenlandicus, Gray, Cat. Phoc. B. M. 25. fig. (skull).
PPhoca Albiui, Alexandra, Mem. Torin. 1850, ii. 141. 1. 1-4 (skeleton).
Saddleback of Northern Sealers, Wallace, Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edinh.
1862, 392.
Phoque a croissant, Buffon, H. N. Suppl. 325 ; Cuv. R. A. i. 166.
Harp Seal, Penn. Quad. ; Griffith's A. K. i. ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 269 ;
Hamilton, Seeds, t. 7 ; Jukes, Neiofotvndland.
Swart Slide, Eyede, Grcenl. 62, fig.
Attarsoak, Crantz, Grcenl. 163.
Young. Phoca lagura, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 206 ; Fischer, Syn. 238 ;
Blainv. Osteoq. Phoca, t. 9 (? dentition) ; Gaimard, Voy. ' Islande,
t. 11. {. 6 (skull) ; Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 177.
Callocephalus lagurus, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 546.
Phoca albicauda, Desm. Mamm. Supp. 54:1, from Mus. Paris.
Phoca Desmarestii, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 416.
Phoca Pilayi, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N xiii. 416.
Inhab. North Sea.
9. nALicTON. 27
a. Adult : stuffed. North Sea.
h-d. Adult: stuffed.
e. Skin. From Mr. Brandt's Collection.
/-/. Skulls. Greenland. From Dr. MoUcr's Collection.
l\ Skeleton. Greenland. From Mr. Brandt's Collection.
/, m, n. Skulls. Greenland. From Dr. Moller's Collection.
0. SkuU of a young specimen. Greenland. From Dr. Edward Riip-
peU's Collection. — The front of the lower edge of the lower jaw
of this young specimen is scarcely dilated.
The skeleton and two skulls of this Seal are described in Cat.
Osteol. CoU. Mus. Coll. Surg. 646. no. 3961.
" Several Harp Seals are now seen in the deep sheltered voe at
Balta Sound.
" This Seal can scarcely be considered very rare here, but it is said
only to occur in bad weather, and certainlj- the present visit forms
no exception to the rule, the wind having for some days been blowing
heavily from the north-east, accompanied by sleet and snow." —
H. L. Saxby, Balta Sound, Shetland, March 14, 1864, 'Zoologist,'
1864, p. 9099.
At a brewer's in Spring-grove Lane, Isleworth, there is a stuffed
specimen of a Seal that was caught on the 25th of March, 1858, in
the river Thames at Isleworth, which appears to be a young specimen
of this species ; unfortunately the bones which would have deter-
mined the question were destroyed, or at least not kept.
" The Ground Seal, which forms the larger part of the prey of the
Northern sealers, has the colour and markings like the male Saddle-
back, but it is more robust ; it is perhaps Ph. leporina, or the ' Hare
of the ^ear'— Wallace, Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edhib. 1862, 390.
This cannot be, as that has not the mark on the back.
M. Gaimard, in his 'Voyage to Iceland and Greenland,' Mammalia,
pi. 11, devotes a plate to the skull and teeth of the Seals of Ice-
land and Greenland ; but he does not pay any attention to the form
of the lower jaw, except incidentally, when representing the teeth
of the lower jaw of his P. annellata (t. 11. f. 9). I may obseiwe that
this author names on his plates what we call Phoca annellata P. Ms-
pida, and what we call P. Groenlamlica P. annellata. — P. Z. S. 1864.
9. HALICYON.
The palate of the skuU arched out behind. Cutting-teeth f.
Grinders 3 or 5, lobed, compressed. The lower jaw strong, bowed
out on the sides, thick in front, and with a low crest on the inner
side of the lower edge near the front; the i-amus of the lower jaw
erect, with a tiibercular prominence beneath the notch at the angle.
(Fig. 9.) Skin &c. unknown.
Iiihab. Northern Seas.
Halicyon, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 28.
In ParjopkUus Groenlandicus and Halicyon Richardi the angle of
the lower jaw is far back, and the hinder edge of the ramus ascends
28 rnociD.T:.
nearly perpendicularly, with a notch at the hinder end, as shown in
/, fig. 9. In Phoca harhata the form of the lower jaw and ramns is
nearly similar ; hut instead of a notch near the angle, the inner edge
is produced inwards into a rounded lobe (6, fig. 9 ; and see Cat. Seals
B. M. p. 27. f. 9).
Fig. 9.
a. Skull of Halicyon Richardi.
b. End of lower jaw of Phoca harbata, to show the dilatations and
inflexions of the lobe over the angle.
c. End of the lower jaw of Pa(70»i?/s /a><jf/MS. The end of the jaw of
Callocephalus vituUmis is somewhat similar.
d. Lower edge of the lower jaw of Hnlicyon Richardi.
e. Lower edge of the lower jaw of Phoca barhafa.
f. Lower edge of the lower jaw of Paijophilus Groenlandicus. The jaw
of Pugomys footidus is somewhat similar, but much smaller.
In CaUocephahts vHulimis and C. (Pac/onu/s) fcefidus, on the con-
9. HALICYON. 29
tmry, the angle of the lower jaw is more towards the front, and the
hinder edge of the ramus ascends obliquely, with the notch consider-
ably in front of the condyle (see c, fig. 9). — P. Z. S. 1864.
The skuU of Halici/on resembles that of Callocejjhalus hispidus and
Pa(joj)]ulus Gnenlandiciis in the dilatation of the front part of the
lower edge of the lower jaw ; but it agrees with Callocephcdus his-
pidus most in the greater development of the face, and in the concave
edge of the hinder part of the palate.
It differs from these skiiUs —
1. In the dilatation of the lower jaw not being extended so far
back, only occupying the first two-fifths of the length of the jaw ;
while in the other two species it occupies fidl half the length of
that bone.
2. In the sides of the lower jaw being much wider apart, -and
arched outwards, making the space between them much wider be-
hind, agreeing in this respect with Phoca barbata.
3. In the front of the lower jaw being thick and swollen, and
with only a slight ridge on the middle of the lower edge in front ;
and the jaws in this part being well separated from each other, not
thin, concave inwardly, and with a well-developed inferior edge on
the inner sides, those of the two sides of the jaws being parallel and
near together in the centre.
The angle at the hinder lower edge of the lower jaw is much
more produced, and with a more prominent tubercle, than in either
Callocephalus hispklas or PiKjophilus GrcenJandicus.
4. The hinder edge of the palate being concave forwards, and not
straight and transverse as in Pagoplulus, nor angiilarly cut out as in
Callocephcdus.— Gmi/, P. Z. S. 1864.
In the younger specimen the edge of the palate has a slight pro-
minence in the middle of each side ; but this is evidently an acci-
dental deformity, as the prominences are not of the same size in the
two sides. In the adult skull the two sides of the palate are evenly
arched out.
The lower jaw most resembles that of the restricted genus Phoca
(of which P. barbata is the type) in being solid and strong, and in
the two sides being arched out, lea\ang a very wide oval space be-
tween them, the front part of the space being continued by a
tubercle on the inner edge of the front of the jaw, a short distance
fi'om the symphysis.
In Phoca the tubercle on the inner side of the lower edge is short,
roimded, blunt, and more or less rugose ; in the new Seal, Halicyon,
it is a short-edged, elongated ridge. In Phoca the teeth are small,
erect, and far apart ; in Ualicijon they are larger, closer together, and
distinctly three- or five-lobed.
In HuUci/on the hinder edge of the ramus of the lower jaw is simple,
with a distinct notch between it and the tubercular angle of the jaw.
In Phoca the hinder edge of the ramus is intlected, fonuing a large
half-oblong lobe, convex in front and concave behind {b, fig. 9).
It is verj' interesting to observe that there is a representative
genus on each side of the Arctic Pole ; and this agrees with my
30 . rnociD^.
previous experience — that each species of Seal has a limited, indeed
I may say a very well-definod and very limited, geographical dis-
tribution. Though the species are veiy ditficult to distinguish by
their external characters, yet the skeleton, and especially the skull,
affords -well-marked and very definite characters.
M. Lepechin described a Phoca oceanica (Act. Petrop. 1777, 259.
t. 6 & 7), which has been considered the same as Pagopliihis Grcen-
landicus, as abimdaut on the ice aroimd Nova Zembla. It would be
desirable to see the skull of a specimen from that locality, and thus
discover which species extends itself so far north as those islands.
Phoca oceanica, in its young and old state of fur, resembles Pcujo-
phUiis Grcenlanclicus ; but unfortunately we have only a very limited
knowledge of the external appearance of this new Seal {Halicyon
Bichanli) from Yancouver's Island.
The study of a large series of specimens of several species of
Seals shows that the form of the lower jaw, though hitherto little
attended to by zoologists, affords a very good character for the dis-
tinction of the species. — Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 28.
1. Halicyon Richardi, sp. nov.
Fur pale brown ; when young, darker.
Halicyon Richardi, Gray, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1864, 28.
Phoca Grcenlandica, Middendorff, Heise in den amse7-stett N. mid O.
Sibiriens, i. 222.
luhab. Eraser's Eiver and Vancouver's Island.
Mr. Charles B. Wood, Surgeon of H.M.S. ' Hecate,' has veiy kindly
sent to the British Museum, along with other interesting specimens
from the north-western part of North America, the skeleton of a
Seal from Eraser's Eiver, and the skull of a Seal obtained on the
west coast of Vancouver's Island.
The skuU was prociu-ed from the natives, who were towing the
animal alongside of their canoe. They refused to part with the
entire animal, but were at length induced to sell the head.
The examination of the skulls shows that the two Seals evidently
belong to the same species, the specimen fi'om Eraser's Biver being
adult, and the other not quite so old. Mr. Wood observes that " the
younger Seal was captured among the islands in Queen Charlotte's
Sound, at the north end of Vancouver ; has a fur of a dark brown,
almost black colour ; and is unlike that from Eraser's Biver, which
is lighter and less timid, being often seen seated on a log floating
down with the current." — P. Z. S. 1864.
This species, at the request of Mr. Wood, is dedicated to Captain
Bichard, the Hydi'ographer to the Admiralty, and Captain of H.M.S.
' Hecate' when these Seals were collected. I have the more pleasure
in doing this, as the Museum has received many veiy interesting
specimens collected diu'ing the voyage of the ' Hecate,' showing the
interest which her Commander takes in the natural sciences, wMch
I have no doubt will receive additional encouragemeut in the new
10. pnocA.
31
position which he htis won b)- his hydrographic and scientific quali-
fications.
10. PHOCA.
Muzzle broad, short ; forehead convex ; whiskers smooth, taper-
ing ; ear-hole large ; fingers unequal, the third longest, second and
fourth long, the first and fifth shorter, nearly equal ; palate with a
semicii'cular edge behind. Forehead arched ; grinders small, far
apart, often much worn ; teeth small. The branches of tlie lower
jaw arched on the sides and wide apart ; lower edge produced, form-
ing a bhmt rugidose tubercle on the inner side behind the symphysis ;
the angle of the lower jaw with a rounded lobe on the inner side
above the basal tubercle. (Fig. 10.)
Female. Teats 4.
Inhab. Northern Seas.
Phoca, sp., Linn. &c.
Phoca, Grm/, Zool E. df T. ; Cat. Phockla B. M. 26.
Callocephalus, sp., F. Cuvier, Mem. 3Im. xi. 1827.
Fio-. 10.
Phoca barbata. Skull, grinder, and palate.
1. Phoca barbata. Leporine Seal.
Male. Black; belly yellowish, black-dotted. Female. Beneath grey.
Phoca barbata, O. Fahr. SJcrivt. Nat. Selsk. i. 139-159. t. l.'l f. 3 (skull) ;
Faioi. Gra'nI. 15 ; Mii/l. Zool. Dan. Prodr. viii. ; Nihson, Skand.
Faun. i. 374; Wieqm. Arch. vii. 317; Thicnem. Nat. licmerk. i.
t. 1, 2, 3, t. 4 (skidi); Bull. Sci. Nat. v. 261; F. Cut: Mem. 3Lts.
xi. 184. t. 12. i. 4, A-, /, m ; Grai/, Cat. Ostcol. Spec. B. 3L 32 ; Zool.
Erebus Ly Terror ; Griffith's A. K. v. 178 ; Fischer, Sijn. 240 ; Blainv.
Osteoii. Phoca, t. 9 (doutitiou) ; ? Temm. Fauna Japo)t.
32 pnociDiE.
.'l f- ^OLiW^*- Callocephalus barbatus, F. Cm. Diet. Sci. N'at. xxxix. o-17; Itiippell,
J ^^-^ '^'^ I L- 'f '">'-• 1^7.
1 C vv4At* ''^ Phoca leporiua, Lepech.Act. Petrop. i. 264. t. 8, 9; O. Fahr. Skrivt. Nat.
K'^'' ^^^^ Sdsk. 1. 104 _; Fischer, Si/n. 237; Graj/, GriffitKs A. K. v. 178.
u , l1 Y Phoca Lepechinii, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 415.
n , , ,; . Callocepbaliis Leporinus, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 545.
ii\'^^ "" ? Phoca maxima, Steller, Nov. Comrn. Petrop. ii. 290.
Leporine Seal, Penn. Quad. 177.
? Sea Calf, Parsons, Phil. Trans, n. 469. 383. t. 1. f. 1 : cop. Biiffmi,
H. N. Sw t. 14.
? Phoca ParsL .ni. Lesson, Diet. Class. H, N. xiii. 414, from
? Long-bodied Seal, Parsom, Phil. Trans, xlvii. 121, cop. (Hali-
chojrus ?).
? Grande Phoque, Buffo7i, H. N. xiii. 333.
? Great Seal, Penn. Syn. 341.
Inhab. North Sea and Japan, according to Temminck.
Skin sold as an article of commerce in Japan. — Temm.
a. Skeleton : length 8 feet. North Sea. From Mr. Brandt's Col-
lection.
h. Skin : adult. North Sea. From Mr. "Warwick's Collection.
The Lcichtak, SteUer, Nov. Comm. Petrop. ii. 290 ^^ Phoca Lachtak,
Desm. N. Diet. H. N. xxv. 588=P/tocrt nautica, Pallas, Zool. Rosso-
Asiat. i. lOS^Phoca barbata, Schrenck, Amiu'-Lande, i. 181 ; Mid-
dendorff, Reise aussersten &c. i. 122=Phoca albigena, Pallas, Zougr.
Rosso-Asiat. 107 — of Behring's Straits, has been referred to Phoca
barbata, but Pallas describes the fingers as sube(]ual and webbed to
the end, which scarcely agrees with that animal.
The body is ventricose ; the hair very short (5 lines), rigid, silver-
grey ; back brown-lettered ; tail very short.
The Mara1cu=^ Phoca Ochotensis, Pallas, Zool. Eosso-Asiat. i. 117;
Schrenck, Amm'-Lande, i. 181 — with soft fur, and pure white when
young, from the North Pacific, also requu-es further examination.
11. lTALICna?RTIS.
33
Sect. II. Grinders g^j or -^ with single root {except the ttvo hinder (/ritiders
of Ilaliclioenis).
A. Ears, conch none. Toes simjile, of fore feet exserted, of hind feet htrj/e ;
the inner and outer ones lim/e, long, the three middle ones smaller ; palm
and soles hairy (sometimes chaffy and callmts with ivear). Mvjfle hair;/
to the edge and betiveen the nostrils. Grinders gr^.
Phocaceerna, § 2, part., Nilsson, Skand. Fauna; Wiegm. Arch. vii. .317.
Phociua, part., Turner, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1848- «8.
SubfamUy 3. TRICHECHINA.
Muzzle large, truncated, simple ; canines large; grinders lobed or
truncated tuhen old.
Cetre, part., Gray, Ann. Phil. 182.5, .346.
Trichechina, Grai/, Zool. Erebus Sf Terror, 3.
Tricliecina et Pliocina, part., Turner, P. Z. S. 1848, 88.
Trichecliida;, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825, .340.
Tricliechidre sen Campodontia, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. .37, 1828.
Les Morses, F. Cuder, Diet. Sci. Nut. lix. 465 ; Dents des Manim. 233.
11. HALICHffiRUS.
Muzzle broad, rounded ; cutting - teeth ^ ; grinders '^, conical, the
hinder two upper and one lower double-rooted, rest simple ; canines
moderate ; whiskers crenulated ; muffle haiiy, becoming baldish with
age ; palm and soles hairy ; claws 5-5, elongate. Palate of skull
with a narrow rounded notch behind; lower edge of lower jaw
rounded, not dilated or inflexed in front.
Ym. 11.
Ilalichan-us Gr
ypu>
<knll.
Halichoenis, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. JIundl. 1837; Skand. Fauna, i. 377;
Wiegm. Arch. vii. 318.
Ilalychan-us, Hornschitch, Isis, 1824, A-iii. 810 ; 7?////. S'ei. Xat. \. 104.
Phoco, sp., O. Fah: ; Lichti'tuitein.
D
34 rnociD-'K.
1. Halichcerus Grypus. Orey Seal.
Phoca grypus, O. Fahr. Skrirt. M,t. Sckk. i. 1G7. t. 13. f. 4 (skull).
Haliclirei'us gi'_\'pus, Nilssoti^ Skand. Fauna, i. 377. t. 34. f. 1, 2 ; Witf/m.
Arch. vii. 318.
Phoca g-ryphus, Licht. Berl. Acad. 1821, t. 1. f. 1, 2 ; Blainv. Osteog.
Fhoca, t. 9 ; Fischer, Syn. 239.
Plioca liispida, Schreb. Sciugeth. 312. t. 86 ; Hamilton, t. 8.
Phoca Ilalichoerus, TJiienem. Nat. Bemerh. 142.
Phoca leporina ?, Licht. in Hande tmd Spinersch, Zeitiing, n. 46.
Phoca Ochotensis, Pallas, Zool. lios.w-Asiat. i. 117.
Ilalychcerus griseus, Hornsch. l^if:, 1Sl'4, 8]0; Bid!. Sci. Nat. v. 104.
llalichccrus griseus, Nilsso7i, Shand. Fainm, 377. t. 34. f. 1, 2 ; Hamiltmi,
t. 10.
Ilalichoerus giyphus, R. Ball, Trans. Roy. Irish Acad, xviii. t. 1 (male
aud female), t. 2, 3 (skull, teeth, &c.) ; Sketches Brit. Seals, t. 1, 2,
& 7. figs. 1-22 ; Cat. Seals B. M. 30.
Grey Seal, Bell, Brit. Quad. 284. f. .
Seal from South Sea, Home, Phil. Trans. 1822, t. 27 (skull).
Young. Phoca scopulicola, Tliienem. Nat. Bemerk. 1824, 59. t. 5 ( c?
adult) ; Bull. Sci. Nat. v. 261 ; Fischer, Syn. 237.
Phoca Thienemanui, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 415.
Callocephalus scopulicolus, Lesson, 3fan. 199.
Inhab. Worth coast of Europe (Ireland and Scotland).
a. Adult : stuffed. Coast of Northumberland.
b. Half-grown : stuffed. Fern Island. Presented by J. P. Selby, Esq.
c. Skull of a. Fern Island.
d. Skull of h. Fern Island. Presented by J. P. Selby, Esq.
Mr. Ball states that the habits of the Irish Seal differ so much from
those ascribed to it in the Baltic, that he thinks it may, on compa-
rison, prove to be a distinct species. The colour of the Irish animal
varies so much, from sex, age, season, &c., that it cannot be regarded
of value as a specific character ; the brain is very small compared
with that of Phoca, and its intellectual power bears the same pro-
portion. It may always be distinguished from other Seals by its
straight profile, fierce aspect, and greater proportionate length. — Proc.
Royal Irish Acad. Dec. 1836, p. 18.
The skull figured by Mr. Clift in Home's paper in the Phil. Trans.
1822, t. 27, with other bones of the body, is in the Museum of the
Eoyal College of Surgeons (see Owen, Cat. Osteol. Coll. Mus. Coll.
Surg. J). 643. no. 3943, from a specimen given by Mr. Oxendon to
Mr. Hunter). It was shot in the Orknevs.
The " Grey-bearded Seal from Orkney " (Home, Phil. Trans. 1822,
t. 28, skull, cop. Ball, f. 31), Mr. Ball regards as the skull of Phoca
vitidina with some teeth of P. Groenlandica inserted in the upper
jaAv. — Bcdl, op.cit. Dec. 1836, p. 18.
MM. Hornschiich and Schilling (Wiegmann's Arch. 1851, 22) pro-
pose to separate the geni^ into three species : —
1. H. grypus, 0. Fabr. =//. griseus, Nilsson.
2. H. macrorhyncJms, Hoa'nschiich & Schilling, 1850.
3. H. pachyrhynclms, Hornschuch & Schilling, 1850.
See also Lilljeborg, Arskrift. Kongl. Vetcnsk. Soc. i Upsal, 1860, 297;
12. TRicnEcnus.
35
Overs. Kongel. Danskc Yidcnsk. 1800, 698; Arch. Natiu-g. 1861,
100. All the specimens I liave seen seemed to belong to a single
species.
12. TRICHECHUS.
Muzzle very broad, truncate, swollen and convex above ; muffle,
palm, and soles chaffy, callous, with the hair more or less worn off" in
the adult (hairy when young?). Cutting- teeth ^ in young, ^ in
adult ; grinders ^ in adult, truncated, all single-rooted ; canines,
upper very large, exserted. Eyes prominent ; tail none.
The skin is covered with small ovate scales. Nose with very rigid,
white, compressed, pellucid bristles, rounded at the end. Fore feet
small ; outer and hinder edge of the upper side bald, rest covered with
hair ; front claw rudimentary ; skin of the soles rigid, warty. Hind
feet rather large ; first and fifth toes elongated, with a distinct flap
and rudimentary claw ; three middle ones shorter, with subacute
claws. Tail rudimentary.
Fig-. 12.
• Trichechus Rosmarus. Skull : adult.
The skull differs fi-om the other Earless Seals in having a distinct
alisphenoid canal, like the Eared Seals ; and it agrees with the Ear-
less ones in having no postorbital process, and the mastoid process
strong and saUent, its surface continuous with the auchtory bulla". —
Turner.
In the j-oung there are in the upper jaw three incisors on each
side, the first or inner extremely small, the second a Uttlc larger,
and the third or outer disproportionately large, being equal to the
D 2
36 pnociD.-E.
largest grinders. The canine tooth is displaced, being thrust out-
wards beyond the line of the other teeth. There are five grinders
with single roots, the fifth very small. In the lower jaw there are
five grinders. In the adult the incisors are obliterated, except the
lateral pair of the upper jaw. The fifth grinder also disappears, and
sometimes the fourth. — j\Iacr/ilUv. N((t. Lib. vii.
In the very young the cutting-teeth &, all, especially the two upper
lateral, deciduous ; canmcs ^, upper elongate, lower conical like the
grinders ; grinders ^, small, rather compressed. — Eapp, Bull. Sci.
Nat. xvii. 280.
The young Walrus has three teeth in each premaxillary bone, and
• two on each side of the fore part of the mancUble. They soon dis-
appear, except the outer pair of the upper incisors, which remain
close to the maxillo-premaxillary sutiu-e on the inner side of the long
canine tusks, and, by their thick obtuse form, seem to commence a
series of small and simple molars. In the adult there are usually
three molars on each side behind the permanent molariform incisor,
and there are four similar teeth on each side of the lower jaw. — Owen,
Cat. Osteal. Series Miis. Coll. Surgeons, p. 630. no. 3860.
The skeleton is described by Prof. Owen, op. cit. p. 630. nos. 3860
to 3919.
^ 5 I Odobenus, Brisson, Regne. Anim. 48.
Eosmarus, Scopoli, Introd. H. N. 1777.
Tricbechus, Linn. Si/st. Nat. i. ; Nilsson, Vet. Akacl Handl. 1837 ;
Skand. Fauna, t. ; Wierpn. Arch. vii. 322 ; Fleming, Phil. Zool.
ii. 187 ; Hupp, Bull. Sci. Nat. xvii. 280 ; Fischer, Si/n. 678 ; F. Cuv.
Diet. Sci. Nut. lix. 465, 1829 ; Gray, Cat. Seals B. M. 30.
(Tribe) Trichecina, Turner, Proc. Zool. Sue. 1848, 88.
:Morse, F. Cuvier, Dents rles Mamm. 233. t. 95, 1825.
TrichechiJas seu Campodontia, J. Brookes, Mus. Catal. 37, 1828.
M. F. Cuvier thinks the Morse forms an isolated family, distin-
guished by the great breadth of its muzzle, the length of its upper
canines, and the form of its teeth. It has the same organs of move-
ment and intestinal canal as the Seals. — I). S. N. lix. 465.
Professor Bacr illustrates his paper with a map showing the geo-
graphical distribution of the "Wakus in the Ai'ctic Sea.
For the chase and uses of the Morse, see Wrangel, ' Nordkiiste von
Sibirien,' ii. 319, 320.
1. Trichechus Eosmarus. Morse. .
Pale brown ; when young black, when old nearly white.
Trichechus Piosmarus, Linn. S. N. i. 39 ; Midler, Prod. Zool. Dan. i. ;
Schreher, Siiuyeth. 262. t. 79; Nilsson, Wiegm. Arch.xii. 322; Blainv.
Osteog. Phoca, t. 1 & 4 ; Fischer, St/n.' 243 ; Baer, 3Iem. Acad.
Petersh. iv. 97. t. 4, 1838; Mem. Mus. vii. t. 9; Gray, Cat. Seals
B. M. 32 ; Owen, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1853 ; Ann. ^- Mag. Nat. Hist.
1855, XV. 226; Cat. Osteol. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. 631.
Eosmarus arcticus, Pallas, Zool. Rosso-Asiat. i. 269 ; Schrenek,Amur-
Lande, i. 179; Volkmann, Anat. Anim. Tab. 1831, t. lO. I. 3 (skull).
12. TRicHEcnus. 37
Tricheclms obesiis et T. divergens, lUiger.
Kossniarus, 01. 3Iagmis, Hist. JRcff. Sejitetdr. 757, fig. ; Genner, Aquat.
249, 250, fig.
Walross, Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i. 388.
Walruss, Bell, Brit. Quad. 282.
Plioca Rosmanis, Linn. S. N. ed. 10. i. 38.
Arctic Wallrus, Penn. Si/n. 335 ; Cook's Last Voy. iii. 2G2. t. 8, fig. ;
Shaw, Zool i. 2.34. t. 68, 69 ; Xat. Misc. t. 76.
Morae ou la Vache marine, Buff. H. N. xiii. 353, 415. t. 54, 55.
Morseli, J. G. Gmclin, Sibirien, iii. 165.
Wallross, Mart. Spifzb. 78. t. P. f. 6 ; Ft/cde, Grwnl. 61, fig. ; Stellcr,
Kamtsch. 106.
Iiihab. North Sea. Mus. Brit, adiilt.
a. Adult : stuffed. North Sea. Greenland ?
h. Skull : adult. North Sea.
r. Skull : adult. North Sea. Presented by General Thomas Hard-
"wicke.
d. Skidl of young.
e. Tooth, longitudinally divided. Presented by Dr. J. E. Gray.
/, Fa?tus, in spirits. North Pacific.
g, h, i. Three teeth. N.W. coast of America. Presented by Captain
Kellett, R.N., H.M.S. ' Herald.'
j. Skeleton.
k. Skull of young. Presented by the Linnean Society.
In the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for 1853, p. 112, is
a paper by me " On the attitudes and figures of the Morse,"' as given
at various periods by different authors, with copies of some of the
more interesting examples, arranged in chronological order, show-
ing the extraordinary notions that the older naturalists had of the
animal.
Sea Horses are said to be found in abundance on the seaward part
of the island of St. Lorenza near Callao, mentioned in M. BoneUi's
' Travels in Bolivia,' i. 90 & 128. I have never heard of the genus
Tricliechus living out of the Arctic Ocean, and should have believed
that the author had mistaken the Sea Bear (^Otnrla leonina) for the
iSea Horse, if he did not describe " the two great white tusks project-
ing from the mouth on cither side," and fiu'thcr obsei-ve that " the
tusks are of great value and form an important article of commerce"
(see i. 90), which cannot apply to the tusks of the Sea Bear.
It is to be observed that the Peruvian continuation of the Antarctic
current runs up the shores of Chili and Peru (see Journ. Hoy. (ieogr.
Soc. 1853) and chills that coast. This may explain why Seals are
found so near the tropics in these seas.
38
SubfamUy 4. CYSTOPHOEINA.
Muzzle of the nudes with an injlatile appendage. Cutting -teeth |- ;
grinders luith a large swollen root, and a small, compressed, simple,
plaited croivn. Muffle hairy.
Steiiimatopioa, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825, 340.
Cvstiiplioiiua, Gray, Zool. Erehus ^- Terror, 3; Cat. Seals B. M.S3.
Cvstophora, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Handl. : Skand. Fauna : Wier/m. Arch.
vii. 323.
Mii-ounga, Gray, Griffith's A. "K. v. 179, 1827.
Phoca, § 2, F. 'Cuvier, Mem. Mies. xi. 196.
13. MORUNGA.
Nose of the male with an elongated tubular proboscis ; muzzle of
the skuU broad, truncated in front ; forehead convex ; hinder palatine
bone short, transverse. Hair flat, truncated, adpressed ; whiskers
round, rather waved, thick. Claws, front obsolete, hinder distinct.
Fig. 13.
Morunga elephantina. Skull.
The head broad, short, truncated in front, with a tuft of bristles
over each eye, and one on each side of the middle of the muzzle ; the
upper lip longer than the lower ; the forehead convex ; the nostrils
of the male "are wrinkled, and can be blown up into a crest"
(Forster), " with an elongate tubular proboscis " (Peron) ; of the
female simple, rounded, with a haiiy muffle between and around the
edge of the nostrils.
Cutting-teeth 4) far apart, conical, the two middle iipper smaller,
the rest nearly equal ; the grinders with large, swollen, subcylin-
drical roots, and a small, compressed, simple, plaited crown ; the
hinder palatine bones short, transverse.
13. IIOIIPNGA. 39
The whiskers are very long- unci large, rouuJish, veiy slightly com-
pressed, rather Avavcd.
The fore feet arc rather smaU, oblong, obli(juely truncated, the
wrist being nearly as long as the feet, with five elongated claws, the
first the smallest ; the hinder feet are moderate, the marginal toes
upon each side large, rounded, the three middle ones very .small,
tapering ; all clawless. The tail conical.
Fur short ; hair short, flat, broad and rounded at the tip in the
adult, rather more tapciing in the young ; hair on the lips rather
longer, more slender, and slightly curled.
Inhab. Southern Ocean.
Mirounga, part., Gray, Griffitlis A. K. v. 179, 1827.
Monmga, Gray, Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. M. 33 ; Zool. Erehits 8f Terror.
Macrorhinus (Maerorhine), F. Cuvier, Mem. Mas. xi. 200. t. 13, 1827 ;
Diet. Sci. Nat. lix. 404, 1829 ; Fischer, Sij)i. 3Lnnm. 230.
Cj'stopliora, ptirt., Nik-fu/i, Tl'i<i/in. Arrli. vii. 324.
IMacrorhATia (misprint), Grai/, Grijfith'a A. K. i. 180.
Rliinophora, Waykr, Xat. Sijst. Antph. 27, 1830.
Tliis genus has many characters in common with the Crested Seal
of the North American continent, but differs especially in the nose
being provided with a proboscis, while in that genus it has a hood-
like swelling proceeding up the nose to the back of the head.
The male and female are so different in size that Lord Byron mis-
took them for mother and young. — WedJell, Voy. 84.
Pallas (Zool. Eosso-Asiat. i. 106) describes the skull of this species
as the skuU of a Sea Lion, brought from the Cape of Good Hope l)y
Mr. Tulbagh.
1. Morunga elephantina. Sea Elephant.
A Sea Lion and Lioness from Juan Fernandez, Anson, J'o)/. round the
World (1786), t. 122. t. 19, copied Fenietty, Voy. lies Maloidnes,
ii. 47. t. 9*. f. 1, and altered t. 8*. f. 1 ;— hence
Phoca leonina, Linn. S. N. i. 55 ; Schreber, Sduyeth. 297. t. 83 a ;
lilainv. Osfpoy. Fhoque, t. 5, 9.
Bottle-nosed Seal, Shaic, Zool. i. t. 73 j Fe)in. Quad. ii. 531 (with an
original description of the female).
Phoca Ansonii, Desrn. Mamm. 239, 369 (part only).
Mirounga ^^Lusonii, Gray, GriJ/ith'.s A. K. v. 180.
Grand I'hoque a museau ride, Buffon, Suppl. vi. 316.
Anson's Sea Lion, Forster, Voy. round the World, ii. 527.
Phoca major, &c. n. 5, " Manate from Nicaragua," Par.^on.s, Phil.
Trans. 1751, 121 (female).
Phoca elephantina, Molina, Sayyio, 260(1782).
L'Flephant marine, ou Phoque a ti'ompe, Phoca proboscidea, Feron Sf
Lemeur, Voi/. Terres Atmlr. ii. 34. t. 32 ; Hamilton, Siuds, t. 1(5, 17 ;
Curier, 0.-<.-<! Foss. v. t. 18. {. 1 ; F. Cuvier, Mem. JIus. xi. t. 14. f. 1
(skull) ; Dents de.i 3Iamm. 123. t. 39 «.
Phoca proboscidea, Hamilton, Jard. Xat. Lib. t. , JIus. Lirerponl.
Cystophora proboscidea, XiUson, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837; Skand.
I'\tuna : If'icym. ^Ireh. ; Owen, Cat. Onteol. Coll. Mas. Coll. Surf/. 638.
Mirounga proboscidea, Gray, Grijfi.fh\s A. K. v. 180, 1827.
Monmga elephantina, Gray, Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. M. 33; Cut. Seals
B. M. 34.
40 PHOClD^i;.
Leo mariuus (Cap. B. S.}, Pallas, Zool. Bosso-Asiat. i. 106.
Sea Elephant, JFeddeU, Votj. 53, 84, 134.
Macrorliviichus proboscideus, Gray, in Brookes's Mns. Cat. 36, 1828.
Phoque gris argent(5 a os nasaux tres courts, 3Iu8. Paris, from M.
Diibison = Cnvicr, Oss. Foss. v. 213 ; Nilsson, Wiegm. Arch. vii.
325 ; — hence
Phoca diibia, Fisclwr, Mamm. i. 235,
Phoque des Patagons, F. Citrier, Mem. Mas. i. 203. 1. 14. f. 2, d, e,f.
Miroimga Patagonica, Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 186.
Stemmatopus Patachonicus, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 36, 1828.
Rhinophora proboscidea, Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amj)h. 27.
Inhab. Southern Ocean.
a. Skull of young. Antarctic Ocean.
b. Adult: stuifed. Antarctic Ocean. Presented by the Lords of the
Admiralty.
c. Skeleton of i. Antarctic Seas, Antarctic Expedition. Presented by
the Lords of the Admiralty. — Skull figured in ' Zool. Erebus &
Terror,' t. .
d. Skin, Avith skull.
Skin of young male. Cape of Good Hope ?
Skull. Antarctic Seas, Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the
Lords of the Admiralty.
Skull and imperfect skeleton of young. Antarctic Seas, Antarctic
Expedition. Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty.
h. Skeleton of specimen e. Cape of Good Hope ? Erom Mr. Bartlett's
^9^^^ collection.
/) V.^^-^^ ^^^ skulls of different ages of this species are described by Professor
A/'J^ '^ ^j^^d^n, Cat. Osteol. CoU. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 308. no. 3920. Among
. ^^^^ '*^*^j^ others is the anterior portion of the jaws of the Sea Lion from the
'i' Ci^ South Seas, described and figured in Anson's Yoyage round the
/i<-^^^^^-<r< World, p. 122. t. 19 (see no. 3923).
J C' Sec Pcron on the Sea Elephant, Frcycinet, Voy. Atistrale ; trans-
yi/^J^ p"^^^^ ill Brewster's Edin. Journ. of Science, 1827, vii. 73.
•/V^^v^ ^^' CYSTOPHOEA.
' JaJ'^ Nose of the male with a large compressed hood, extending to the
fi^f a /, S \iSi,c\L of the head ; muzzle very broad, hairy ; nostrils large. Muzzle
C^^ of the skull broad, narrowed on each side in front; forehead flat;
palatine bone broad, squai'e. Hair elongate, cylindrical ; whiskers flat,
waved. Claws 5-5, distinct.
Cystophora, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^- Terror, 4.
Cystophora, sp., Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837 ; Skand. Fauna ;
Wiegm. Arch. vii. 326.
Mirounga, part.. Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 463.
Siemmatopus (Stemmatope), F. Cuvicr,Mcm. Mus. xi. 196. 1. 13, 1827;
Diet. Sci. Nat. lix. 464 ; Fischer, Syn. 230.
The young is like the young of PcaiophUus Oroenlandicus in external
appearance, but it is easily known from that species by the hairiness
of the mufile between the nostrils, and by the teeth not being lobed,
but only plaited on the surface. (See also Nilsson, "Wiegm. Arch,
vii. 320". )
14. cYSTornoRA.
Fio;. 14.
41
Cystophora cristata. Skull.
1. Cystophora cristata. Hooded Seal.
Outer cutting-teuth and tho canines narrow, compressed.
riioca cristata, Erxl. Syd. 590 ; F. Cm: Mem. Mus. xi. 190. 1. 13. f. 3 ;
O. Fuhr. Skrid. Nat. Sclsk. i. 120. 1. 12. f. 2; Dekai/, Ami. Lye. N. Y.
i. t. 7; Fischer, Syn. Mamni. i. 241 ; JBlainv. Osteoy. Phoca, t.5(skull),
t. 9 (teeth) ; Hamilton, t. 14 ; Gervais, Zool. et Pal. Franq. t. 42
(animal and skull, vounp-).
Phoca miti-ata, ililbcrt, MS. ; Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 210. 1. 18. 13; F. Cm.
Dents des 3Ia?nm. 122. t. 39. t. 38 B ; Fischer, Syn. Mamni. 241 ;
Hamilton, Seals, t. 13.
Phoca leucopla, Thienem. Bemerk. 102. 1. 13 (young) ; Bull. Sci. Nat.
V. 2G1 ; Fischer, Syn. 257, 675. .
Miroung-a cristata, Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 463.
Cystophora cristata, Nilsson, Vet. Akad. Hamll. 1837 ; Skand. Faun, ;
Wiecpn. Archil), vii. 327 ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1849, 91 ; Cat. Ost.
Coll'. B. M. 32 ; Cat. Seals B. M. 36.
Stemmatopus cristatus, F. Cuvier, Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 551 ; Mem.
Mas. xi. 196. t. 13. f. 3, y, h, i.
Stemmatopus mitratus. Gray, in J. Brookes' s Mus. Cat. 36, 1828.
I'lioca leonina, Linn. S. N. i. 55 ; Mohr, Lsl. Nat. 2 ; Miiller, Prodr.
Zool. Dan. viii. ; O. Fahr. Faun. Groenl. 7; Wallace, Proc. Boy.
Phys. Soc. Edinb. 1862, 393.
Cystophora borealis, Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i. 383.
Phoca cucullata, Bodd. Flench. 107.
Plioca dimidiata, Cretzschmar,Jide Riippell.
Seal with a caul, Ellis, Hudson s Bay, 134. t. 6. f. 4.
Klapmyds, Eyede, Graid. 4(>.
Ivlap mysscn, Ei/ede, Grwnl. 62.
Hooded Seal, Penn. Syn. 342 ; Sliaw, Zool. i. 262.
Phoca Isidorei, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1843, 256 ; Echo du Monde Savant
1843, 228.
A Seal new to the British shores, W. B. Clarke, Aug. 14, 1847, 4to
tigure of Seal, skull, &c.
Inhab. North Atlantic. Called Bhuhhr-aose by the Sealers. Hare.
42 PIIOCTD.E.
Coast of Europe. lie d'Oleron, Mus. Paris ; Kiver Orwell, SOtli June,
1847, Mus. Ipswich.
Very young, grey, without spots when wet. Called Blue-haclcs in
NewfouncUaud.
a. Skin, stuiFed, of adult male.
h. Skin, stuflcd, of adult male.
c. Skin, stuffed, of adult female.
d. Skin, stuffed, of half-grown young.
riioca leucopla, Thienem. Bemerk. t. 13, 1824.
Phoca mitrata, Milbert, in Cuv. Oss. Foss. \. 210.
a. Skidl of adult. Greenland. Crowns worn ; the roots of the
1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rather enlarged, oblong club-shaped, rather
elongate ; the root of the 5th grinder compressed, of the left side
simple, of the right partially divided into two short roots continued
in grooves on each side. Specimen No. ^ described Proc. Zool. Soc.
1849, 92.
h. The skidl of an adult or aged specimen. Greenland. The
crowns plaited ; the roots of all the grinders enlarged and short,
club-shaped and simjile, separated from the crown by a narrow
collar. Specimen No. \ described P. Z. S. 1849, 92.
e. Skull of an aged specimen. Greenland. The crowns plaited
and tubercular, the roots of the grinders rather enlarged ; the roots
of the 3rd grinder rather comjiressed, simple, with a groove on the
outer side of the 4th and 5th grinders, scarcely enlarged, and divided
into two distinct diverging roots. Specimen No. 3 described P.Z.IS.
1849, 92.
d. Skull, without lower jaw, of nearly adult. Greenland. Want-
ing the grinders ; but the cavity for the grinders shows that the 4th
grinder on both sides had a short clavate root, with a slight central
groove on the outer side, and the 5th grinder on each side had two
separate roots. Specimen No. 5 described P. Z. S. 1849, 92.
e. Skull of a half-grown animal. Greenland. The crowns of the
grinders plaited and tubercular ; the 4th grinder on each side with
ovate, short, simple roots, and the 5th grinder with compressed,
truncated, simple roots ; the grinders are rather further apart than
in the preceding skull. Specimen No. 6 described P. Z. S. 1849, 92.
/. Skull of a very young animal. Greenland. The crowns of the
grinders are very distinctly plaited; the 4th and 5th grinders of
both sides have two distinct roots, and the 3rd grinder has a groove
down the middle of the outer side. In all these skulls the grinders
are close together, forming a nearly continuous line. Specimen
No. 7 described P. Z. S. 1849, 92.
rf. Skull of nearly adidt. Greenland. The crowns of the few
grinders remaining plaited ; the root of the 4th and 5th grinders of
the left side, as shown by the cavities, divided into two roots ; of the
4th grinder of the right side simple, with a slight groove on the outer
side ; and of the 5th grinder two-rooted, like the similar grinder on
the outer side. Specimen No. 4 described P. Z. S. 1849, 92.
The specimen found in the Orwell was uniform dark grey above.
14. CYSTornoRA. 43
darker over the basal parts of the hinder extremities, and yellowish
white beneath. 40 inches long.
The skull and dentition of this species are described by Prof. Owen
in Cat. Osteol. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 640.
2. Cystophora Antillarum. West Indian Hooded Seal
Skull, face broad. The outer upper cutting-teeth and the canines
broad, strongly keeled on each side and longitudinally plaited ^\'ithin. /
■Fur grcy-bro■«^l ; lips and beneath yellow. ^^(
Cystophora Antillarum, Grai/, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1849, 93 ; Zool. E. ^- T.
t. med. ; Ann. ^- Mn<j. N. II. 1850, 58; Wiegm. Arch. 1851, 29.
Inhab. West Indies.
a. Stuffed specimen. West Indies, Jamaica, Mr. Gosse.
b. SkuU of a very young M)ecimcn. The face is broader than the
skull of C. cristafa of tHfe same size. The crowns of the teeth are
plaited and tubercular ; the 4th grinder has only a single root,
the oth grinder has two. West Indies, Jamaica, Mr. Gosse. —
(Specimen described. Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1849, 93.)
a. Cystophora? sp., Cassin, U. S. Exjjioring M^jml Mamm. 26,1858.
" Jan. 20, 1839. Coast of South America, between Pio de Janeiro
and the Rio Negro, at 9 a.m., a Seal appeared about the bow of the
vessel, easily keeping ahead and frequently coming to the surface.
Our distance from the nearest laud was 135 miles, though the water
was green as if on soundings. When swimming below the surface
the animal might almost have been mistaken for a shai-k, except that
its body was much more flexible in turning ; and another remarkable
difference was that it appeared to swim entirely by means of its pec-
toral flappers, the tail bemg extended and apparently inactive." —
Dr. Picl-erinr/'s Journal, quoted in Cassin's U./S. Explorinq Expedition,
Mamm. 26.
h. " Cj-stojihora proboscidea ?, a young male Seal from the lies Creu-
settes," Owen, Cat. Osteol. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. 640. no. 3939.
Inhab. " lies Creusettes."
This skull differs from Cijstopliora cristata in the greater length of
the enamel crowns of the canines and the smoother character of the
enamel. The crowns of the molars are relatively larger, are separated
by a less marked constriction from the fang, and the enamel does not
present the same wrinkled character. The palatal jjrooess of the
palatines forms a transverse (juadratc plate more deeply emarginated
behind.
It may jH-obably have belonged to a young individual of C. probos-
cidea.— Owen, op. cit. p. 640.
,fcj
Ito'
44 PHOCID^.
B. Enfs u-ith a siibci/Ii/idn'cfil, (listincf, external conch. Toes of the hind
feet ffi/heqiitil, xhort, irith lonij menitininvs at the end; fore feet Jin-like ;
•palm and xo/es bald, lon(/itiidiiia//_i/ i/rooved. Nose simple, with a rather
large callous mnjjie above and between the nostrils ; cxdting-teeth j, tipjjer
often bijid; grinders ^^.
Subfamily 5. ARCTOCEPHALINA.
The skull has a postorbital process, an alisphcnoidal canal, the
mastoid process strong and salient, standing aloof from the auditory
bulla?. — Turner.
Arctoceplialina, Gi-axj, Zool. Erebus S( Terror, 4 ; Turner, Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1848, 88.
Otaria, Peron, Voi/. Terres Atistr. ii. 118 ; Dcsm. Mamm. 248 ; Fleming,
Phil. Zool. ii. 187; Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 182 ; Nilssmi, Vet. Akad.
Handl. 18.37 ; Skand. Fauna ; Wiegm. Arch. vii.
Phoca, § 3, F. Cuvier, Mem. Mus. xi". 205.
Otariadc-e, J. Brookes, Mus. Cat. 36, 1828.
Fia-. 15.
Arctoceplialus Hookeri. Fore foot and hind foot.
15. CALLORHINUS.
The face short ; forehead convex, regularly rounded from the end
of the nasal bone to the middle of the vertex ; the nasal opening is
small; the palate rather concave, contracted behind, short, nearly
reaching the middle of the zygomatic arch. Lower jaw short, thick,
flattened, expanded beneath just in front of the condyle.
Callorhinus, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, 357.
Arctoceplialus, § *, Grag, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, 117.
Arctocephalus, sp., F. Cuvier.
1. Callorhinus ursinus. Northern Far- Seal.
Adult male grey-black ; hair of the back long, black, reddish, with
a subterminal baud and a short grey tip ; under-fur short, woolly,
15. CALLORHINUS.
45
rod : the hair of the neck and front of the body longer, forming a
Ivind of mane ; lips and nose reddish ; whiskers very long, strong,
white, smooth, tapering to a fine point. Skidl short, forehead very
convex and rounded. — P. Z. S. 185!), 1 02.
L^
4' CaUorhiuus m'sinus. Skidl.
Palate rather concave in front, narrowed and flattened behind,
with a deep narrow hinder aperture, which has a regular ovate front
edge ; outer upper cutting-teeth moderate ; orbit very large ; zygoma
very strong ; grinders small. — P. Z. S. 1859, 117.
Ursiis marinus, Stcller, Nov. C'omtn. Petrop. ii. .3.31. t. 15; — hence
Plioca ursina, Sc/ircb. Sauf/etk. iii. 28£|. t. 82 ; Gmcl. S. JV. i. 62 ; Shaw,
Zool. I. 2(;.j. t. 72; Fischer, Syn. 2h\;-R-Cuo. Mem. Mus^nl. 20iL
fc-l4 f. 1 (slmll ?). ^ — '-"
Otaria ursina, Des»i. in Peron ^- Lesiieur, Foy. ii. 41 ; Notiv. Diet. H. N.
XXV. 59.5 ; Mumm. 249 ; Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 182 ; Wayiier, Bull.
Akad. Miinchcn, 1849, 1(38 ; 'Wiegm. Arch. Nat. 1849, 39 ; Schrenck,
Amur-Landc, 189.
Otaria ursiua, var., Mas. Leyden.
Otai'ia Fabricii, Lesson, Diet. Cla^s. H. N. xiii. 419, from O. Fabr.
Otaria Kraschenneuikovii, Lesson, Diet. Class. IT. N. xiii. 420.
Chat marin, Krascliennenikow, Hist. Kamtsch. i. 306.
AixtoeepUalns lu-sinus, F. Car. Diet. Sei. Nat. xxxix. 554; Gray, in
Brookes' s "GaL Mas. 37 ; Zool. Ereh. Sf Terror, 3 ; Cat. Phoddce B. M.
41 ; P. Z. S. 18.-;;>,103, 107. t. 68 (skull) ; Nilsson, Wtegtn. Arch.
Ursine Seal, Penn. Hist. Quad. ii. 526, 531.
Ours marin, Buffon, Supp. vi. t. 47 ; Cuv. Rh/ne Aniin. i. 107.
Sea Eears, Forsfrr, Cook's Second Toy. ii. 203. <
•— - Younij. V\wcn miXYii, Pallas, Zool. Posso-Asiat.. 107 ? ^ — . J-i.s(X<j^
Callorliiuus ursiniis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, 357. ^(jtx/i
Inliab. Northern Pacific Ocean, Kamtschatka. Behring's Straits.
Sea of Ochotsk, Schrencl-.
a. Skin of adult male.
h. Skull : adult male. Behring's Straits. — Described in Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1859, 103. t. 68.
Skins collected to sell to the Chinese. — PaUas.
/ft^^^ /^e^vt^^-A ;v>»*^ A^-v^^^^^
46 VlIQCITiJE.
Pallas described a small Seal from the Kurile Islands (Zool. llosso-
Asiat. i. 107), wliicli he regards as the same as Ja ■petite Fhoque of
Buffou (P. -pmiUa, Gmclin), under the name of P. nigra.
Steller figures and describes a large Seal under the name of Ui-siis
marinus (Nov. Comm. Pctrop. ii. 331. t. 15), which is the authority
for the Ursine Seal of Pennant (Quad. ii. 526) and Phoca ursina of
Schreber, Gmelin, and most succeeding authors.
Porster, in Cook's Second Voyage (ii. 203), appears to speak of
the same animal under the name of " Sea Bear."
No specimen of this species existed in any of the Museums Avhich
I visited on the Continent or in England, nor could I find a skull of
the genus from the Northern Pacific Ocean ; yet I felt so assured,
from Steller's description and the geographical position, that it must
be distinct from the Eared Fur-Seals from the Antarctic Ocean and
Australia, with which it has been usually confounded, that in the
' Catalogue of Seals in the Collection of the British Museum ' I re-
garded it as a distinct species under the name of Arctocejjhalus ursinus,
giving an abridgment of Steller's description as its specific character.
The name Arcfocephalus ursimis is usually applied to the various
species of Eared Fur-Seals found in the different English and Con-
tinental Museums.
The British Museum has just received from Amsterdam, under
the name Otaria leonina, a specimen of the Sea Bear from Behring's
Straits, which was obtained from St. Petersburg. It is evidently
not an Otaria, but a new genus allied to Arctocephalus, and agrees
in all its characters with the Sea Bear, Ursus marinus of Steller, and
not with the Sea Lion or Leo marinus of that author, which is called
Otaria SteUeri in the catalogues, and was confounded with Otaria
honina of the Southern Pacific Ocean by Nilsson and most modern
authors. The latter animal is still a desideratum in the British
Museum and other European Collections.
The skin is 8 feet long, and agrees in aU particulars with SteUer's
description of the adult male of the species, and is most distinct in
external character and colour from the Fur-Seal (ArctocepJialiis
Falhlandicus) of the Falkland Islands and from A. lohatus from
Australia.
The skuU is equally distinct from the various skulls of all the
species of the genus Arctocephalvs (both Fur- and Hair-Seals) which
are in the Collection of the British Museum, and is easily known
from them by the shortness of the face and the height and convexity
of the nose.
The skull of this specimen is quite distinct from the skull of the
Arctocephahis Gilliespii of California, recently described by Dr. Mac-
Bain in the ' Proceedings of the Physical Society of Edinbu^rgh,'
under the name of Otaria Gilliespii, from a skull in the Edinburgh
Natural History Museum, of which we have a cast in the British
Museum : but we are not able to ascertain with certainty whether
this is a Fur- or Hair- Seal, though, from the length of the palate,
compared with the width of the skull at the hinder grinders, I am
induced to believe that it may belong to an animal which has a soft
1(). AUCTOCEPIIALTJS. 47
uiulcr-fur. This proves that the Seals from the clifFerent parts of the
west coast of America arc distinct from each other, each specimen
ha^■ing• a specific geographical range.
10. ARCTOCEPHALUS.
Muzzle rather tapering in front. Cutting-teeth -|, upper nearly
square. Grinders |^. Palate of the skull rather narrower behind
than in front, short, scarcely reaching to the middle of the zygo-
matic arch. Lower jaw-bone narrow, rounded below, without any
angle behind.
The face and skull rather elongate ; the forehead flattened, and
nearly horizontal from the nasal bone to the vertex ; the palate rather
concave, contracted behind, short, not reaching beyond the middle of
the zygomatic arch; the nose-aperture large, high; the lower jaws
moderate, with a crest-liko ridge behind, beneath, just in front of the
condyle.
The crest-liko process on the hinder part of the under edge of the
lower jaw diifers somewhat in shape and development in the different
species ; but it nowhere resembles the flat expanded disk found in a
similar situation in the lower jaw of the preceding genus.
Nose simple, with a rather large callous muffle above and between
the nostrils. Whiskers cyUndiical, thick, round, tapering, not waved ;
hinder ones largest. Ears with a subcylindrical, distinct, external
conch.
Fio-. 17.
Arctocophalus Ilookeri. Skull, palate, and grinder.
The fore feet elongate ; the i)alms bald, longitudinally grooved ;
claM-s five, very small, rudimentary, scarcely visible. Hind limbs
rather produced ; the legs free. The hind feet elongated ; the soles
bald, longitudinally grooved ; the toes subequal, short, webbed, and
each furnished with a long memliranaceous expansion, the web and
the meml)ranaceous expansion bald.
48 pnociDiE.
Ai-ctocephalus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, 358.
Arctoceplialus (Aretocephale), F. Cuvier, 3Ihn. Mus. xi. 205. t. 15.
f. 1 ; Diet. Set. Nat. lix. 403, 1829 ; Fischer, Si/n. 230 ; Gray, Zool.
Erehus 8f Terror ; Turner, P. Z. S. 1848, 88.
Otaria, sp., Peron; Xilsson.
Dr. J. Miiller (Wiegm. Arch. 1841, p. 333) described two species,
Otaria Chilensis, and Arctoceplialus Lamairii from Australia ; but
0. Chilensis is probably 0. leonina, which is the only Eared Seal I
have seen from the west coast of South America, and the latter is
Arctoceplialus lohatus.
In the Leyden Museum (1845) there are four specimens of Fur-
Seal, all named Otaria wsina ; they are of a black or dark grey
colour, with white tips to the hair and reddish under-fur ; the largest
is 4 feet long. One is from the Aleutian Isles, one from New Hol-
land, and two from the Creusette Isles.
The Hair-Seals in the same museum, and the skuU from Brookes's
museum, which I described as Arctoceplialus lohatus, are called
0. Stelleri ; some are said to come from Japan and others from New
Holland.
In Xing's Narrat. Austral, ii. -414, 1828, I pointed out the dis-
tinction between the Fur-Seal of New South Shetland and the Hair-
Seal of Australia.
The skuU from the cabinet of M. Faujas, which Cuvier figures
(Oss. Foss. V. 222. 1. 18. f. 4), is much more hke the skull of an adult
Arctoceplialus than of Otaria juhata ; the outer and upper cutting-
teeth are scarcely larger than the others.
There are ten skulls of this genus in the Paris Museum : —
1 & 2. Adult and half-grown. From the Cape of Good Hope.
The palates become narrower behind. The front outer upper cutting-
teeth rather large ; grinders large, aU except first and hinder upper
with two lobes (see Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 221 . t. 18. f. 5).
3. Old skull, from M. Parzudaki.
4. From Australia, by MM. Quoy and Gaimard.
5. Adult. From Port Jackson. Phoca cinerea. Very little different
from the adidt from the Cape of Good Hope.
6 & 7. Imperfect. King George's Sound. MM. Quoy and Gai-
mard (Cuv. Oss. Foss. V. 222).
8. Adult. Auckland? The 'Zelce,' 1841.
9 & 10. From America, by M. d'Orbigny. The grinders larger,
more acute, and rather further apart.
The Eared Seals {Arctocepliali) have been divided into Fur- and
Hair- (Eared) Seals by the sealers. A. Hooheri and A. lohatus are
called Hair-Seals because they are destitute of any under-fur ; but
this appears to be the case only with the older specimens ; for the
yoimg of ^. lohatus is said to be cohered with soft fur, which falls
off when the nest coat of hair is developed. The under-fm- is well
developed in the adult specimens of A. tirsinus and A. Delalandii and
the half-grown specimen of A. nigrescens, and entirely absent in the
adult A. Hool-eri and half-grown A. lohatus in the Museum Collection.
In Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 107, I divided this subgenus into two
1(5. AKCTOCEPIIALUS. 49
sections, separating A. Hookeri from the other species ; but I hud
only young or half-grown specimens of the skulls of this species ;
and since I have obtained the young skull from California, I am
induced to believe the slight convexity of the forehead and the slen-
derness of the lower jaw to be dependent on the age of the specimen,
and that most probably the forehead of the adult animal becomes
flatter and the lower jaw stronger as the animal increases in age.
The species of this genus are scattered over the world.
A. Monterknsis, A. Calif or ti'mnus, and A. Gilliespii are from Cali-
fornia.
A. Hool-erl, A. nvjresce^is, and A. FcdMandkus from the Falkland
Islands and Cape Horn.
A. Delalandii from the Cape of Good Hope.
A. lohatus, A. cinereiis, and A. australis from Australia.
a. Skull shwt and broad.
* Hinder edffe of the palate transversely truncated. jtl/ly^^^
1 . Arctocephalus Monteriensis. ^ ''
Skull broad ; face short ; palate rather concave in front, nearly -fa/ ^ ■ ^'Q.
flat behind, the hinder aperture somewhat contracted, with a
nearly straight trans vei*se hinder edge. Teeth large ; the lower jaw ...^ .. /^
elongate. ^.Q '' ^
Arctocephalus Monteriensis, Gray, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1859, 357. t. 72 i .
(skidl), p. ?,()0. '
Inhab. California (ilonterey). Called Lobo marina by the Spaniards.
a. •' Skull and tongue bones of the Californian Sea Lion (Spanish ^^ /f , V,
Lobo niarino), taken near Monterey ; A. S. Taylor, July 1S58." ~T ~~'
Presented by J. H. Gumey, Esq., M.P.
This skuU is as large as, and very like in external ajipearauce to, ^
the skull of the adult Otaria leonina, or Southern Sea Bear of the xQjc 4
southern part of the west coast of America, which we have in tlye
British Museum from the coast of Chili.
The skulls of the Lobo marino and Otaria leonina are easily dis-
tinguished, and, when they are more closely examined, prove to
belong to two different genera. The Californian skull has the short
flat palate, contracted behind, of the genus Arrtocephalu.><, and the
other the very long deeply concave palate, nearly as Avide liehind as in
front, of the genus Otaria. It also has the high nose, with a nearly
horizontal facial line over the nose, of the former genus, instead of
the low nose shch-ing towards the edge of the upper jaw of the Otaria
or Sea Lion of Chili.
The adidt skull is more than double the size of the adult skulls of
the other species of Arctocep/iali which we have in the Museum Col-
lection, and shows the existence of a Seal of very large size in these
seas — as large as the Sea Lion of Chili.
The skull has been conii)arcd with the skulls oi Arctocephalus De-
lalandii, from the Cape, figured in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, t. <i9;
50 PHOCID.E.
Antocephalus lobatus, from Australia ;
Arctocephalus GUliespU, from California, /. c. t. 70 ;
CaUorhinus urslnus, from Beliring's Straits, I. c. t. 68 ;
Arctoceplmlus nigrescens, from the Falkland Islands ?
The only one that nearly approaches it in size is that of the very
old Arctocephalus lobatus from Aiistralia ; but this skull is at once
known from that of the Monterey Sea Lion by having a rather deeply
concave palate, much narrowed behind, and with a semicircular edge
to the hinder palatine opening ; while in the Monterey Sea Lion the
palate is nearly flat, slightly concave in front, and not so contracted
behind, and with a transverse hinder margin to the posterior
opening.
The Monterey species is very distinct from A. GlUiespii, also from
California, which, besides being very much smaller (not more than
one-third of the size), has a miich narrower skull with a longer face,
and a very different form to the hinder palatine opening.
The Monterey Seal may be the " Lion marin de la Califomie " of
Choris, ' Voy. Pittoresque,' t. 11, from which Phoca Californimm of
Fischer's ' S^Tiopsis Mammalium,' p. 231, and the Otana Californiana
of Lesson have been derived ; but the accounts of the species are so
veiy slight, that there is nothing but the habitat and the name to lead
one ; and we already have two very distinct species of Sea Lions,
Arctocephalus Monteriensis and A, Qilliespii, from California.
** Hinder edge of the •palate slightltj arched, seniicirctdar.
2. Arctocephalus lobatus.
. . JU' Face of skull moderately elongate ; palate deeply concave, nar-
^^ X (^ A ^^^'"'^'i '•behind, hinder aperture with a semicircular front edge ; lower
" l^ y^ .jaw rather short, strong; the outer ujjper cutting-teeth are large
jyi/' y' and compressed.
^A*^ a ^ Canines very large, strong, rugulose, thick at the base. Grinders
large, with a rugose keel round the inner side of the base ; the first
and second with one small lobe ; third, fourth, and fifth grinders
with a distinct front and hinder lobe. The flaps to the hind toes
short, not so long as the toes.
Otaria cinerea, Gray, in King, Narrat. Australia, ii. 413 ; GriffitKs A.
K V. 183 (not Peron ?), 1827.
Arctocephalus' lobatus, Gray, 8pic. Zool. i. t. (skull) ; Btdl. Sci. Nat.
xvi. 113 ; in J. lirookeis Cat. Mus. 37, 1828 ; Cat. Phoc. £. M. 44 ;
P. Z. S. 1859, 110, 360.
Phoca lobata, Fischer, Syn. ii. 574.
Otaria Lamairii, J. Milller, Wiegm. Arch. 1841, 334.
Vy.^ Otaria Stelleri (Mus. Leyden,184c5), Faun. Japan, t. 21, 22, 23 (animal),
■^>^ t. 22. f. 3 (skull).
Otaria jubata (part.), Gray, Cat. Osteal. Call. B.M. 33.
Young covered with soft fur, which falls off when the next coat
of fur is developed.
Inhab. N.W. coast of Australia. Houtman's Abrolhos, Mr. Gilbert.
xy a-c. Skins of half-grown. Port Essington. y^-^cx-))( /2 (yL/^
,^
T ^^
^-CiS^.. f^(4i-^ f -y «'"• ■' '-f
NW- Ji- /J c
IG. ARCTOCEPHALUS. 51
(I. Jaws of &'Riill/"-half-grown. Houtman's Abrolhos, Australia.
From ilr. Oould's Collection.
e. Lower jaw, half-grown. Houtman's Abrolhos, Australia. From
Mr. Gould's Collection.
/. Teeth, very young. Houtman's Abrolhos, Australia. From Mr.
Gould's Collection.
<7. Teeth, very young. Houtman's Abrolhos, Australia. From Mr.
Gould's Collection.
*^ h. Stuffed skin of adult. Black ; forehead and crown pale yellowish.
N.W. Australia. Presented by His Excellency Sir George Grey,
K.C.B.
i. Skull of h, adult. Very rugose ; very like adult skull of Otaria
leon'ma, but the palate is short and much contracted behind, the
teeth more lobed, and with a tubercular ridge below, like the
younger skulls. N.W. Australia. Presented by His Excellency
Sir George Grey, K.C.B.
Professor Owen describes a mutilated skull and jaws of a Sea Bear
{ArctocephaJus austrcdis) found eighty miles inland in South Australia,
presented to the Museum of the College of Surgeons by Dr. Robson
(see Cat. Ost. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 647. nos. 3964 & 3965). (Srrct,-
*** Hinder v(hje of the palate large, gradually contracting into an angle
in front.
3. Arctocephalus Califomianus.
Arctocephalus Mouterieusis, junior?, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, 357. "
The young animal is bjacki^h, silvered by the short white tips
to the short black hairs ; those on the nape and sides of the hinder
part of the body hanng longer white tips, making those parts whiter
and more silverj'. The under-fur is very abundant, reaching nearly f ^
to the end of the hair. The end of the nose and sides of the face ^^^*^'h<^
arc whitish. The whiskers are elongate, rigid, smooth, and white. "^^^i-Ce^^-
The hind feet are elongate, with rather long flaps to the toes. / ""'^y (X^^t^
Inhab. California. '^ ^^ L tV,/if
The skull is v^-ry small for the si^ejjf the skin, and I should have
doubted its belonging to tlie skin if it were not^accompanied by the
following label :— ^. ^U^^iJjLr "yUi/^l) ^S^ fl^rP-,^^
a. " SkuU of the Fur Seal I sent last year. It is very imperfect, from r^v, _
my forgetting where I had put it ; but it must do until acci- ■^ /* 6 * X. O
dent throws another in the way ; the other bones were lost. — i
A. S. Taghr,:''' Presented by J. H. Gurney, Esq., M.P. /
This is the skull of quite a young animal, -mth Mhat I am induced
to believe are its milk-teeth, and, like the young skulls of most of
the species of this genus, is very unlike the adult form. It also
differs from the adidt A. Jlonferiensin in the form of the hinder opening
of the palate, which is very large and gradually contracted to an
angle in front of the mouth. I am not aware that the form of this
part is changed by the age of the specimen. It is not so in the only
species with which I have the ojjportunity of comparing it, that is
E 2
52 PHOCIDJi.
to say, in a series of skiUls of different ages from the young to the
adult, of a Seal of the allied genus Otar'ia {0. leonhia).
The skin is so like that of Aniocephalus nigresccns, that we were
induced to regard it as a second specimen of that species before we re-
ceived the skull. But the skull of the original specimen of that Seal
shows that the adult animal and skull are not nearly half the size of
. j^lJ^^''' the animal and skull of the Lobo marino of Monterey.
V v(V^ jj H • ' 4. Arctocephalus nigrescens.
< ^'"i Skull broad ; face rather elongate ; palate slightly concave, flat
>j_ ^Xf^rxJL^ behind, hinder aperture narrow, with a nearly straight hinder edge.
l/-rt I A JL/ji^ Arctocephalus nigrescens, Gray, Zool. Erehtis 8f Terror ^ t. . f. ,
/2^i.*->uo^^ skuU (inedit.) ; P. Z. S. 1859, 107 & 360.
/t O^^-^ Inhah. Falkland Islands ?
A. <flcxtJAM} a. SkuU from a half-grown specimen.
ti fl^yx/v^ Tliis skull is very like that of A. Delalandli, but differs consider-
C /n*-^ ably in the form of the front edge of the hinder palatine aperture ;
^ ft/^-'^'t-*'^ the outer cutting-teeth and the canines are moderately slender, and
similar in form, but the latter are much the larger.
dU^i
\o^
-M
*** Hinder edge of the jxdaic contracted, ovate.
5. Arctocephalus Delalandii.
Face of skull rather short ; forehead flattened from nasal bone to
the vertex ; palate concave, hinder aperture narrow, with a rather
acute, ovate anterior edge ; teeth large ; lower jaw rather short,
strong. Hair rigid, under-fur small in quantity, reddish brown.
(Xt ^^ Ai-ctoeephalus Uelalaudii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, 107. t. 69 (skull), p. 369.
,--, . . Otaria Peronii, A. Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. ii. 62.
^. / ^^- ' .^ Adult.
' ii '*'" Otaria Delalandii, F. Cuvier, Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxix. 423; Ctcvter, Oss.
^^[F- I Foss. V. 220. 1. 18. f. 15 (skull).
Phoca pusilla (part.), Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 232.
Junior P
Le petit Phoque, Buffon, Hist. Nat. xiii. 341. t. 53.
Little Seal, Penn. Quad. 243, from Buffon.
Phoca parva, Bodd. Elench. 78, from Buffon.
Phoca pusilla, Schreh. Sauyeth. 314. t. 85, from Buffon.
Otaria pusilla, Desm. N. Diet. xxv. 600.
Otaria Peronii, Demn. Mamm. 250, 382; Encyc. Method, t. 111. f. '2,
from Buffon.
Loup marin. Pages, Voy. aut. du Monde, ii. 32.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope.
X-/f(. Adult : stuffed. Cape of Good Hope.
-1 h. Skulls : adult. Cape of Good Hope.
< ".^c. Skin of voung with the under-fur dark brown. Cape of Good
Hope?'
IG. ARCTOCEPHALUS. 53
d. Skin of young with the under-fur dark broWn. Cape of Good
Hope. ^ ^'t-'vv*-
e. Skull of a very young specimen. Cape of Good Hope ? or Falkland
Islands ? Presented by 8ir John Richardson. ^ ^^t-cJ^t^-ve-c ^
Two skulls of adults from the Cape, and one half-grown, habitat
unknown. These skulls agree in the form of the hinder palatine
opening, but vary in other respects a little from each other : the two
adult ones differ in the aperture of one being wider and shorter than
that of the other : in the yoimg skull the front edge of the aperture
is more acute in the centre than in either of the others ; the outer
cutting-teeth of the upper jaw are large, but much smaller than the
very large canines.
Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 220) observes that Delalande brought from
the Cape a young specimen 3 feet 6 inches long, of a reddish-grey
colour, the ends of the hairs annulated with grey and blackish, rather
paler beneath ; the whiskers strong, simple, and black ; the feet
black ; the under-fur soft, woolly ; — and two skeletons of young, and
the skull of an adult specimen. This skull is figured (Cu^•ier, Oss.
Foss. x. 1. 18. f. 5) ; but unfortunately the palate, which is the most
characteristi?'p'art%iF*th'e*'skuU, is not figaired nor described. The
palate of the skull of the younger specimen is described thus : —
" Le palais est plus etroit, se porte pliLS en arriere et est echancre
par un angle plus aigu."
Buifon notices a young Seal, which he calls the petit Phoque
(vol. xiii, t. 53), on which the Phoca pusiUa of Schreber and suc-
ceeding authors has been founded, which is probably the young of
this species.
Daubenton states (Hist. Nat. xiii. 413) that the specimen figured
by Buffon came from India ; but it is probable that it was brought
from the Cape of Good Hope in a ship coming from India. No Seal
has as yet been described as inhabiting the coast of India.
Fischer confounded with Phoca pimJIa of Buftbn a Seal from Rot-
tennest Island, on the eastern coast of Australia (Syn. Mamm. 232).
Mr. BurcheU, in the list of animals he collected in South Africa,
mentions "a Seal, 10| feet long, kiUed in Table Bay, 19th May,
1815, and of veiy rare occurrence on the coast of the colony."
Dr. Andrew Smith describes a specimen 8i feet long, and observes,
" the young when between 2 and 3 feet in length are nearly quite
black, and are called Sea Dogs by the colonists." — South African
Quart. Journ. ii. 62.
b. Skull narrow, elongate.
* Hinder edge of the palate transverselg truncated.
6. Arctocephalus Hookeri.
Skull narrow, elongate ; palate deeply concave in front, narrow
and rather concave behind, with a deep hinder aperture, which has ^^^ ^—
a transverse truncated front edge with a slight central lobe directed / ",/ /
backward ; outer upper cutting-teeth veiy large, conical, acute ; orbit '^W» /^ y-
moderate; zygoma slender ; angle of jaw bent inwards. jj^^^ < ^ Y-
i^/u>f<^
Flaps of the hinder toes elongate, unequal, of the outer toes on
each aide longest. Canines moderate. Pale yellowish.
Canines slender, conical. Grinders small, conical, smooth, without
any tuhercles at the base ; the two front smaller ; the third and fourth
with a single lobe in front ; the fifth with a lobe in front and behind.
Whiskers round, very thick, black or whitish, smooth, not waved,
hinder largest ; fur brown-gi'ey, sHghtly gi'izzled, pale, nearly white
beneath ; hair short, close-pressed, rather slender, flattened, black
with whitish tips, the tips becoming larger in the underpart of the
sides. Feet reddish or blackish ; front claws small, rutUmentary ;
hind claws 5, the second and third largest, the fourth and fifth and
then the first smallest ; toes moderate ; membrane of the toes elon-
gate, longer than the toes, the outer one broadest and largest, the
rest nearly equal.
Arctocephalus Hookeri, Grcn/, Voi/. Ereh. Sf Terror, t. ; Cat. Osteol.
Spec. B. 31. 33; Cat. Seals B. M. 45, fig. 15 (skull) ; P. Z. S. 1859,
107, 360.
Hair Seal, Weddell, 141 ?
Inhab. Falkland Islands and Cape Horn, _ . fij-^ ,y
t/f a. Skin, stuffed. Falkland Islands, ^fcli* i*^ ^'^f^G^*'^^^
i^h. Skin, stuffed, with teeth. Falkland Islands. - "" ^ '"^ " ^i
c. Skeleton, full-gTown. Falkland Islands. Antarctic Expedition./
Presented by the Lords of the Admiralty. Skull figured in
' Zool. Voy. Erebus &, Terror,' t.
d. Skeleton, Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the Lords of the
Admiralty.
e. Skull, imperfect. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the Lords
of the Admiralty.
/. Skull, imperfect, Antarctic Expedition, Presented by the Lords
of the Admiralty,
g. Skull. South Sea. Mr. Warwick's Collection.
The skulls of four half-grown specimens are all very unifonn in
their characters.
There is in the Museum a skull of a veiy young Seal which appeai-s
to belong to the same species.
In three of the skulls the outer upper cutting-teeth are very large
and acute, more tlian half the size of the canines, and lilie them in
form. In one skull (perhaps of a female?) the upper outer canines
are much smaller and more slender, not half the size of the same
tooth in the other skulls of the same size, and the canines themselves
are also much more slender ; the front of the palate is also more
concave.— G^my, P. Z. S. 1859, 107.
The sktill of A. Hookeri, in the concavity and comparative greater
width of the palate behind, and in the form of the hinder palatine
opening, most resembles that of the genus Otaria ; but it is very
distinct from the skulls of that genus.
The Eared Seal (Pennant, Quad. 268 ; PJioca flavescens, Shaw,
Zool. i. 260. t. 73 ; Otaria flavescens, Desm. Mamm. 2,52 ; Gray,
Griffith's A. K, v. 183), 22 inches long, may be a young specimen of
IG. ARCTOCEPHALTJS.
55
this species, but it is not stated if this Seal has under-fur or not.
The young of Otaria Forsteri of the size mentioned is blackish.
'/
** Hindef edge of the palate contracted, ovate.
7. Arctocephalus Gilliespii.
Skull elongate, narrow ; the face much elongated ; palate slightly
concave, front edge of the hinder aperture ovate ; lower jaw elongate,
strong.
Otaria Gilliespii, Machain, Hep. Phi/s. Soc. Edmb. 1858.
Arctocephalus Gilliespii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, 107. t. 8^ & p. 360. . . ^^ "
Inhab. California. -J /s^^if/U^^ ^^^ %^ Z*-*^*^
A cast of the original skull described by Dr. Macbain, now in the ^-/f'
Museum of the College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, was sent to the
British Museum, from which the figure in P. Z. S. 1859, pi. 70, was
taken.
The species is at once known by the length of the face : in all the
skulls we have of the genus, a line drawn across the palate at the
front edge of the zygomatic arch leaves one-thii'd of the palate behind
the line, and two- thirds in front of it ; while in this species it leaves
only one-foui'th behind, and very nearly three-fourths in front of
the line.
The skull has only four grinders on each side in the upper jaw,
but one has evidently fallen out in front of the series and one be-
hind ; and the fifth grinder of the complete series, which is usually
in a line with the front edge of the zygomatic opening, is in this
species rather in front of it.
The following are the measurements of the different skuUs in
inches and eighths : —
>'
1
^■1
1
1
.1
a
1
13
a
s
o
II
§•6.
S-3
^.
g.
*:=
^ s
■£ "rf
^
° s
Z £
5; C
f-^
S >
V "*
fc*
^ tt
o
■^
•^
11 6
"5
8 0
'^
'^
TV
Extreme length along base of skull
fl 4
14 0
10 0
11 «
10 4
13 2
8 4
4 0
7 6
11 0
4 6
6 0
4 0
5 2
5 2
3 I
9 0
4 6
6 2
6 6
8 6
6 0
8 0
7 4
5 0
10 4
5 4
Breadth of face at ear-bones
5 0
9 0
4 4
6 2
4 6
6 2
7 0
3 4
8 4
4 2
Breadth at lygomatic arch
5 6
9 0
4 4
6 4
3 b
5 4
6 6
4 2
9 0
4 6
5 0
8 2
5 ti
6 0
5 2
5 6
6 6
4 2
9 0
4 6
•** Skull not known.
8. Arctocephalus FalMandicus.
Grey, under-fur red ; young blackish. Length 4 feet.
Sea Beai', Forster, Tot/, i. 174, ii. 528.
Fur Seal, Clai/ton, Phil. Trans. Ixvi. 102; Weddell, Voij. 23, 134, 13
^^^\JL\ CjU^ J
rJ-v-'
¥;
,1^'
56 I'HOOTDiE.
Ursine Seal (part.), Pi'tm. Quad. ii. 527.
Ours marin, Ihiffon, II. N. Supp. vi. 336. t. 47.
Otaria Forsteri, Lesson, Diet. Claris. H. N. xiii. 421.
Phoca Foi-steri, Fkcher, Si/n. 232.
Falkland Isle Seal, Penii. Quad. i. 275, ii, 521 (from Roy. Soc).
Phoca Falklandica, Shcnv, Zool. i. 256 ; Gray, in King^s Nnrrat. Aus-
tralia, ii. 414; Griffith's A. K. v. 183.
Otaria Falklandica, JDesm. Mamm. 252 ; Fischer, Syn. 233.
Otaria Shawii, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 424.
Seal or Sea Bear of Forster, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. 261. t. 22.
Otaria Falklandica. (Fur Seal of commerce), Ilannlton, Nat. Lib. t. 25;
Ann. N. H. 1830, ii. 81. t. 4.
Otaria Guerini, Qmvy et Gaini. Voy. Uran. 71.
Plat_\Thiniis Uraniae, Lesson, Man. 204.
Yoiiny. Blackish ?
Otaria HauvilHi, Lesson, Diet. Class. H. N. xiii. 425 — and
Phoca Ilauvillii, Fischer, Syn. 243, both from Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 220.
Sea Bear, in Brit. Mus., Hamilton, Nat. Lib. 266. t. 23.
Phoca pusilla (adult?), Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 220. 1. 18. f. 5 (skull).
Var.?
Otaria tlrsina, var., Mns. Jjcyden.
? Phoca porcina, Jlolina, Sayg, 260; Shaw, Zool. i. 260; Fischer, Syn. 234.
Porcine Seal, Penn. Syn. 178.
Otaria porcina, Desm. N. Diet. H. N. xxiv, 602^
Otaria Molinasi, Lesson, Didr-Cl'OSs.H. iVT xiii. 4S5.
? Otaria Chilensis, J. Miiller, Wieym. Arch. 1841, 333 (skull only).
POtariae UUose, Tschudi, Mamm. Consp. Peruana; Fauna Pei-tiana,
Mamm. t. .
? Long-necked Seal, Grew, Mm. 95 ; Parsons, Phil. Trans, xlvii. t. 6 ;
Penn. Quad. ii. 521.
Phoca longicollis, Shaiv, Zool. i. 2.56.
Phoca Weddellii, var., Fischer, Syn. 240.
? Otaria coronata, Blainv. in Desm. Mamm. 251; Gray, Griffith's A. K.
V. 182.
Inhab. Antarctic Ocean. Falkland Islands, Cooh. New Georgia,
Cool: South Orkney and South Shetland, Weihlell. ? Chili, Molina.
l/i a. Skin of adult, female, without skull.
h. Skin of young with the under-fur grey. Falkland Islands.
jl^-J (" The adult is 5 feet long, and its skin worth 15 doUars.")
^ Presented by Sir John Richardson, M.D.
9. Arctocephalus cinereus.
Grey ; hair of neck rough, elongate, yellowish ; hairs yellowish
- <>" (^ white and blackish ; under-fur red. Length 7 feet.
\A'7<j}^ Otaria cinerea, P('ro«,FOT/. Ten-. ^4/«<r. ii. 54? 77; Desm. Mamm. 251;
A (^vi* * u • Quay et Gaiin. Voy. Astral. Mamm. 89. t. 12, 13 & 15.
« 1 V" Phoca cinerea, i^/.scA«-, aS^h. 233 ? - -■ — ^
fiCt'' sP^-^vlri j--^tarie (Oran du M. Gaimard), aivier, Oss. Foss. v. 222.
' .' Otaria ursina, var., Mas. Leyden.
Young. Darker ; hair black, silky. — Quoy, I. c. 1. 13.
Inhab. South coast of Australia. Imperfect skull, Mas. Paris.
Port Western, Quoy. Kangaroo Island, Peron ?
17. OTAKIA. 57
Porou indicates a .species from Eugene Island, Australia, under
the name of Otaria alhlcoUls, Peron at Lesueur, Voy. ii. 118 ; Desm.
Mamm. 251 ; Phoca alhicollis, Fischer, Syn. 233.
Cuvier observes, " this species has the amis placed far forwards,
and not as in other Otaria' '' (Oss. Foss. v. 223), and " the only
Otaria brought home by Peron (hence probably his 0. cinerea) was
2 feet 9 inches long ; it is rather whiter than the specimens from the
Cape" (Oss. Foss. v. 221). The skuU is not mentioned.
Peron, in speaking of the productions of " Isle de Decrees," says
they found a new Seal 9 or 10 feet long. " The hair of this animal
is verj' short, very hard, and very thick (tres grossier); but its skin
is thick and strong, and the oil abundant."
/
10. Arctocephalus australis. (K^^-^
The flaps to the hind toes moderate ; grey, with yellow reflex- C^v'^
ions ; head, cheeks, and side of muzzle whitish, beneath fulvous ;
neck thick ; limbs beneath blackish ; whiskers strong, flat, white.
Otaria australis, Qumjet Gaim. Voy. Astrol. Mamm. 9. 1. 10-14 ; Nilsson,
Vet. Ahid. Handl. 18.37 ; Skand. Fauna ; Wieym. Arch. vii. 322.
Inhab. South coast of Australia, " King George's Sound," Quoy.
1\Inil [iKibililj- |]ir riiimn 1m A Mg^l-pvi
What is the Black Seal of the coast of N^ew Holland ? There is a
male, presented by J. B. Boisley, in the Australian Museum, Sydney
(Otaria, sp., no. 30. Cat. p. 7).
It is very doubtful if either of these species differs from A. lohatus.
17. OTARIA.
Face short, shelving ; the nose-aperture large, oblong ; the fore-
head flat, shehing from the edge of the nose-bone to the middle of
the vertex ; the palate very concave, decurved deeper with age,
scarcely contracted behind ; ear elongated, extending nearly to the
articidation of the lower jaw ; the lower jaw with a crest-like ridge
on the inner side of the hinder part, just in front of the condyle.
Muzzle broad, high in front ; forehead rather convex ; occiput
high ; cutting-teeth ■^, the upper outer ones very large, like canines ;
grinders (of the adults) \\\i\i very large roots and small, compressed,
lobed crowns; palate -bone rather wider behind than in front, long,
extending nearly to the articulation of the lower jaw behind; lower
jaw broad, dilated below in front and behind at the angles ; the
upper jaw elongate, and dilate with age.
Head short, broad ; chin large ; muzzle truncated ; mufile bald,
fonning a distinct disk between and above the nostril ; ears small,
short, conical. Fore feet rather large ; claws indistinct ; tail veiy
short, conical. Hind feet large, with the three middle claws long,
subcylindrical, the fifth or inner one rudimentary ; toe-flaps very
long, the outer one broad, second, third, and fourth rather longest
and narrow, the fifth shortest, all much longer than the veiy short
58
toes. Fur rather rough, of the head, neck, and chin longer ; hair
cylindiical ; under-fur none.
FijT. 18.
fk.^^
Otaria leouina. Skull.
The skulls of the adult Arctocephali have been mistaken for the
skulls of this genus, but the form of the hinder part of the palate,
which is little altered by the age of the specimens, at once separates
the two genera. I was formerly inclined to believe that the form of
the hinder part of the palate altered ; but the examination of the
skin, with its skull attached, of an adult ArctocepJialus lohatus has
proved that it does not alter.
N Otaria, sp., Teron Sf Lesueur, Voy. Terr. Austr. ; Desm. Mamtn. ; Nilsson,
. i g -( Vet. Akad. Hundl. 1837 ; Skand. Fauna, t. ; Wiegm. Arch. vii.
I * Platyi'hynchus (Platyrliinque), F. Cuvier, Mem. Mus. ix. 209. t. 15.
f. 2 ; Diet. Sci. Nat. lix. 465 ; Oray, in Brookes' s Cat. Mainm. 37,
1828 ; Fischer, Si/n. Mamm. 231.
Otaria, Gray,Zool. Erebm Sf Terror ; P. Z. S. 1859, 360 ; Turner, P. Z. S.
1848, 88.
Platyi'hmus, Lesson, Manmi. 204.
There is doubtless a great difference in the development of the
skull in the male and female Seals, but unfortunately the sex of the
specimens from which the skulls have been derived is often not
marked. In the only species where I have been able to observe this
fact, almost the only difference was in the size and in the strength of
the markings on the skull, and in the size of the canine teeth. The
full number of the teeth of these animals is developed early in life ;
and the canines of the second set are gradually developed, the roots
being far in the socket, and jjrotruded as the jaw enlarges.
The changes in the form of the palate and in the distance between
the teeth of the same set in the younger and older skulls of the same
species after they have obtained their fuR set of teeth are very great
— quite as much as the difference in the external form of the skull
produced by the development of the occipital ridges, &c. — P. Z. S.
1859, 360.
17. OTARIA. (^*,V^ •'"''•^
1. Otaria leonina. Southern Sea Bear.
Deep brown. yPlK^^ t<x*^ P^^^aa^ y/V fr^ {I'fUb
Sea Lion, Cook, Voi/. ii. 203; Forstcr, Voij. round the World, ii, 512; i^^ /■/
WediMl, Voij. 198. ^ /fe^^yxxX^ A^^-ftx^ ^ ^^ ^ ^^
Leonine Seal (part.), Pi')m. Quad. ii. 534. QQ
Phoca jiibata, Schrvh. Sdur/i-th. 300. t. 8.3; Forster, Icon. ined. G. 4; ''"^
Descript. Anim. 317 ; Pander i^- U Alton, t. 3. f. 1), t. 2. f. .
Otaria jubata, Desm. Mamm. 248, 380 {E. M. t. 109. f. 3); Gray,
Gri^U's A. K V. 184.
Otaria Pernettyi, Lesson, Diet. Class. If. N. xiii. 420.
Phoca Scout, Bodd. Flench. 172.
Le Lion marin, Buffon, Hist. Nat. Supp. vi. 358. t. 48 & 49; Forster,
Cook's Vay. iv. 64 (from Forster' s 3ISS.), copied ; Pernetty, Voy. ii.
Leonine Seal, Shaio, in Zool. i. 270. t. 74 (altered). /T^it^Z-^ ^^/yT^J^^*''^
Otaria Forsteri, Lesson. - a jii ^ t //J^y
Phoca Ansonina, Blainv. Journ. Phys. 1820, 299. A**^>'^^y^ fjmf*- '"*^
Phoque a criniere, Cuvier, R. A. i. 167. ^-£5-^
Phoca leonina, Blainv. Osteog. Phoca, t. G (skull) & t. 9 (dentition) ;
Molina, Sar/y. 282-341.
Otaria leonina, Peron, Voy. ii. 65. ^
Phoca Pyronii, Blainv. in Desm. 3famm. 240. /ic,^ Cl^^^ *^
Otaria Ciiilensi.s, Midh-r, Wieym. Arch. 1841, 334. -, J^/
Mirounga Byronii, Gray, Griffith's A. K. v. 181. / /^.f- } Cc^ ^
Sea Lion, Island of Tiuian, Byron in Mas. Coll. Surg. 2i tXxr6^— /-^J^^^
Otaria, sp., Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 223. - Tj"
Platyrhynchus (leouinus), F.Cuv. Mem. Mus. xi. 208. t. 15. f. 2 (adult }ly/y>^^ J-.
skull j ; /. Brookes, 3Ius. Cat. 37. /^/ f Z^ /
Otaria platjThynchus, Midler, Wiegm. Arch. 1841, vii. 333. " ~
Otaria molossina, Lesson, Voy. Coq. 109. t. 3 (young), Jidc skull Mus.
Paris. .... A cfl/^yT^'^
Phoca molossina, Lesson, Bull. Sci. Nat. viii. 96. ^
Lesson's Otary, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. t. 24, from Lesson. U^l^^^ ' /(.
Platyrhynchus molossiniis, Lesson, 3£an. 203. ^, / ^*-^
Sea lion of Pernetty, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. t. 19, from Fdinh. Mus,
Sea Bear of the British Museum, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. t. 23 ? yf
Inhab. Southern Pacific Ocean. Patagonia. (UXa,^-^^ ^^<^ /^'T"l cUM-
a. Skin of adult, stviffed. West coast of S. America. Vera Cruz. " ^^^y^
Presented by Captain Fitzroy, R.N. ^ /
h. Front of lo-«'cr jaw of (7. West coa.st of S. America. Vera Cruz. /fU/ry^-* — {^^
Presented by Captain Fitzroy, R.jS". . '
c. Skull of half- grown. West coast of S. America. Chili? From
Mr. Bridges' Collection.
d. Skull, young. W. coast of S. America. Presented by Sir John
Richardson, M.D.
The skull of the Sea Lion brought from Tinian Island by Com-
modore P.yron in 1769 is now in the Museum of the CoUege of Sur-
geons.— See Cat. Oi^t. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 64S. no. 3966, where
several skulls of this Seal are described by Professor Owen.
PlatjThjTichus Cranife, Lesson, 3ian. 204? '"^^ ii />/
Otaria Guerini, Qmo// i^- Gf/('w). Zoo/. Uran. 71? //'vi /
Sea Lion of For.ster, Hamilton, Nat. Lib. 1. 18.
( itlA^ti
;^.vuv) J
kUi
^XAV A^<^ "^ tuo^- y./^- /
(;. iJ^- ///^,
60 fHOCIDJE. / <. .
2. Otaria Stelleri. Northern Sea Bear.
Reddish ; females tawn}\
Leo mariniis, Steller, Nov. Comm. Petrop. ii. 360.
Phoca ,iubata, Gmd. S. N. i. 63 (part.)-
Otaria jubata, Pcroii et Lcsucur, Vol/, ii. 40 (not Desm.).
, , [Leonine Seal (part.), Peiin. Quad. ii. 534.
Jf^ Ithoca Stelleri, Fischer, St/n. 231.
Otaria Stelleri, Lesson, D. C. II. N. xiii. 420 ; J. Miillcr, Wieqni. Arch.
vii. 330, 333.
Otaria Californiana, Lesson, D. C. H. N. xiii. 420, from
Lion marin de la Californie, Chloris, Voij. Pitt. t. 11.
Phoca Californiana, Fischer, St/n. Mamvi. 231.
Otaria jubata (part.), Nilsson, Vet. Ahad. Ilandl.; Skand. Fauna;
lf'ie(/ni. Arch. vii. 381.
Inhab. Northern Pacific Ocean.
I do not believe that there is a .specimen of this species in any
museum, nor any remains of it. The specimen sent from St. Peters-
burg under the name of Otaria leonina was the Ursus mariniis of
Steller, and is, lilce the genus which I have called CaUorhinus, more
allied to ArctoccpJudas than to Otaria. Yet I have such faith in the
accuracy of Steller that I have decided to retain it in the list, and
hope some day to receive a specimen with its bones, or at least its
.skull.
61
Order CETACEA.
Teeth all similar, conical ; or dissimilar, ridged ; sometimes not
developed.
Palate often furnished with transverse plates of baleen or whale-
bone.
Body fish-shaped, nearly bald, ending in a horizontal tail.
Front limbs short, fin-shaped.
Mammalia, Cete, Linn. Si/st. Nat. ed. 12. i. 27 ; Link, Beytr. 1795 ;
Demn. N. I). H. X. xxiv. 35, 1804 ; Fischer, Syn. 1828 ; Eichivald,
Zool. Spec. iii. 337 ; Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825.
Ceti, Wayler, Amph. 1830.
Les Cetaces, Cimer, Tab. Ehm. 1798 ; R. A. i. 271, 1817, ed. 2. i. 281 ;
F. Ctivier, 1829.
Cetaceis, Brisson, R. A. 217, 17G£; Gray, Med. Rep. xv. 309, 1821.
M. a iiag-eoires (pars), Desm. N. D. H. N. xxiv. 32, 1804.
Natantia, Il/iycr, Proclr. 139, 1811.
M. pinnata et pinnipedia (pars), Storr, Prodr. Mamm. 1780.
Bipedes, Latr. Fain. Nat. 64, 1825.
Sirenia et Cete, Selys-Lonychamps, 1842.
Cetacea et Amphibia (pars), Rajin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
Cete, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 1.
Cetacea, R. Kno.r, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. 1858, iii. 63 ; Gray, P. Z. S.
1864, 195 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863 ; Ami. <§r Mag. Nat. Hist. 1864,
xiv. 345. ' ^ ^
Synopsis of the Families.
!>uborder I. Skin smooth, bald. Teats 2, inguinal. Limbs claicless ; fore
limbs Jin-shaped ; hinder united, fonning a forked horizontal tail.
Nostrils enlarged into bloivers. Cumivorou-s. Cete.
Section I. Mysticete. Teeth rudimentary : they nerer cut the f/ians.
Palate furnished with transrei'se friuycil horny phites (f Ixdeen or
whalebone. Head large, depresffcd. Nostrils separate, longitudinal.
Gullet very contracted. Tympanic hone single, large, cochleate, at-
tached to an expanded periotic bone which forms part of the skull.
1. Bai./ENid.e. Dorsal fin none. Belly smooth. Baleen elongate, slender.
^*ertebrfe of neck anchylosed. Pectoral fin broad, truncated at the
end ; fingers 5. TjTiipanic bone rhombic. ^Maxillary bones narrow.
2. Bal.'enoptkhid.^. Dorsal fin distinct Belly longitudinally plaited.
Baleen short, broad. Maxillnrv bones broad. Pectoral fin lanceolate ;
fiugere 4. \'ertebrte of neck free. Tympanic bone oblong or ovate.
^
Y>i' w
62 CETACEA.
Section II. Denticete. Teeth well cleveloped in one or both Jaws, some-
times dcviduous. Pcdate a-ithtmt Ixdcen. Head large or moderate;
tympanic bones 2, suhsimilar, united, free in a cavity in the base of
the shall.
A. JVostrils longitudinal, parallel or diverging, covered with a valve,
one often larger and more developed. Pectoral , broad, truncated;
fingers 5.
3. Catodontid^. Head bliuit ; back of tlie skiiU concave. Teeth only
in the lower jaw, fitting into pits in the upper.
4. Platanistid^. Head longly beaked ; back of the skull covered with
the reflected edge of the niaxillaries. Teeth in both jaws compressed.
B. Nostrils united into a single transverse or crescent-shaped blower. Teeth
in both Jaws, often deciduous. Pectoral fin lanceolate.
5. Inhd^. Head beaked. Teeth rugiilose, crowns with an internal
process. Back without any fin, keeled behind.
6. Delphinid^. Head beaked. Teeth simple, cylindrical, conical,
smooth, in the whole length of both jaws, sometimes deciduous.
Back rounded. Dorsal fin falcate, rarely wanting. Pectoral fin
moderate^ on the upper part of the side of the body ; fingers 4- or
5-jointed.
7. GlobiocephalidvE. Head ventricose. Teeth cylindrical, simple, in
the front of both jaws. Dorsal fin falcate. Pectoral fin low down
on the sides of the body ; fingers elongate, many-jointed.
8. HTFEB^fe©?fTH>vi:. Head beaked. Teeth few, cylindrical or com-
pressed in the front or side of the lower jaw only. Dorsal fin falcate.
Pectoral fin low down on the sides of the body; fingers 4- or 5-
jointed.
Suborder II. Shhi rather hairy ; tchiskers rigid. Limbs claiced. Teats 2,
pectoral. Nostrils 2, apical. Herbivorous. Sirenia.
9. Manatid^. Grinders none, or flat-crowned. Front of jaws covered
with horn.
Suborder I. CETE.
Skin smooth, without hair. Limbs clawless ; fore limbs fin-hke ;
hinder caudal, horizontal, forked or rounded. Teats 2, inguinal.
Nostrils enlarged and close together, called blowers. Carnivorous.
Teeth conical, all similar, often not developed, and absorbed. Palate
often furnished with transverse pendent homy plates of baleen or
whalebone ; fringed on the edge.
Cete, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825; Selys-Longchamps, 1842; Gray, Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 5.
Cetacea, Blumenbach ; Dumeril, Z. A. 1806 ; Lilljeborg, Of vers. 2.
Cetacefe camivorse, Gray, Med. Rep. xv. 309, 1821.
(Soufllem's) Hydi'aula, Latr. Fam. Nat. 1825, 05.
Natantia, Cete, Illiger, Prodr. 141, 1811.
Cete /3, Fi.'^cher, Syn. 1828.
Mammalia pinnata, Storr, Prodr. Mamm. 1780.
CETACEA. 63
C^taci^s, Cuv. Tah. Eletn. 1798; Duvernoy, Tub. Atiim. Vert.
Spiracules, J. Brookes, Cat. Mm. 38, 1828.
BaliEiiidfe, RiippeU, Verz. Sotck. Samml. 186, 1845.
Cetacea vera sen Camivora, Oiven, Cat. Mas. Coll. Surg. ii. 439.
Dr. Peters objects to the tail being considered the representative
of the hind feet of the Whale. He observes : " Prof. Reinhardt dis-
covered only a rucUnient of a femur in Balania Mysticetus, all other
[whales] ha\-iug the pelvis without the vestiges of Umbs. You know
very well that the horizontal taU-fui is only an expansion of the
soft parts. How did this expression escape you ? " — Letter, 2-4th
Nov. 18G4.
I am stiU not convinced that the tail docs not represent the hind
members, at least analogically if not actually.
Belon and Rondelet appear to have known the Dolphin {Delphinus
Delphis), the 'Oudre' {D. Tursio), and the Phocteua (P. vulgaris);
but their account of the Spermaceti \\Tiale is very indistinct.
Clusius, in 1(505, first described and figured the Sperm Whale in
a recognizable manner, from two specimens thrown on the coast of
Holland in 1598 and 1601 ; and Johnston (t. 41 & 42) well figures
one of these specimens.
In 1071, Martens, in his 'Voyage to Spitzbergen,' gave a descrip-
tion and figiire of the "WTialebone Whale, the " Pin-fish " (Balceno-
ptera Physalus), the Weise Fish {Beluga Catodon), and the Butzkopt
(Orca Gladiator) ; and his figiu'es of the first and second have been
the chief authorities for these animals until this time.
In 1692, Sibbald published a small quarto pamphlet, with three
plates, describing the Whales which had come under his observation.
He divides them into three groups : — I. The Small "WHiales with teeth
in both jaws, of which he notices three — the Orca (0. Gladiator),
the Beluga, and one from hearsay, which from its size was probably
a Poi'poise (Phoccena vulgaris). II. The larger Whales with teeth
in the lower jaw: — 1. the Sperm Whale; and 2. the Black Pish.
And III. The Whalebone Whales, of which he describes three speci-
mens. The arrangement he proposed is the one used in tliis Catalogue ;
and his work forms the groundwork of all that was known on the
larger Cetacea up to the Liunean time : but Artedi and Linnteus
committed the mistake of regarding individual peculiarities resulting
from accidental circumstances as specific distinctions, so that three
of their species have to be reduced to synonyma. [There is a later
edition, edited by Pennant, which appeared in Edinburgh in 1773.]
In 1725, Dudley, in the 'Philosophical Transactions' (No. 387),
describes all the AYhalcs now recognized by the whalers, except the
Black-fish: viz., 1. the Eight or Whalebone AMiale ; 2. the Scrag
\\Tiale ; 3. the Fin-back Whale; 4. Bunch or Humpback Whale;
and 5. the Spermaceti ^Miale. Cuvicr, in liis historical account,
scarcely sufiiciently estimates either Sibbald's or Dudley's contri-
bution.
Bonnaterre, and after him Lacepode, in their Catalogues, collected
together A\'ith great industry all the materials they could find, in
64 CETACEA.
every work that came in their way ; hence they (the latter especially)
formed a number of species on most insuiRcient authority : for ex-
ample, they made a genus on the otherwise good figure of the Sperm
Whale figured by Anderson, becaiise the artist had placed the spout
on the hinder part of the head ; and a division of a genus for the
Fin-fish of Martens, because he did not notice in his description or
figure the fold on the belly. Yet the characters given by Lacepede,
and genera formed by him, have been used in our latest works, some
even in Cuvier's last edition of the 'Animal Kingdom' ; and many
of these species still encumber out Catalogues.
Cuvier, dissatisfied with this state of things, in his ' Ossemens
Fossiles,' examined the various documents and consulted the autho-
rities which had been used by Lacepede ; but he appears to have
undertaken the work with a predisposition to reduce to the smallest
number the species which his predecessor had described. Thus, he
concludes that there are only eleven species of Dolphins, one Nar-
whal, one Hyperoodon, one Cachalot or Sperm Whale ; and he appears
to think there are only two Whalebone Whales — the llight WTiale
and the Finner. To make this reduction : first, he believes that the
Humpbacked Whale of Dudley is onlj- a whale that has lost its fin,
not recognizing that the Oajoe Rorqual, which he afterwards described
from the fine skeleton now shown in the inner court of the Paris
Museum, is one of this kind ; secondly, that the Black-fish and the
Sperm Whale are the same species — an error which must have arisen
from his not having observed that Sibbald had figured the former,
for he accuses Sibbald of twice describing the Sperm Whale ; and
when he comes to Schreber's copy of Sibbald's figure, he thinks the
fig-ure represents a Dolphin which had lost its upper teeth, overlook-
ing the peculiar form and posterior position of the dorsal fin, and the
shape of the head, which is unlike that of any known Dolphin. This
mistake is important, as it vitiates the greater part of Cuvier's
criticism on the writings of Sibbald, Artedi and others, on these
animals. Unfortunately these views have been verj^ generally adopted
without re-examination. But, in making these remarks, it is not
with the least desire to underrate the great obligation we owe to
Cuvier for the papers above referred to ; for it is to him that we are
indebted for having placed the examination of the Whales on its
right footing, and for directing oiu- inquiries into the only safe course
on these animals, which only fall in our way at distant periods, and
generally under very disadvantageous circumstances for accurate
examination and study.
In 1828, Mr. F. J. Knox, the Consci-vator of the Museum of the
Old Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, published a Catalogue of the Ana-
tomical Preparations of the Whale, in which he gives many interest-
ing details of the anatomy of the Balcmu maxima and B. 7ninima,
which had been stranded near Edinburgh, of the foetus of B. Mysti-
cetus from Greenland, and of DelpMaus Tursio (D. leucopleurus),
D. Delphis, Phocnnn communis, tSoosoo Gangeticus, and Halicore Indi-
eus ; but the paper has been very generally neglected or overlooked.
In 1858, Dr. E. Xnox published " Contributions to the Anatomy
CKTACEA. 65
and Natural History of the Cetacca " in the Journal of the Linnean
Society, vol. iii. p. (i'S.
M. F. Cuvier's 'Cetaccs' (Paris, 1836) is little more than an ex-
pansion of his brother's essays, with a comiiiled account of the
species ; but he has consulted with greater attention the works of
Sibbald and Dudley, and has some doubts about the finned Cachalots
being the same as the S2)e}-m. Whale (p. 475), but at length gives up
the subject. He has foiuid out that the Uumphacked Whale is
evidently a Rorqual (p. 305), but does not record it as a species, nor
recognize it as the Cape Rorqual, nor as Dr. Johnston's Whale ; the
latter he incorrectly considers the same as Balana Fhijsalus. He
combines together as one species Quoy's short-finned Rorqual of the
Falkland Islands with Lalande's long-finned Whale of the Cape
(ji. 352). He is in great doubt about the hump of the Cachalots
(p. 279); his remarks on that subject and on the Cachalots of
Sibbald show how dangerous it is for a naturalist to speculate
beyoud the facts before him.
Sir William Jardine's Whales, in the ' Naturalist's Library,' is
chieflj' an abridgement of M. Lesson's compilation, with some ex-
tracts from Knox and other English writers on the subject.
Eschricht, in his 'Nordischcn WaUthiere,'p. 7, di^-ides the Cetacca
into four groups, according to their food, thus : —
1. SarkophcKjen : Orca.
2. Teuthophagen : Physeter, EhjTichocete (Hyperoodontina,
Grail), Monodon, Beluga, Globiceps.
3. Ichthi/op)haf/eu : Phocaena, Delphinus, Platanista, and Ogmo-
balasna, Eschricht, = Balffinoj^tera.
4. Pteropodojihar/en : Leiobalasna, Eschricht, = Batena.
He further proposes to separate these groups into Zahnwalle (or
Tooth-whales ), which includes all the genera in the first three groups,
except Ogmobald'iia ; this genus he places with Leiohalcena in the
second gToup, which he calls Bartenwcdle, which is synonymoiis with
Bala'na of Linne.
Eschricht, in the ' Danish Transactions,' has published several most
interesting papers on the anatomy and development of the Whales of
the North Sea, especially of the Fin-Avhale {Bcdcvnoptera rostrata),
the Naebhval {Hjiperooilon), and the Nordhval (Bcdmia Mysticetus),
and with Professor J. Eeinhardt he has published a complete treatise
on the osteology of the latter species.
Dr. Ludovicus Ileichenbach, in his ' SjTiopsis MammaHum Iconibus
illustrata ' (8vo, Leipsic, 1855), di\-ides the Whales into four families
and seven genera, thus : — I. Bala;nina. 1. Balcena. II. Narwalina.
2. Monodon. III. Delphinina. 3. Physeter; 4. Delphinus. IV. Ma-
natina. 5. Rytina ; (J. Hulicore ; 7. Manatus.
Mr. Edward Wakefield has given a very good chronological history
of Whales and Whaling in Simmonds's ' Colonial Magazine ' for July
1844, p. Ill ; he quotes the ' Histoire genci-ale des Peches ancienncs
et modcrnes,' by S. B. Noel (vol. i. 1815), the rest of the work
remaining in MS. in the libraiT of the late Baron Cuvicr.
66 CETACEA.
The British species are no better known ; for in Fleming's excel-
lent work they are left in nearly the same state as when Linnajus
published his tweKth edition of the ' Systema Naturae '; and Mr.
Bell's account and figiu'cs are chiefly derived fi'om preceding authors.
In the former edition of this Catalogue I was led to take three or
four species from the list of British species ; I determined the specific
identity of one hitherto neglected, and added two or three species for
the first time to our fauna.
In the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History ' for 1846,
vol. xvii. p. 82, I gave a list of British Cetacea, raising the number
to seventeen, and added Lagenorhynchus albirostris and Grampus
Cuvieri to the previous list.
In the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for 1864, p. 195,
I published a paper '• On the Cetacea which have been observed in
the Seas surrounding the British Islands," in which I describe thirty
species belonging to twenty genera. Fleming only indicates as British
sixteen species of Cetacea, which Jenyns and BeU had reduced in
their works to fourteen species of the Order.
The size of the head, compared with that of the body, varies
greatly according to the age of the specimen. In the newly-born
whale the head is small ; and it enlarges regularly, but at a more
rapid rate than the body, as the whale increases in size. In the
Greenland Whale the adult head is two-fifths of the length of the
body.
The species of the different families have a very great similarity
when examined externally, and, as a whole, the best character for the
genera and species is to be obtained from the examination of the
skeleton, and especially of the skull, cervical vertebrae, and the bones
of the fore hmbs. But here, as in other vertebrate animals, it
requires great care to observe the external characters of the animal
and the peculiarities of its osteology, so that the outer form, colour,
&c. may be known, at the same time as the osteological characters,
and that the variations of either the skeleton or the outer appearance
may be corrected by the double comparison.
We have until lately been chiefly indebted to Sibbald, John
Hunter, and Dr. Knox for the anatomy of the larger whales.
More recently Eschricht has given an excellent memoir on the
Eight Whale, and on the long-armed and smaller Finner "V^Tiale, the
account of the latter being chiefly derived from dissection of the foetal
or newly-born specimen.
No series of animals are more difficult to observe and describe
than the large Whales and Dolphins. They are only seen at distant
periods, and generally either isolated or each kind and age in the
same school or herd. They are only seen ahve at a distance from
the observer, and generally in rapid motion and under unfavourable
circumstances for study. They are unwieldy to collect and compare.
It is almost impossible to preserve their skin, it being very thin and
apt to crack and curl up ; and when preserved, they are difiicult to
keep without deterioration, on account of the fat and salt they contain,
and the odour they emit, especially in damp weather. For this
CETACKA. 67
reason, in the Paris and some other museums, they have prepared a
series of plaster models to illustrate the genera.
When the larger kinds are cast ashore, they are seized by the
lord of the manor or some other person and sold for their blubber,
and their bones are often sold for manure ; or, from some difSculty
respecting the ownership, they are left to rot on the beach, as was
the ease with the skeleton of the Sperm "Whale cast ashore at Whit-
stable, Kent, and prepared by Mr. Gould for the Zoological Society
in 1829.
The putrefying of the flesh and the preparing of the oil render a
stranded wliale l)j- no means a desirable neighbour ; so that it is not
to be wondered at that they are usually got rid of as soon as pos-
sible, and that the naturalist has seldom the opportunity of exami-
ning them even in England, where the means of travelling are easy
and rapid.
Keceutly a new difficulty has arisen: agriculturists have found
that they are good manure, and as soon as any of them, especially of
the smaller kinds, are caught or thrown ashore, they are carried
inland and buried, as was the case with a school of BelpJiinus Orca
lately taken near Bridgewater.
Yet they are objects 'of general interest; and when they are cast
ashore near populous places they are often shown for a time, and the
smaller species ai'e sometimes even earned far inland and exhibited ;
and the only chance that the zoologist has of examining fresh speci-
mens of these animals is to watch for their occurrence and hasten to
see them while they are in a more or less complete state.
I am bj* no means convinced that all the species in the following
Synopsis are distinct. It is rather to be regarded as a collection of
the accounts of the Whales of diff'erent localities, derived from the
specimens and other materials at present at our command ; and I
have endeavoured to select from these soiu'ces what appeared to
afford the best characters for defining them, so as to furnish to those
naturalists who might enjoy the opportunity of observing the animals,
a short abstract of what has been observed with regard to them, and
a reference to where they may find a more detailed account of
each kind. I have been induced to adopt this course, as whenever
I have had the opportunity of examining and comparing the pro-
portions of the allied species from distant seas, and of comparing their
bones, they have invariably proved to be distinct, which leads me to
believe that many of the other species from diffei'ent seas, which
have been regarded as the same, will be found to be distinct, though
representatives of those found in other seas.
f2
68
Section I. MYSTICETE.
Teeth rudimndanj ; they never cut the jaws, and are absorbed. Palate
fumislied with transverse frinyed horny plates of baleen or tohalebone,
fm-minf/ a '^screening-apparatus." Head large, depressed. Bloioers
far back, longitudinal, each covered with a valve. Spout double. Eyes
small, near angle of the mouth. Gullet very contracted. Tympanic
bones large, conch-like, attached to an expanded periotic bone, 7vliich
forms part of the skull. Lacrymal and malar bones thin, small. Living
on mollusca and fisli.
Balasna, Cui\ Tab. Mem. 1798 ; Lesson, N. Tab. Reg. Anim. 201.
Eala3nada3, Grai/, Lond. Med. Repos. xv. 310.
Les Baleines, F. Cuv. 1829.
Cete, Illiger, Prodr. 141, 1811.
Cetacea edentula, Rrisson, R. A. 218.
Edentes abnormaux, Blainr. 1816.
Cete hydr£eoolossi, § B, JVagler, N. S. Amph. 3-3, 1830.
Cetaces, Lesson, N. Tab. Rig. Anim. 197, 1842.
Cetacea, Rajin. Anal. Nat. 00, 1815.
Ruderer Wale, Oken, Lehrb. Nat. G61, 1815.
Balenidia, Rajin. Anal. Nat. 61, 1815.
BaliBnidaj, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1828 ; Zool. Erebus if Terror, 15 ; Cat.
3Iamm. B. M. ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 5, 1850 ; Selys-Longchamps, 1842.
Vermivora, Lesson, N. Tub. Reg. Anim. 201.
Bale, Oken, Lehrb. Ncdurg. 603, 1815.
Les Baleines (Baleniens), Geoff. Leqons, Mamm. 67, 1835 ; Duvernoy,
Ann. Sci. Nat. 22, 1851.
. Bartenwalle, Eschricht, Nord. Wallthiere, 7, 1849.
(Baleen Whale) Balsenidse, Owen, Cat. Osteol. 3Ius. Coll. Surg. ii. 439.
JBalsenidre, "J. Gray," Bardhwalar, Lilljeborg, Ofversigt, 39, 1862.
Balseuoidea sen Mysticete, Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 388.
■" Teeth never functionally developed, but always disapijearing be-
fore the close of the intra-uterine life. Upper jaw provided with plates
of baleen. Sternum composed of a single jiicee, generally broader
than long, and connected only with the first rib. No costal sternal
bones ; all the ribs at their upper extremity articulating only with
the transverse processes of the vertebrae ; their capitular processes
when developed rudimentary, and not forming true articulations with
the bodies of the vertebra?. Hami of the mandibles curved, their
anterior ends meeting at an angle and connected by fibrous tissue,
without any true symphysis. Skull symmetrical. Maxilla produced
in front of, but not over, the orbital process of the frontal. Nasal
bones well developed, spnmetrical. Lacrymal bones distinct from
the ]vigal."— Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 388.
M. Geoffrey observed rudimentary teeth in the lower jaw of a
foetal whale. — Ann. du Mus. x. 365. Eschricht figures them in the
foetal jaw of a Mec/aptera. — Danish Transactions, 1843, xi. t. 3.
The substance called Whalebone is of the same nature as horn ; it
is wholly composed of animal substance, and extremely elastic. —
Hunter, Phil. Trans. 1787. It is called /f/HOii by the French. The
Scotch even at the time of Sibbald caUed it baleen, probably from the
French. — Fleming, Wern. Trans. 203.
The baleen or whalebone has generally been considered as the
CETACEA. 69
^ecth of the Whale ; but this must be a mistake, for Mr. F. J. Knox
observes — " In the foetal B. Mi/nticetus sixty to seventy dental pulps
were found on each side of each jaw, making the whole number
amount to from 260 to 300. The preparation (n. 5f3) exhibits a
portion of this gum with twelve pulps : had those pulps been con-
fined to the upper jaw and corresponded to the number of baleen
plates, it would have formed a strong analogy between the baleen
and teeth ; but the number of baleen plates in the Whale greatly
exceeds the nimiber of dental pidps, and the lower jaw, which con-
tained an equal number of pulps Avith the upper, has neither teeth
nor baleen in the adult whale. Their presence therefore in the
foetal 2Ii/sticetus foniis one of the most beautiful illustrations of the
unity of organization in the animal economy. The teeth in the
Balcena never c\it the gum, but become gradually reabsorbed into the
system ; the verj' cavitj' in which the germs were lodged disappears ;
whilst, to suit the purposes of luxture, the integumentary system
furnishes the baleen, which is evidently a modified form of hair
and cuticle." — Kno.r, Cat. Prep. Whale, 22. Professor Eschricht also
has shown that the foetus oi Megapteva Boops (Danish Trans. 1845,
xi. t. 4) has numerous teeth on the edge of the jaw, though they are
never developed. I am inclined to regard the baleen as a peculiar de-
velopment of hair in the palates of these animals, and somewhat ana-
logous to the hair found in the palates of the genus Lepus. (See alsa
Rousseau, liev. Zool. 1856, 193, 257, 305, 353 ; liav'm, Ann. Sci. Nat,
1836, 266 ; and Mener, Nov. Act. Acad. Leop. N. 0. 1855, xxv. 449.)
From the examination I have been able to make of the baleen of
Balcenoptera rostrata, and of different masses of small blades of
Balcena australis, it would appear as if there were, at least in these
two species, two or more series of baleen on each side of the palate ;
the external scries being formed of large triangular blades placed at
a certain distance apart ; and the internal, in BaJanioptera rostrata,
composed of smaller, much thinner, triangular pieces, placed much
closer together, and forming a very dense screening-apparatus ; and
in Balcena australis the inner series is formed of numerous separate
narrow strips of whalebone, each ending in a ■ pencil of hairs, which
vary in size from that of small twine to that of tape half an inch
wide ; these are placed behind the others, and gradually increase
in size from the innermost to the broad external series. They are
early deciduous, and the groove in which they are placed becomes
filled up and solid.
Mr. Knox (Cat. Prep. Whale) gives the best accoimt of the de-
velopment, position, and distinction between the baleen of the WTiales
of the North Sea which has come under my observation, and it agrees
with the observations I had made on the subject before I could pro-
cure his pamphlet.
In Bnlcrn't maximim, Knox {Phiisalus antirp(orurn), 314 external
or labial xilates (baleen) were counted on each side ; towards each
extremity tlicsc plates degenerate into bristles, and admit of being
counted with difficulty. Towards the mesial line the baleen as a
mass diminishes gradually in depth, giving the whole palatine surface
70 CETACEA.
an elegant arched form. The 314 external or labial plates do not
extend to the whole extent in a transverse direction, but a system of
numerous small and narrow plates succeeds the external ones. For
each external jjlate, twelve (internal) smaller ones could be easily
counted ; so that the number of plates which could be counted, and
not including the bristly terminations towards the snout, phai-jnix,
and mesial line, stand thus : external or labial plates, 314 ; internal
small plates, corresponding to each external one, 12 : total number
of baleen plates, 3768. The longest plate of baleen is placed about
the centre of each of the sides, and measured 26 inches in length and
15 in breadth. The substance when recent is highly elastic and very
heavy ; the whole weighed nearly two tons.
In Balcena minimus, Knox (Balcenoptera rostrata), 307 external
or labial plates (baleen) can be counted on each side ; towards each
extremity these plates degenerate into fine bristles, which were not
comited. The plates hang perfectly parallel with each other, and
from their closeness and fringed lingual aspect, must act as a very
perfect filter in collecting the minute molluscous animals, and at the
same time enable the whale to eject the water.
The baleen or whalebone afi'ords good characters for the separation
of this family into sections. It is short or long accordiag to the
species of Whale, being modified entirely by the more or less arched
form of the upper jaw. Mr. Knox first pointed out this curious
and important fact. The usual conclusion come to by all persons
was, that the size of the whale corresponded to the length of the
bone or baleen. Now this is only good with regard to one species of
Whale, and not at all to the whole group of Whalebone Whales. —
Kno.v, Cat. Prej}. Whale, 8.
The whalebone of the smooth -bodied Whales without any back-fins
(Balcena) is elongate, much longer than broad at the base, and gra-
dually attenuated, and edged with a fringe of equal, lengthened, fine,
soft bristles. The baleen is internally formed of a thin layer of fibres,
covered on each side with a thick coat of ' enamel' ; when dry and
out of the mouth, the blades are flat.
The whalebone of the plaited-beUied Whale with a bunch {Mega-
ptera) or a dorsal fin {BaJanoptera) is short, broad, triangular, not
much longer than broad at the base, and rapidly attenuated, and is
edged with a series (sometimes rather crowded) of elongate, rigid,
imequal bristle-like fibres, which become much thicker and more
rigid near and at the tip. The baleen is internally formed of a more
or less thick layer of thick fibres, covered on each side with a thin
layer of enamel, and when dry and out of the palate they are curled
up and somewhat spirally twisted.
The thickness of the plate of baleen depends on the number of
bristles. In the baleen oi BaJcna maximus there are 506 bristles in
the thickness of the plate, and by a rude enumeration there appeared
to be at least 130 bristles in each inch. The whole breadth of the
plate being 5^ inches, gives us 747 bristles entering into its compo-
sition. These bristles are matted together to the extent of 1 1 inches
on the external and 5 inches on the internal margins, by a substance
CETACEA. 71
like minute laminas or scales, and which may be seen by the aid of a
microscope to invest the free bristles at the fringed extremity of the
plate. We have often observed the facility with which some baleen
can be split up, and were struck with the fact that the baleen of
Balcena maximus would not split. The removal of the external
lamina in the plate under description shows the cause of this : about
G| inches from the root of the plate, many of the bristles have
deviated from their direct parallel inclination, and become intimately
twisted and interwoven -with each other. It has been attempted to
prove the age of the Mliale from an examination of the baleen, in the
same manner as we judge of the age of cattle by certain aniuilated
markings on the horns. On the plate before us we can chstinctly
perceive numerous transverse lines crossing the coui-se of the bristles
at right angles. If these transverse lines indicate a periodical check
to the growth of the baleen, then the age of the Bakena maximus
would be 800 to 'JOO years old, that being the number of transverse
lines on the longest plate of baleen. — Knox, Cat. Prep. Whale, 9.
The baleen of the Balance is alone designated Whalebone (or rather
Whale-fin, as it is usually called) in commerce. The baleen of the
other genera of this family is called Finner-fin or Humpback-fin.
The wholesale dealers in baleen, in the ' London Directory,' are
called Whale-fin Merchants, and whalebone occurs under the name
of Whale-fin in the ' Price-current.' In the ' London New Price-
current' for 1843, the South Sea Whale-fin varied during that year
from 200/. to 305?. per ton ; and there is no price named for Green-
land Whale-fin. (See Maccull. Comm. Diet. i. 1344.)
The baleen was formerly tliought to be the tail of the animal.
(See Blackstone, Comment, i. 233, quoted by MaccuUoch, Comm.
Diet. i. 1344.)
The skulls of the different genera differ considerably in external
form, from being nearly as wide as the lower jaw, as in Sihbaldhis,
to being very narrow so as only to foim a narrow central arch, as
in Balcena. The genera may be thus arranged according to the
width of the skull : — 1. Sibbalclius ; 2. Balcenojitera ; 3. Megaptera ;
4. Phi/salus; 5. Eubalcena ; Q. Bcdcena.
The Avidth chiefly depends on the lateral expansion of the maxilla.
In Balcena it is band-like ; and in Sibbahlius very broad, being more
than twice as wide as the intermaxillary bones.
The food of the "Whale is stiU a much-disputed point. It is now
generally admitted that the 3I)/sticetus lives only on small Medusae,
shrimps, itc, but that the other species of Whalebone Whale devoiir
inconceivable quantities of fish ; for instance, M. Desmouhns states
that " 600 f/reat vo<l and an immensity (probably as many thousand)
of pUchards have been found in the stomach of a single liorcjual."
Mr. F.J. Knox, in dissecting thcBalcena 9««.r/»i!(s, which is aliorqual,
saw no cavity in the course of the viscera which could have contained
six cod of ordinary size: that of 7?. minimus -^ as empty, although
the Firth of Forth, particularly at and above Queensfeny, abounds
at all seasons with herrings and other fishes and their iiy. The want
of teeth by no means renders it impossible that the Balcena with
72 CETACEA.
baleen can live on large fishes ; but the extreme narrowness of the
gullet (that of B. ma.vimus barely allowed the passage of the closed
human hand, and that of B. mhilmus was certainly narrower than
that of an ordinarj'-sized cow), added to the want of teeth, and the
want of proper aiithcnticated information on the subject, are strong
arguments in favour of the hjiwthesis that they do not. — Knox, Cat.
Prej}. Whale, 16.
Professor Eschricht proposes to divide the \VTiales into groups
according to their food, as given at p. 65. I suspect that they vary
their food to a considerable extent at different periods of the year
and under different circumstances.
Professor Eschricht (in Fordhandl. Skand. Naturf. Kiobenh. 1847,
8vo, 1849, p. 103) has published a paper on the geographical distri-
bution of some of the Northern Whales, with a map, by which it
appears that Balcena Myst'wetus in Baffin's Bay lives in fi'om latitude
65° to 69° in December to June, and in July and August ascends
to 77°. The Finnolic lives in lat. 76° in the sirmmer, on the coast of
North Greenland, and in lat. 69° in South Greenland. The KeporTcalc
in lat. 76° in North Greenland, and in lat. 62° in South Greenland.
The rarity of theu' occurrence, the difficulty of naturalists ex-
amining them when they do occur, and especially of comparing them
with other specimens, explain why the Whalebone Whales have
been so imperfectly known ; and, when observed, the specimens are
so large that it is almost impossible for the eye of the naturalist to
take them in as a whole, and to comiiare the parts in detail.
The allied species are so alike externally, that naturalists and
others who have had the opportunity of examinmg them have been
inclined to regard the different specimens observed as only states of
growth of the same species ; and, for the same reason, the specimens
which have been observed in different parts of the world have been
regarded as alike ; and thus the belief has become general that the
species of Wlialebone Whales have a very extended geographical
distribution.
The examination and comparison of the few skeletons that have
been collected have shown that there are many more species than
has been generally supposed, and seem to lead to the conclusion
that each species of Whalebone WTiale has only a comparatively
limited geographical range ; and the observation of whales seems to
make it probable that some of them make periodical migrations
within these limits.
The study of the subject, and especially of the bones that have
been collected, has led me to the following conclusions : —
1. That, though the adult ^^Hialebone "WTiales have a large head
compared with the size of the body, the head of the foetal specimen
Is short, and that it increases in size, and especially in length, much
more rapitUy than the rest of the body. This is very a])parent in
the liight or Greenland Whale, where the head of the adult is two-
fifths, while that of the new-born is only two-sevenths of the entire
lengtli of the animal. These differences are shown by Eschricht in
his figures. The head of the new-born and of the adidt Cape AVTiale-
CETACEA. 73
bone Whale show the same difference ; but the head in both states
is smaller, compared with the entire length of the animal, than in
the northern or Greenland species.
2. That the bones of the Whalebone Wliales in the very young
state are the same in number, and nearly the same in form, as in
the adult animal, the bones only becoming more or less completely
ossified, which they appear to do very slowly, and in some species
even more slowly than in others ; so that the notion that the number
of vertebrae increases with the growth of the animal, which has been
entertained by some naturalists, is a mistake.
3. It also appears that certain parts which become ossified in most
kinds of AMialebone ^^^lales do not become so in others. Thus, the
lateral processes of the cer\-ical vertebrae of Mecjaptera, Benedenia,
and Phi/sah(s seem to be nearly of the same form in the young and
cartilaginous state ; that is to say, they have the usual form of these
bones in the Bcdanopteriihc ; and though the entire lateral process
becomes ossified in PhysaJus and iSibhaldiiis, the end of the process
remains cartilaginous at least to a much greater age, if not always,
in the genera Megaptera and Benedenia. Natm-alists obser\-ing this
apparently imperfect development of the bones in the latter genus,
have been induced to believe that it arose from the youth of the
specimens observed, instead of being a peculiarity of the genera,
overlooking the fact that the skeletons of the oldest Mefjaptevce that
have been examined show the same apparently imperfect develop-
ment and truncated form of the bones.
4. The general form of the baleen, the comparative tliickness of
the enamel, and the fineness or coarseness of the internal fibres
which form the marginal fringe, and the internal structure as shown
by the microscope, all present good characters for determining the
species and for separating the Whalebone Whales into natural
groups, as I have shown in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror.'
The qualities of the whalebone or baleen from various localities,
and hence from difi'crent kinds of Whales, have been observed, and
have led to their employment for diflerent purposes by the handi-
craftsman ; according to their goodness and rarity, they fetch very
different prices in the market — an instance of the practical working
man and the trader being in advance of the scientific zoologist.
5. The diff'erence in form of the tympanic bones is great, and
affords good characters, not only to separate the species from one
another, but also to group them into families and genera.
6. The fact that some Whalebone AMiales have the first rib fur-
nished with a double head, one head attached to the last cervical and
the otlier to the first dorsal vertebra, which had been obsei-ved by
Eudolphi, Yarrell, Dubar, and Schlegel, though apparently considered
as only to be found in the young state of the species by the latter
author, disappearing as the animal increases in age, proves, I believe,
to be a permanent peculiarity of considerable importance, and justifies
Lilljeborg in using it as a character for the discrimination of the
species, and even for separating the Whales into groups or genera.
That it is not a peculiarity of the young state is proved by its being
74 CETACEA.
seen well developed in the skeleton of the gigantic Ostend Whale,
which was formerly exhibited at Charing Cross and in other places.
This peculiarity is found both in the llight Whales and in the
Finners.
Indeed, when the skeletons of the specimens from different loca-
lities can be examined, there are no want of characters to separate
the Whales into genera and species ; as, for example, the breadth
of the upper jaw, the size and form of the ramus of the lower jaw,
the form of the lateral processes of the cervical vertebrae, the number
of the dorsal and caudal vertebrae, the form and size of the articu-
lating surfaces of the vertebrae, the form and number of the ribs, the
form of the os hyoides and of the sternum, the shape of the scapula
and the development or non-development of the coracoid process, the
form aud proportions of the bones of the arm, and the number and
comparative length of the bones of the paddle. I am convinced that,
when more skeletons have been collected, the number of the species
of these animals wUl be greatly increased, especially if the bones of
the skeletons are kept separate, and not set up, so that the bones of
the different species can be accurately compared. For it is to be
observed, probably from the eye not being able to take in the pecu-
liarities of so large a siibject, that some of the best comparative
anatomists, as Eschricht and Van Beneden, have regarded skeletons
from very different localities, as the Megapterce from the Northern
Seas and from the Cape, as the same species, from a comparison of
set-up skeletons, which were at once declared to be distinct when
the separate bones were compared in detaU.
Mr. Flower, in his excellent paper " On the Skeletons of Whales
in the principal Museums of Holland and Belgium " (Proc. Zool. Soc.
1864, 384), observes that in studying and describing Whales or their
skeletons it is most important to ascertain the age of the specimen.
The animals may be divided by their skeletons " into three periods
of growth."
1. In the first, all the epiphyses of the vertebral column and of
both ends of the humerus, radius, and ulna are still separate, and
the processes of the vertebrae are very incomplete. The animal
remains in this condition untU it has attained to more than half the
length of the adult. This stage of growth may be designated as
" young.'" Towards its close the majority of the bones lose the spongj'
character of the "very young" animal, and acquire the form and
structure characteristic of succeeding ages.
2. In the next stage, both epiphyses of the humerus, those of the
upper end of the radius and ulna, and those of the bodies of the
anterior cervical and the anterior caudal vertebrae are united, while
those of the greater part of the column are still free. The ossifica-
tion of the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae, although
often still incomplete at the ends, has gone on so far as to give them
in great measure the characteristic form seen in the adult. This is
a condition in which skeletons are frequently seen in museums. The
animal in this stage, which may be called " adolescent" has attained
nearly its full size.
BALJiNID.E. 75
3. The last state, or the perfectly " adult,'" in which all the ver-
tebral epiphyses are aiichylosed. Such adult skeletons of Whales are
rarely seen, but those of Hyperodon and other Delphinidae are not
uncommon in collections.
Family 1. BAL^NID^.
Dorsal fin none. Belly smooth, ^vithout any longitudinal folds.
Baleen elongate, slender. Vertebraj of neck anchjlosed. Pectoral fin
broad, truncated at the end ; fingers 5, short ; phalanges 3.4.4.4.1.
Tympanic bone rhombic. Bostrum narrow, Hnear, rounded ; the
maxilla narrow, linear, rounded. Lower jaw with only a rudi-
mentary coronoid. Sca])ula high, narrow, nearly as high as wide,
"ttdth a distinct coracoid process. The second cervical vertebra (or
axis) with a small, short, broad lateral process without any basal
perforation (except in Palaocetus'l). The lateral processes of the
cervical vertebne anchylosed ; the lower processes of the second and
third are well developed, the others are rudimentary and laminar.
The baleen or whalebone is narrow, elongate, very gradually taper-
ing, fringed on the inner edge with numerous fine, soft, flexible
fibres of a nearly uniform length, consisting internally of a thin
layer formed of several series of fibres, covered on each side by a
thick coat of enamel.
Balsenidse, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864.
Balsena, Gray, Cat. Cetac. 9 ; Rajin. Anal. Nat. 61, 1815 ; Lacipcde.
Wallflsche (Balseua), Schleycl, Ahhandl. 36.
Leiobalseua, Esch. Wallth. 7, 1849.
Balsena, sp., Linn. ; PUyer, Prodr. 142, 1811.
Baloena, Lesson, N. Tab. Rey. Anim. 202.
Balaena, § a, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 521.
" They live in the ocean, but come into the shallow and sheltered
bays to bring forth their young.
** They roar like an enraged bull. The females are generally the
largest." — Beale, 13, 14.
" The bones of the cranium are greatly arched, so as to leave a
wide interval between the ujiper and lower jaw. The rostrum nar-
row and compressed at the base ; the orbital process of the frontal
very much prolonged and extremely narrow and rounded on its upper
surface." — Flotrer, Proc. Zool. tSoc. 1804, 389.
" The length, like the breadth (of the baleen), is a mere consecjuence
of the extreme narrowness of the palate in the Mystivete compared to
that in the B<d(i'na{PJnjsaJus)maximus." — Knox, Cat . Prep. While, 2^).
Through the kindness of Messrs. Smith and Simmonds, and Mr.
Smith of Messrs. W. Westall & Co., ^\^lale-fin Merchants, I have
been enabled to examine numerous specimens of the Mluilebone or
baleen received from different countries, and to compare their pecu-
liarities as exhibited during its pi-eparation.
The fins or whalebones of each series together are called a " side
of bone " ; the largest arc in the middle, Avhencc they gradually
76 BAL^NIDiE.
diminish away to nothing at each extremity ; the hirgcst fin on the
side is called the " sample blade."
Three distinct kinds are known in the trade: — 1. The Greenland,
fi'om Greenland, Dav^is' Straits, and various parts of the North Sea,
which is the best. 2. The South-Sea, or Blacljish whale-Jin, brought
by the South-Sea whalers. And, 3. The North-ivest Coast, or Ame-
rican xvhale-Jin, which was fii'st imported about five years ago, and
at first sold at a high price, but it has now fallen, and is considered
as only a large kind of South-Sea. But from the examination I have
been able to make, I believe that these three kinds are each produced
by very different species of Whales.
The three kinds are very different in shape. The outer edge of
the Greenland is ciirved considerably ; in that of the North-west
Coast it is much more straight, and in that of the South Sea almost
quite straight. Figs. 3, 4, and 5, in plate 1 of the ' Zoology of the
Erebus and Terror,' represent the three different kinds in the same
position, and on the same scale, being one-fourteenth of the natural
length and breadth. The fibres on the edge in the Greenland and
Margined Whales are very fine, flexible, and long, forming only a
thin series ; in the South Sea they are rather coarser ; but in the
North-west Coast much thicker and coarser, quite biistly, and much
more so towards the apex, and they are more erect and form a thicker
series, approaching in that character to the baleen of the Finners.
The following are the measurements of the samples of the different
kinds of "ivJiale-Jln " in the British Museum : —
Greenland. North-wester7i. Scndhe)~n.
in. lin. in. lin. in. lin.
Length of blade, entire 144 0 112 0 90 0
Width at base 11 0 10 0 9 0
Width at middle 60 40 36
Width at f length 24 20
Width of hair at end 10 0 70 70
Thickness at base 44 45 0 3|-
Thickness at middle 44 04^ 0 2|-
Thickness at I length 0 2^ 0 3^ 0 2
The Greenland "fin " has the hair on its edge generally stripped
off, and is clean and bright when it is brought to England ; but this
may be from the care the North-Sea whalers take in collecting and
cleaning it (as described by Scoresby, Arctic Regions, i. 418) ; and
the blades are brought home in bundles of about a hundredweight
each. On the other hand, the Nortli-iuest Coast "fin " and the South-
Sea "fin " have the hair left on the edges ; they are brought home in
bulk, and are always covered with an ashy-white soft laminar coat,
looldng like the rotted external layers of the enamel. This coat has
to be scraped off with large knives before it is used or prepared, and
the surface after the scraping is not so polished and resplendent as
that of the Greenland "fijis."
The whalebone is boiled for about twelve hours, to render it soft
before it is divided into strips ; it then divides very easily. The
bal.t:nid.t:. 77
smaller pieces, when softened, are sj^lit by a small machine into
verj' narrow strips like bristles, and used for bristles to make
brooms, &c.
For every economical purpose the Greenland " fins " are preferred,
and last much longer, even when divided into the false bristles ; and
the Greenland fin will alone do for the finer work, such as the strips
for plaiting for bonnets, or to make ladies' ricUng-whips, or the
covering of telescopes and other tubes ; the white strips for these
purposes being taken from pale longitudinal lines on the enamel of
the Greenland fins.
The Australian baleen of BaJana marginata is nearly equally fine,
and if imported might, from its natural white colour, be very useful
for many economical purposes, notwithstanding its small size.
There is a dried foetus of this whale in the Derby Museum at
Liverpool ; the upper Up is very large and dependent : and a similar
dried foetus in the Museum of the Philosophical Society of Hull.
I could not observe any appearance, even a rudiment, of the baleen ;
but tlie mouth is closed.
The following paragraph from the ' Daily News ' of the 20th of
December, 1849, gives some idea of the quantity of whalebone now
used : — " The receipts of whalebone in the United States since
Jamiary have been 2,285,095 lbs., and the exports to date were as
follows :— To North Europe, 587,926 lbs. ; to Prance, 515,351 lbs. ;
to Great Britain, 378,449 lbs. ; to other parts, 929G lbs., making a
total export of 1,491,022 lbs. The receipts for the last eight years
were 18,912,200 lbs., and the exports 11,299,811 lbs. The quantity
taken for consumption during the same period was 7,612,389 lbs.
The stock in the United States at that date was estimated at 903,000
lbs. : viz. in New Bedford and Pairhaven, 368,000 lbs. ; New York,
275,000 lbs. ; in all other places, 200,000 lbs."
These whales yield the train oil of commerce ; but train appears
to bo appUed by the whalers as we use drain ; they refer to the train
of the blubber when speaking of the oil of Dolphins, &c., and appear
to call all blubber-oil train, in contradistinction to head-matter, or
spermaceti, which Sibbald says is called " luhale-sJiot " by the English ;
it is still so called by the Dutch whalers.
As the elongated form of the periotic bones and the more or less
Thombic form of the tympanic bone are characteristic of the Right
Whales or the family BaJanida, so the tympanic portion of each
species has a peculiar and specific fonn, and may be used for the
specific character of the species, in the same manner as I have shown,
in the ' Zoologj- of the Erebus and Terror,' that the existence of
several species of Bight Whales may be proved, and, indeed, the
species characterized, by the form and the internal structure of the
baleen.
Unfortunately, when species are determined from these characters,
the outer form of the animal is unknown : and, unless the ear-bones
and baleen are obtained from the same specimen, there is the fear
that one may be giving two names — one characterized by the ear-
bone, and the other hy the baleen of the same animal, and vice verm.
y^y^
/» BAL-liNIDiE.
Yet I think it is so important that wo shoiild avail ourselves of
every assistance in determining the species of these animals which
are so difficidt to observe, that one must run the risk of making
such a mistake, as it can easily be corrected when the opportunity
occirrs to some competent naturalist to examine a specimen containing
both the baleen and the ear-bones.
The tympanic bones are often found fossil. Professor Owen, in
the ' Hist. I5rit. Fossil Mammals,' has named and figured the ear-
bones of the genus BaUrna which have been observed in the Crag ; he
has named them as if he regarded the following as distinct species : —
1. Balcena aff,ms, tig. 221 ; 2. B. dejinita, fig. 222 ; 3. B. gibhosa,
fig. 223 ; 4. B. emanjhiafa, fig. 224. These bones are all very im-
perfect, and the figures of the two latter are not sufficient even to
decide whether they belong to the genus Balcpna or to Phi/sahts.
They differ in the recent genera, thus : — ■
Tympanic bone rhombic ; aperture oblong, only slightly contracted
at the upper end, and about two-thirds of the length of the
bone. BALiENA, EuBALiEXA, and HunteplItts.
Tympanic bone irregular rhombic ; apertirre irregular, much con-
tracted at the upper end, and the wide part not half the length
of the bone. Capeeea.
" Dans les galeries d'anatomie comparee du Museum de Paris parmi
les preparations des os d'oreille nous avons trouve dans un meme
cadre une caisse tjTapanique de Balcena Mysficetus, une autre de
Balcena ausf rails, une de Pterobalcena commums, et une de Ptero-
halcena glr/as." — Vcm Beneden, in Mem. Acad. So i/. de Bruxell es,lSGl,
xxxii. 38.
Synopsis of the G-enera.
I. Atlas united mth the other cervical vertebrce into one ma^s ; the lateral
process of the axis smcdl, broad, solid.
A. Baleen thin, polished, tvith a thick enamel coat and ajinefriiir/e.
1. Bal^na. First rib slender ii©«*5 and undivided at the vertebral end.
Tympanic bone square ; apertine nearly as long as the bone.
B. Baleen thick, not jiolished, with a thin enamel coat and a coarse thick
fringe.
2. Eubal-5:na. First rib broad at the vertebral end. T3anpanic bone
square ; apertm'e nearly as long as the bone.
3. HuNTEHirs. First rib broad, with a double head at the vertebral end.
Tympanic bone square ; aperture nearly as long as the bone.
4. Capeeea. First rib ? Baleen P Tympanic bone irregular
rhombic ; aperture irregular, much contracted at the upper end, and
the wide part not half the length of the bone.
n. Atlas free from the other cervical vertebra, which are muted into a
single mass ; the lateral process of the cur is rounded.
5. Macleayius. The lateral process of the axis truncated.
G. ? Paljeocetus. The lateral process of the axis produced, rounded,
slightly perforated.
1. nAL3:NA. 79
In the skeleton of the adnlt male Balana Mi/sficetus, which is
41 1 feet long, figured by Eschrieht and Itoinhardt (t. 2), the head
occupies two-iifths of the entire length of the skeleton. In the new-
born specimen figured on the first plate of their interesting essay, the
body is much longer, and the head only occupies about two-sevenths
of the entire length, showing that the head increases in length at a
greater rate than the body. This seems general in whales : for the
skull of the foetal Euhaltena australis, figured by Professor Huxley
in his ' Elements of Comparative Anatomy ' (fig. 107, on p. 270), is
short and broad for the genus ; the skull of the foetal and young
Bahvnoptera rosfrafa, figured by Eschrieht, is shorter than the adidt
skull ; and that of the foetus is very short indeed.
The frontal bones of the skull of the foetal or new-born specimen
are broader and shorter than in the adult, as may be observed in the
figures of Cuvier, Eschrieht, and Huxley.
I. Atlas united with the other cervical vertebrce into one tnass.
A. Head very large ; of adult, two-jifths the entire length. Baleen elongate,
slender, with a single series of veryjine elongate central Jihres, forming
a fine jlaccid fringe. Enamel thick, polished.
I. BAL.ffiNA.
The first rib like the others, single-headed. The tympanic bone
rhombic ; aperture oblong, only slightly contracted at the upper
end, and about two-thirds the length of the bone,
Balffina, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 201 ; Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist.
1864, xiv. 348.
Fig. 1.
n
Balaena Mysticetus. Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 25. f. 10.
Head about two-thirds of the entire length, rather blunt, swoUen,
with a slight beard consisting of a few scattered white hairs on the
anterior extremity of both jaws (Scoresby, Arctic Eegions, i. 45S).
SkuU high and contracted behind ; the frontal very narrow, mar-
ginal, directed backwards ; tympanic bone rhombic, large, aper-
80
T1AT,iENIDiE.
am
M-
M'^'"
}.
turc oblong, only slightly contracted at the upper end, and about
two-thirds the length of the bone ; orbits small (see Cuvier, Oss. Foss.
V. t. 25. f. 9, 10, 11). Ealeen narrow, elongate, very gradiially
tapering, tough, flexible ; enamel thick ; internal fibres few, in a
single series, very slender, forming a beautiful thin flaccid fringe.
Cervical and the first dorsal vertebras united by their bodies (see
Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 380. t. 26. f. 18). Blade-bone about as high
as broad, with a broad acromion (Cuv. t. 20. f. 8). Pelvis of three
bones.
Fig. 2.
Balcena Mysticetus, fcetal. Eschr. Nord. Hvaler, t. 3. f. 1.
The frontal bone short, broad, and band-like, obliquely truncated
over the orbit. The upper maxillary bone and intermaxillaries are
very narrow, linear. The nasal rather large. The lower jaw is
thick and rounded, with scarcely any ramus near the base (Eschr. &
Reinh. Nord. Hvaler, t. 5. f. 1). Humerus short ; fore-arm bones
nearly twice as long as the humerus. The pectoral fin moderate,
with five short unequal fingers, and a short spur on the inner side at
the base of the first finger; the middle finger longest, then the
second, then the first ; the outer or Little finger very short and rudi-
mentary (see Eschr. & Reinh. op. cit. t. 2. f. 1, & fig. p. 578). Pha-
langes 3.4.4.4.1.
The cervical vertebrae of the adult are aU anchyloscd together by
the body. The neural arch and the lateral processes, and sometimes
the first and even the second dorsal, are anchylosed with them. In
the young the first five cervical vertebrae are united into a mass by
the bodies ; the sixth free, with rudimentary inferior lateral j)rocesses ;
the seventh free, without any inferior process (see Eschr. & Reinh.
op. cit. t. 2. f. 3, & fig. p. 552).
The blade-bone three-sided, nearly equal-sided, as high as wide at
the upper edge, with a small anterior coracoid process (see Eschr. &
Reinh. op. cit. t. 2. f. 1, & fig. p. 574).
The first rib narrow above, with a single head, and without any
internal dilatation, rather broader at the end near the sternum, and
rounded at the end. The second rib is simple, rather longer, and
1. BAL.T,NA. 81
with a broader articulating surface (see Eschr. &, Reinh. o/). cit. t. 2.
f. 1-3).
" The number of vertebrsc 54. Pairs of ribs 13. Head more than
one-third the total length of the body. Nasal bones long and nar-
row ; orbital processes of frontals much elongated, sloping backwards,
and very little dilated at theii- extremity. Cervical vertebrae all
anchylosed. Baleen-plates very long, and narrow at the base." —
Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 390.
There seems to be some variety in the union of the cervical ver-
tebrae. According to Eschricht the B. M)/stiretus has the first five
cer\-ical vertebra; united, and the sixth and seventh free. Mr. Flower
(Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 391) describes this as the character of Eu-
halceiut, and gives the cerncal vertebrae all anchylosed together as
the character of Baltvna (p. 390). The specimen I have examined
agrees with Mr. Flower's description.
1. Balsena Mysticetus. The Rigid Whale.
Head depressed. There are two series of tubercles on each side
of the lower lip ; and, according to Scorcsby's figure, the head is two-
sevenths, the fins one-thii'd, the vent two-thirds, and the sexual
organs four-sevenths from the nose.
Females larger than the males.
The nose of the skull is regularly and gradually arched above,
rather -wide behind, near the blowhole ; the nose and the inter-
maxillary bones regularly taper in front. The hinder end of the
jaw-bones is obliquely produced behind, and the frontal bones are
narrow, ncarlj- linear, and oblique ; temporal bone narrow, oblique.
The baleen is verj^ long, varjdng from 9 to 12 feet, linear, taper-
ing very gradually, of nearly the same moderate thickness from end
to end, and covered with a polished grey or greenish-black enamel.
The internal fibres occupy a small part of the substance, are parallel,
of a fine uniform texture, and black. The enamel, which forms by
far the greater part of the substance, is generally blackish ; but some-
times, especially on the inner side of the " fin," it is paler in longi-
tudinal stripes. The fibres on the edge, like the internal fibres of
which they are a continuation, are very fine and black. The "fins"
or pieces of baleen are fiat, or as the merchant calls them " kindly,"
so that they produce straight pieces fit for the better kind of parasols
and umbrcUas, &c., when cut into strips.
fJalrena Mvsticctus arctica, Schlcf/vl, Ahhandl. 3G.
Balfena Mvsticetus, Linn. S. N. i. 105 ; Gnu-Un, S. N. i. 223 ; MMer,
Zool. Dan. (i : Erxl. Si/st. 601 ; O. Fahr. F. G. 32; Schrcb. Sciiti/eth.
t. 322 ; C»v. liiq. Anim. i. 285, ed. 2. i. 296 ; Ow. Foss. v. 361. t. 25.
f. 9, 11 (adult skull, B. M.), t. 26. f. 25 ; Lesson, CEuvr. Bnffhn, i. 294.
1. 11 ; i><«w. Mamin. 527, 798; Diet. Class. H. N. ii. 160; Camper,
CMuc. t. 4, 5, 6 (skull of voung) ; Fischer, Syn. 521 ; Volkmann, Anat.
Anim. Tab. 1831, t. 9. f' 5 (skull, fcvtus ?) ; Bell, B. Quad. 514, fig. ;
Kilsson, iSIiand. Fiinia, 642; Tiirton.B. Fauna, 15; Fleming, B. A.
33 ; Jcni/ns, Man. 46; Grai/, Zool. Erelms S,- Terror, 15. 47."t. 1. f. 4
(baleen); Cat. Mamm. B. M. 104; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 12: Proc.
Zool. Soc. 1864, 200 ; Lilljehonj, Ofvers. 107.
82 BALiENID^.
Baloena Mysticotiis, Lesson, iV. i?<'></. Anim. 202.
The Right or ^^■halel)one Whale, Dudley, Phil. Trans, xxxiii. 256 ;
Scoresby, Arctic lieyions, i. 448. t. 12. f. 1.
Balfena Groenlaudica, Linn. Mus. Ad. Frid. i. 51.
Balteua vulgaris, Brisson, Hey. Anim. 347.
Balfena viilgi, Aldrov. Pise. 688.
Balffina vulgo dicta, Rondel. Pise. 475. fig.
Balfeua Rondeletii, Willuyhb. Pise. 35.
Balisna Physalus, Pallets^ Zooyr. i. 289 (not Syn.).
De Balasnis hujusmodi Bipennibus, Sihbald, lial. 27.
Balseua Mysticetus borealis, EJnux, Cat. Anat. Prep. JMiale, 21.
'^ov&lwiA,'' Esehrieht Sf Peinhardt, Kony. Dansk. Vidensk. 1861, 4G
(anatomy).
Var. 1. ? Balfena glacialis occidentalis, Klein, Misc. Pise. n. 12 ; Miilkn;
Zool. Dan. Prod. 7; Bechst. Natury. DeutscM. 1238; Vircy,in Nouv.
Diet. Sci. iii. 183 ; Desm. Mamm. 527.
Balfena Islandica, Brisson, Pey. Anim. 350.
Balfena Mysticetus, j3. Islandica, Gmelin, S. N. i. 223 ; Fischer, Syn.
Ma7nm. 522.
Balfena Nord Caper, Botinat. Cet. 3; Lacep. Get. 103. t. 2, 3; Gerard,
Diet. Sci. Nat. iii. 438.
Nord Kapper, Eyede, Grcenl. 55.
Nordcaper, Anders. Lsl. 219 ; Cra7itz, Grcenl. 145.
Var. 2. ? Rock-nosed Whale, Gtierin, in Jamesons Keic Edinh. Phil.
Journ. 1845, 267.
Inhab. Forth Sea.
a. Skull and lower jaw. North Sea. — The specimen figured in Cuv.
Oss. V. tab. 25. fig. 9-11.
b, c. Two plates of whalebone. Greenland. Presented by Messrs.
Smith and Simmonds. — The specimens figured in the ' Voyage of
the Erebus and Terror,' p. 47. tab. 1. fig. 11.
cl. One plate of whalebone. Greenland.
In Balcena the atlas is united to the other cervical vertebra?. The
atlas has a nearly circular body, with the lateral process on the upper
part of the lateral edge ; the process has a straight upper edge and
a slanting lower one, gradually shelving down towards the lower
part of the side of the body of the vertebra, where it is confluent
with the upper part of the base of the large, thick, lower lateral
process of the second cervical vertebra.
The upper lateral process of the second vertebra is large and well
developed, bent forwards at the end, coherent with the ottter end of
the upi^er part of the lateral process of the atlas.
The upper lateral processes of the third and succeeding vertebra?
are similar, but smaller, and united at the end to the upper pro-
cess of the preceding cervical vertebra. The lower lateral processes
are less developed, and unfortunately they are imperfect in the
specimen.
The atlas and other cervical vertebrfe of the Lagoeetus latifrons
are aU united into a single mass. The body of the vertebra? is
nearly circular, with a very large superior conical process formed of
the united neural arches ; and 'on the lower part of each side, on a
level with, the lower edge, are two large, thick, conical processes.
83
formed of the lateral process of the atlas united to the lower lateral
processes of some of the other cervical vertebra;.
The upper lateral processes seem to be scarcely developed, as the
mass slielves down above towards the lower edge, and has on its
upper part a series of jjerfoi'atious on each side, showing the axes of
the nerves and vessels between the united vertebra;.
The cervical vertebrte of a Balceiici in the British Museum, that
was dredged up at Lyme Eegis, are united together not only by the
body of the vertelira^, Init by the neural arches, which form a large
vaulted arch, and ])y the lateral processes.
Fig-. .3.
^.
■;J//. zf^A /^j
f'er\ ical vertebra; of Bal<T)ia
Lvme Rejris.
The lateral processes of the atlas are large ; they arise from the
exterior side of the articuhu* canity, the edge of the upper side being
on a level with the top of the concavity, and the blunt end is rather
curved up ; the underside gradually shelves from the blunt outer
end to the lower margin of the articular ca^-ity.
The upper lateral processes of the second, third, fourth, fiftli,
sixth, and seventh ccrvicals are all united together at the ends, the
process of the second vertebra being the thickest, largest, and bent ;
it is united to the hinder surface of the end of the lateral process of
the atlas by a thick osseous band. The rqiper lateral processes of
the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh are thinner and smaller,
diminishing in size as they proceed backwards ; the process of the
third is directed backwards to meet the end of the foiirth, whicli,
like those of tlie fifth, sixth, and seventh, is directed rather forwards
towards the head.
The lower lateral process of the second vertebra is very large, thick,
confluent ■«'ith tlie lower ])art of the lateral process of the first ver-
tebra or atlas, but produced far beyond it, and thickened below and
at the end, whieh is eonsidcralily dilated. The lower process of tlie
third vertebra is much smaller, or ratlier compressed, than that of
fi 2
84
I?AL^NIDJ5.
the preceding one ; and the lower processes of the fourth vertebra
are similar, but much smaller still, and also shorter ; they are con-
fluent together at their base, and with the base of the process of the
second ■vertebra. The other vertebra) are without any lower lateral
processes. The neural canal is very large, nearly circular iu front,
being almost as high as wide ; at the hinder end it is transverse,
trigonal, nearly four-fifths as wide as the width of the articulating
surface of the first dorsal vertebra, and about two-thirds as high as
broad. The outer surfaces of the united arches are very convex and
broad, with a broad triangular disk in front marked with a central
keel ; and the upper surface is keeled, with convex sides behind.
This mass is so vmlike the mass of the cervical vertebrae of the
Greenland specimen of Balcena Mysticetus in the College of Surgeons
(which, through the kindness of the Council of that body, I have
been enabled to examine and figui'e), that I am inclined to think it
may belong to another species, and is probably the ceiwical vertebrae
of the whale which Eschricht has described under the name of
Balcma Biscai/ensis. They differ in the form of the lateral processes
of the atlas and other vertebrae, and in the manner in which they are
soldered together, aud especially in the external form of the neural
arch.
Fis-. 4.
Cervical vertebra) of Balcena Mysticdm. Greenland. Mus. Coll. Surg.
It has been observed at Peterhead, 1682 (Sihbald). ? Tynemouth
( Willuqhhy). Coast of Zetland, occasionally {Barclay : see Bell
B. Q. 518).
There are a skuU and a complete skeleton, from Greenland, in the
Museum of the College of Surgeons ; a skeleton at Copenhagen, and
another at Brussels ; a skidl of the adult at Kiel ; and the head of a
young animal at Leyden.
"The magnificent skeleton of Balcena Mysticetus in the Brussels
Museum is the only one to be seen at present in any museum in
1. UALJEXA. 85
Europe, except at Copenhagen. The singular effect produced by the
enormous size of the head, as compared with the remainder of the
skeleton, must be seen to be fully realized.
" The cranium is 18' iJ" long in a straight line, the vertebral column
31' 6", making a total of 50' '6". The epiphyses of the arm-bones
are united at both ends, as are those of all the caudal vertebrae, but
not those of the lumbar and dorsal vertebrae ; so that the animal was
in a late period of the adolescent stage. The vertebral formula is
C. 7, D. 14, L. 10, C. 2;i=54. The tail is quite complete. This
is the normal total number, according to Eschricht and Ueinhardt ;
but an individual peculiarity consists in the development of an addi-
tional rudimentary rib on the left side, about 18 " long, and articulating
■with the transverse process of the fourteenth vertebra behind the
neck. This vertebra is therefore reckoned among the dorsal instead
of the lumbar series. The ordinary number of dorsal vertebras and
pairs of ribs is thirteen. The last two lumbar and first three caudal
vertebrae are enveloped in an immense mass of exostosed bone. The
skeleton appears quite perfect ; even the pelvic bones are present,
though not yet articulated. There are two bones on each side, dif-
fering considerably in the details of their conformation from the same
bones in the skeleton which has been lately received, though not yet
mounted, at the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons." — Flotver,
F. Z. /S'. 18(34, 41 G.
" There is a skull of a very young individual in the Leydcn Museum,
in not very perfect condition. It is 5' 2" in length, and 2' 10|" in
greatest breadth across the squamosals. The elements of the occipital
bones are distinct ; but the parietal is already anchylosed with the
supraoccipital along the upper margin of the temporal fossa. The
basispbenoid is distinct from both the presphenoid and basioccipital,
though the union with the latter is the more advanced of the two.
At this stage the skull differs much from that of the adult animal.
Besides the proportionately greater size of the cranial ca^dty, the
orbital processes of the frontals are shorter, and broader at their
extremity, the maxillaries are less arched, and the skidl generally
much more depressed." — FJower, P. Z. S. 1864, 394.
The car-bones, with the tympanic in situ, are represented by
Eschricht (Xord. Hvaler, t. 5. f. 4). The tympanic bone is sub-
rhombic ; the upper surface flat, with a large, subangidar, rugose
prominence occui)ying about two-thirds of the upper inner side ; the
upper margin rounded, the outer edge rather sharp and slightly
arched ; the lower edge flat, truncated, with a sharp ujiper and lower
edge, which is angulated at the lower outer corner. There is a deep
groove between the inner dorsal prominence and the lower edge.
The lower surface convex, Asith a largo oblong opening of nearly
equal width the whole length.
The specimen of the ear-bones in the British Museum is rather
sea-worn and polished ; but I have compared it, through the kindness
of ifr. W. H. Flower, with the car-bone of the skeleton which the
Koyal College of Surgeons has just received from Greenland.
in the British Museum there is a pair of car-bones, which evi-
86
BAL.^NID.i;.
dcntly came from the same animal, very like the former, and must
belong to this or a very nearly allied species. They chiefly differ from
the ear-bones of B. Mj/sticetus, above described, in the whole surface
being- smooth, with only a little rugosity on the dorsal prominence
on the inner edge, and in the angle of the outer upper and lower
hinder edges being sharper and more marked ; the outer hinder angle
of the dorsal sui'face is also more concave. I propose to regard it
for the present as a variety, B. M. angidata (fig. 5). These bones
are said to have been found in the Orkneys ; but I have not much
confidence in the accuracy of this habitat, as they were by some means
confounded with the ear-bones of Physalus Duc/mdii which were sent
from Orkney by Mr. Heddle.
Fio'. .5.
'■'^^
Tympanic bones of Balcena Bli/sticetus, var. angulata.
In the British Museum there are two tympanic bones, which differ
from all the above in the hinder end being flattened above, bevelled
ofl", narrow, and rounded on the edge ; but they are so imperfect that
I do not think I am justified in noticing them more particularly,
though I beheve they indicate another species of Balcena. They
are both without any locality, and were purchased of dealers, one
along with the ear-bone of the Greenland B. Mystlcetus.
Mr. Scoresby, jun., gives the best description of this whale, in
the Mem. Wern. Soc. i. 578. 1. 12 :—
" The full-grown whale is fi-om 50 to 65 feet in length, and from
30 to 40 feet in circumference just before the fins. It is thickest a
little behind the fins, and from thence gradually tapers towards the
taU. It is cylindiical from the neck until near about the junction of
the tail and body, where it becomes ridged. The head has a tri-
angular shape. The bones of the head are very porous and full of a
fine kind of oil. When the oil is drained out, the bone is so light as
to swim in water. The jaw-bones are from 20 to 25 feet in length,
curved ; they give the shape to the under part of the head, which
is almost perfectly flat, and is about 20 feet in length by 12 feet in
1. DAL^XA. 87
breadth ; the lips are firm and hard. The spoxit-holes are like two
slits, which form an acute angle with each other. The eyes are very
fimall. Tlie throat is so narrow as scarcely to admit a hen's egg.
The fins are from 4 to 5 feet broad and 8 or 1 0 feet long. Tail hori-
zontal, 20 or 30 feet M'ide.
" The colour is dark grey and white, with a tinge of yellow on the
lower part of the head ; the ba(ik, upper part of the head, most of
the belly, the fins, tail, and under part of the jaws are deep black ;
the fore part, the uuder-jaw, and a little of the belly are white,
and the junction of the tail with the body grey. They are some-
times piebald. Under-sized whales are almost entirely pale bluish,
and the suckers arc of a pale blackish colour. The blubber is from
10 to 20 inches thick."
" Spiracles two, longitudinal, placed nearly parallel to each other
upon the top of the crown bone, about 14 feet from the tip of the lip ;
they are about (J inches long. Eyes on the sides, about 5 feet from
the crown bone and 16 feet from the tip of the lip, and about 1 foot
above and rather behind the angle of the mouth. The under-lii) and
the throat white ; a broad white band extends across the abdomen,
between the male organ and the vent, which almost meets on the
back ; the middle part of the lower surface of the tail white ; on the
edges of these white patches are many black blotches, giving the
animal a piebald appearance. Length 46 feet, of fin 9 feet. Baleen
yi feet long:'— Ross, Voy. of H.M.8. Isabella, ii. 152.
The Nonl Caper, Anderson, does not appear to differ from this
species. It is said to be thinner, and infested with baniacles ; this
would lead one to think that it was established on a specimen out of
health. Lacepede's figures above cited, from a drawing by Back-
strom, communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, are the best figures of
the Right Whale, after Scoresby's.
A variety, or probablj' different species, is thus noticed by M.
Guerin, the surgeon of a whaler, as the Rock-nosed Whale. It is
said " never to leave the coast, and even to make the cii'cuit of the
bays. The most important point (of difference) is the comparative
size of the head and bod)'. The head is always considerably more
than i, wliile in tlie true B. Mijsticctus, as stated by Scoresby, it is
less than i, or as 16 to 51. The whalebone is longer in comparison
to the length of the animal, but the lamina? are thinner for their
length ; the body is broader and terminates more abruptly ; the skin
is dark velvet-brown, and has fewer spots and j-ields less oil. The
whalers in general seem to tliink that it is merely a difterence of age
that causes this difference in their external characters, but cubs or
sucklers are as often found amongst the Rock-noses as amongst the
Middle-Ice Whales; the former must have attained the age of
maturity." — Guerin, in Jameson^s N. EJin. FhiJ. Jonrn. 1845, 267.
In some individuals the baleen is yellowish white, the fibres and
enamel of a pale colour.
There is the stuffed skin of a foetal specimen, 20 inches long, from
Mr. F. J. Knox's Collection, in the Anat.Mus. Univ. Ediiib. ; the lower
lips have a broad flap, which is to cover the baleen when develojjed.
88 BAL^2s'IDiE.
There is also the skeleton of the Scame foetus, prepared by Mr. Knox.
The bones of the head are ossified, and show the characters of the
genus ; that is, the upper jaw is high, arched, and its sides are only
slightly keeled, not depressed and expanded as in Balcenoptem, &c.
The jaws show the grooves for the teeth. The rest of the skeleton
is only cartilaginous. These specimens are described by Mr. Knox,
Cat. Anat. Prep. Whale, 21.
There is the skeleton of a half-grown specimen, brought home by
M. Guerin, in the Anat. Mus. Univ. Edinb. (head 6 feet long ?).
Mr. Knox gives some observations on the lactiferous glands of a
foetal specimen in the account of the dissection of a Balcena rostrata.
The foetus is also described by Roussel de Vauzeme, Ann. Sci, Nat.
Zool. 1834, ii. 125; L'Institut, 1833, i. 106, and 1834-, ii. 289;
Wyman, Proc. Boston Soc. N. H. 1850, iii. 355 (foetus).
The embryo of a whale in spirit was presented to the Nat. Hist.
Soc. of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 1836, by J. Stevens, Esq.
A foetal specimen is figured by Camper (Cetac. t. 1. f. 1, 2). It is
probably from a dried specimen, and the head is very slender. It is
to be observed that it is longer in proportion to the length of the body
than the very young specimen oi B. mistralis, 17 feet long, figured
by Delalande, Diet. Class. H. N. t. 140. f. 3.
The Icelandei-s distinguish two kinds of "VVTiale, that of the North
(Nord Hvale) and that of the South. They say that the skin of the
latter has white calcareous crowns (CorowiJfe) which are not found in
the former. (See Van Beneden, Bull. Sci. Belg. 1860, xxii. 4G0.)
Each species of Whale has its own peculiar kind of sessile Cirri-
pede; one has the Coronida, another the Diadema, and a third the
TnbicineUa. They are all sunk in the surface of the skin, with the
aperture for the free valve, or operculum as it is called, alone ex-
posed, and as they grow in size the deeper they sink into the skin.
Some genera aUied to Coronulce are found on the shells of turtles,
and on the outer surface of shells that are partially covei-ed by the
mantle of the animal. The Whales have also pedunculated Cirri-
pedes, as Otions, on them : these were early observed. " This Whale
hath natiu-aUy growing upon his backo white things hke unto Bar-
nacles " (Purchas, Pilgrims, 471). Coronida Bcdcenaris is found on
the Eight "V\Tiale of the Arctic Seas (see Pontoppidan, §§ 78, 81).
Some observations on the osteology are given by Professor Owen
in Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. ii. 439 k 441.
Professors D. E. Eschricht and J. Reinhardt, in " Om Nordhvalen,
Balcena i/?/s^iVf ft«," pubUshed separately in Copenhagen in 1861, and
in the fifth voliime of the Transactions of the Danish Royal Academy,
have given a very full account of the osteology of this animal and
its alUes in the North Sea.
The male and female " Baleine franehe," figured by Duhamel,
Peches, ii. t. 1. f. 1, 2, and which are copied in the Svo edition of
Bloch, Fische, t. 1, seem like figui'es made from description by an
artist who had the figure of a Dolphin, or rather Grampus, in his
eve. The baleen is drawn as if it was attached to the lower jaw,
and projects from the mouth in front. The same figure, with a series
I. BAL.ENA. 89
of tooth in tho lower jaw in the place of the baleen, and with a small
dorsal on its back, again appears in Duhaniel (iv. t. 9. f. 2), under
the name of '• Baleine en Giiince," from the Kiver Gaboon, where,
he says, it is called Grampus hj the English.
2. Balaena Biscayensis.
Baleine de Biscave, Van Benedcn, Bull. Acad. Roy. Belgique, 18G1, 4G2.
Baltena Biscayensis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 200. (^
Baleine fraucte du golfe de 'Bisca.ye,£scJin'cht, Comptes Rendus,18QQ ; ■' i- '^^ // li
Actes de la Soc. Linn, de Bordeaux, 1. 13. 4"= livr. ^ * ' j /j'^
Balsena Eubaltena Biscayensis, Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, '391, f^ Y"
Inhab. Bay of Biscay, St. Sebastian. A female and its young, / / g^^^
Jan. 1860. Skeleton at the Mus©»ffl-crf-Pa-mpeluua. ^\ijl/> ^e*^ '? '*/^"^^^
The Right AMiale of the Bay of Biscay {B. Biscayensis) is regarded P j
as a different species by Eschricht and Van Bcneden. — dray, F.Z.S. A*^V
1864, 200. « (y-J-^
Cuvier observes that the Right Whale was formerly taken in the *1_---t^ — '
Gulf of Gascony, but that now it is only found on the shores of^ /■, y.1-
Greenland, Iceland, and Spitzbergen. (See Cuv. Oss. Foss. ed. 4. vii. hL.^/
252 ; also Eschr. & Reinh. Nord. Hvaler, p. 479, note.) jjh-^^-^^
" MM. Eschricht and Reinhardt (Om Nordhvalen) have conclu- ,
sively proved that the habitat of B. Jlysficetas is, and always has been, ^t^^"^''
exclusively confined to the Polar Seas, and therefore that it has no ^
claim to a place in the European fauna. The Right ^\"hale of the »< , ^ .'
North Atlantic, formerly chased by the Basque whalers, belongs to
this section (Euhalcena) of the family." — Floiver, P. Z. S. 1864, 391.
M. Eschricht obsei-ves, " Le squolette de Pampelune m'occupe tout
plein, m'ecrit-il a la date du 18«inai dernier. C'est tout ce qu'il y a
de plus curieux. II est presque monte, et I'enorme difference avec
le Mysticetus depasse tout ce que j'en avals juge lors de mon sejour a
Pampelune. Figiirez-vous, ajoute-t-il, qu'il n'estpas plus developpe
que le squelette d"uu Mysticetus de peine un an, I'ossification des
vertebres n'est pas encore avancce jusqu'aux apophyses transverses,
et les arcs qui no sont pas memo unis des deux cotes sent encore
separos du corps et cepcndant la colonne vertebrale a la largexir du
Mysticetus de trois ans et domi." (See also Eschricht " Sur le De-
voloppement du questionnaire relative aux Cetaces," Actes de la Soc.
Linn, do Bordeaux, xxii. livr. 4.)
This theory appears to require further examination. Icebergs are
annually carried out from the Arctic Seas to the North Atlantic, and
it is probable that Right Whales may sometimes accompany them.
I have not been able to find any details of the skeleton at Pam-
peluna, so that I have no authority for placing B. Biscayensis in a
difPerent genus from B. Mysticetus.
90 BALiENID^.
3. Balsena marginata. The Western Australian Whale.
The baleen very long, slender (nearly eight times as long as wide
at the base), pure wliite, thin, ^\ith a rather broad black edge on the
enter or straight side.
Balrena marginata, Gray, Zool. E. Sf T. 48. t. 1. f. 1 (baleen) ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 14; P. Z. S. 1864, 200.
Inhab. Western Australia.
a, b, c. Three plates of baleen. Length 20 inches ; width at the
base 2 inches 6 lines. Western Australia. Presented by
J. Warwick, Esq. — The specimens figui-ed in the ' Voyage of
the Erebus and Terror,' tab. 1. fig. 1.
This species is only known from three laminte of baleen. It is much
smaller aud broader, compared with its width at the base, than, and
is differently coloured from, the baleen of any of the other species.
This is undoubtedly a very distinct species. The baleen is of
nearly the same structure as that of the Greenland Whale ; but we
do not know what may be the form of the first ribs, or of the bones
of the other parts of the skeleton.
iA
0 iJf'^ '^* ^ Balsena gibbosa. The Scrag Whale.
(I ■ " A Scracj Whale. Is near akin to the Fin-hach, but instead of a
fin upon its back, the ridge of the after-part of its back is scragged
" '^' with half-a-dozen knobs or knuckles. He is nearest the llight Whale
/'-^w do*-*^ (-^' Mystketus) in figure and quantity of oU. His bone (whalebone)
, ^^ is^whtteribut won't spht." — Dudleij.
" A Scrag Whale," Diulley, Phil. tTrans. xxxiii. 259 ; a^ul Whalers.
Balaena gibbosa, Erxi. Syst. 610 (from Dudley) ; Gmelin, S. N. i. 225 ;
JBonnat. Cet. 5 ; Lacep. Cit. 113 ; Virey, Nouv. Diet. H. N. ill. 185 ;
Gerard, Diet. Set. Nat. iii. 440 ; Desm. Mamm. 528 ; Fischer, Syn.
523 ; Grarj, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 18.
^ Balffina gibbis vel nodis sex, B. macra, Klein, MSS. Pise. ii. 15.
**^»- Balfena bipennis sex in dorso gibbis, Brisson, R. Aniin. 351.
' Knotenfish oder Issaohhei^sh, Anders. Isl. 225-, ■Orantz, Gronland, 146.
Bunched Mysticete, Shaio, Zool. ii. 495.
Inhab. Atlantic Ocean.
Dudley's account is copied by Anderson, Crantz, and all succeeding
authors.
Cuvier thought the Scrag Whale {B. gihhosa) was only a Rorqual
(Oss. Foss. V. 267) which had been mutilated ; but I suspect, from
Dudley's account of the form, that it must be a Balana, probably
well known formerly. Indeed Beale (Hist. Sperm Whale) speaks of
it as recognized by the whalers now.
" Scrags" is the whalers' name for young specimens of the Eight
W'hale. (See Dieifenbach, New Zealand, i. 45.)
Bonnaterre and all succeeding authors have referred to this genus
the Iluniphacled Whale of Dudley, not understanding his descrip-
tion of the belly being " reeved," that is, plaited ; they caU it Balcena
nodosa.
2. EUBAUENA.
91
3. Head long ; of adtdt, about one-fourth the entire length. Baleen elongate,
broad at the base, with several series of rigid central Jihres, forming a
rigid fringe. Enamel thin.
2. EUBAL^NA.
Hibs 15 . 15 ; first like the others, single-headed. T5'rapanic bone
rhombic, nearly like that of BaJcvna. Head large ; of adult, about
one-fourth the entire length. Vertebras 52.
Eubalaeua, Graii, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 201 ; Ann. S; 3fag. K H. 1864,
xiv. 348.
Skull broad and depressed behind. The frontal bones broad, band-
like, transverse (see Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. p. 375. t. 25. f. 1-4 of young,
and f. 5-8 of adult animal). Tympanic bone rhombic, large ; aper-
ture oblong, only slightly contracted at the upper end, about two-
thirds the length of the bone. 15aleen thick, rather brittle ; enamel
thin ; internal fibres numerous, thick, in several layers, rather inter-
twined, forming a thick rigid fringe. Cervical vertebrae all imited
by the neural apophyses into a single crest (Cuv. op. cit. t. 26. f. 13).
Fio-. 6.
Eubaltena Capensia, jun. Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 25. f.
2. ^V^'H*^
liibs 15 . 15, all simple-headed, the last four pairs not reaching
the vertebne. Stenium oblong (Cuv. t. 26. f. 11). Blade-bone flat,
rather broader on the upper edge than high, with a prominent acro-
mion (Cuv. t. 26. f. 7). Arm-bones short ; forearm-bones very short,
scarcely longer than the humerus. Fingers 5, short, the middle
longest, the second, first, and fifth successively shorter (Cuv. t. 26.
f. 23). Os hyoides (see Cuv. t. 26. f. 14).
Cuvier observes that the skulls of B. Mtjst'tcetus and B. auMralis
differ more from one another than the skulls of the species of Korcjuals ^
(Oss. Foss. V. 375). ^^^^^^
t /. 2
1. Eiibalaena australis. The Cape Whale.
Uniform black. Skull convex. The nose of the skull high,
straight, and rather suddenly l)ent down in front ; the nose and the
92
BAL^ENIDiE.
intermaxillary bones contract in the middle, and then continue of
the same "width in front. The hinder part of the jaw-bones is nearly-
perpendicular, and the temporal bones are broad and erect.-^C«y.
Oss. Foss. V. t. 25. f. 5-7.
The foetal skull is shorter, lower, and the hinder part of the jaw-
bone is more slanting. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 25. f. 1-3.
Cervical vertebrae all (1-7) anchylosed by the neural arches into
one crest. — Ouv. Oss. Fuss. v. 378.
The baleen is about 6 feet long, elongate triangular, rather rapidly
tapering to a fine point. The internal fibres are rather coarse, but
much finer than in B. Japonica.
Balaena australis, Desmotdins, Diet. Class. H. N. ii. 161. t. 140. f. 3
(foetus) ; Gray, Cat. 3Iamm. B. M. 104; Zool. Ereh. Sf Terror, 15,
48. t. 1. f. 3 (baleen).
Eubalsena australis, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1 864, 202.
Baleiue du Cap, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 368. t. 25. f. 1-4 (skull of foetus),
f. 5-8 (skull of adult), t. 26. f. 7, 11, 13, 23, t. 27. f. 10, 15 (ear-
boues), 24.
Balfena antarctica, Owen, Brit. Foss. Marnm. (not Gray).
The Cape Whale, or Eight Whale of South-Sea Whalers, Bennett,
Narr. Whaliny Voyage, ii. 229.
Southern Whalebone Whale, Nunn, Narrat. Favourite, 181. fig. ?
Common Black Whale, Ross, Antarctic Voy. i. 169, ii. 327 ?
Inhab. Sea near the Cape of Good Hope, Delalande. Skeleton and
fcetus, Mus. Paris.
a. Bone of foreann. Capo of Good Hope.
h, c. Two plates of " South-Sea whalebone." Pacific Ocean? Pre-
sented by Messrs. Smith and Simmonds. — The specimens figured
in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,' p. 48. tab. 1. fig. 3.
tin if.ifC'-^'^^^ d, e. Two plates of whalebone. Pacific Ocean?
tihi-U^ ^ f. Sku^Jn(<mp6rfcct), with the i<^er ja^ the jpe^ebraB'-ofHhe^eckT""
lii.cu*'^^^ the riljB^anai;he blade^bonc.'^Cape of Good Hope.
[w lu - r^^ ^^ ' The atlas, axis, and five cervical vertebrae are united into one by
• / L- i^^'^ 1^^ their bodies, and all the spinous processes are soldered into one crest,
r*"^ ■ L i-"^ Kihs 15 . 15 ; the last four and the first two do not attain the body
tLi^ ' if^A h of the vertebraj, and are not attached to the transverse apophyses.
i/'tflkLoa'^^ The fii'st pair is flat and very broad, especially at the sternal end.
JvJi** w^V '^^^ ^^^^ three are slender and short. Vertebrse 49, viz. nuchal 7,
," ti'^'^ dorsal 15, lumbar and caudal 27. The chevron bones commence on
the eleventh and twelfth, and end at the twenty-sixth. Tlie spinous
processes form a nearly uniform series, inclined forwards. The
thumb has two, the index four, the middle finger five, the ring
finger four, and the little finger three joints, aU ending in a carti-
laginous dilatation. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 379.
The tympanic bone is subcubical and rugose; the back is much
swollen ; the imier edge is protuberant, and forms an angle with
the surface nearer the outer margin ; the upper portion is pro-
minent and subangular, and separated from the lower portion by-
two irregular depressions ; the hinder margin is thick, convex, and
rounded ; the lower sui'face is rather tiattencd, with an irregular-
fto
2. KUr.AL.T.NA. 9;}
oblong, rather kidney-shaped aperture, wliieh is very strongly plaited
on the hinder margin, and nearly as long as the bone. The poriotic
bones, with the tymjjanic bones in situ, are figured by Prof. Huxley
in ' Elem. Comp. Anat.' fig. 109, from a specimen presented to the
College of Surgeons l)y Dr. G. Eennett. There are three specimens
similar to this figure in the British Museum : — two, presented by
H. H. Eussell, Esq., as the ear-bone of the Sperm Whale ; and one
from South Africa, presented by G. Byham, Esq., to the Palteonto-
logical Department.
Yar. ? In the British Museum there is a specimen of the periotic
bones, with the tj'mpanic bones attached, which was received, without
any habitat, from Dr. Mantell. In several particulars it is very like
the specimen of E. anstralis ; but the hinder edge of the tympanic
bones, instead of being very thick and rounded, is much thinner than
any other part, and the periotic bones are much broader and more
expanded. It may be only a variety of E. aiistralis. 1 think it is
right to give a short notice of it, for the sake of drawing the atten-
tion of future observers to the peculiarity.
Var. ? In the British iluseum there is another imperfect worn ^n^
tympanic bone, without any habitat, which resembles those of E. .rz ,
austndis in general appearance ; but the hinder margin is shelved off
and thin, instead of broad and rounded as in the typical specimens
of that species. This may indicate an allied species, or only a
variety.
MM. Van Beneden and Adolphe Milne-Edwards inform me that
the first rib in both specimens in the Paris Museum, from the Cape,
has a single head, very like the second one.
The skull and cervical vcrtebraj of the foetus from the South Seas
are described by Prof. Owen in Cat. Ostcol. Mus. Coll. Surg. ii. 440.
The skull of this fa;tus and the ear-bones of the adult are figured by
Prof. Huxley in Elem. Comp. xinat. f. lOTat p. 270, and f. 109 at p. 273.
Mr. Warwick has kindly sent me some notes and the following
measurements of a female whale of this species taken at False Bay
Fishery, said to be fuU-grown, and considered by the whalers as of
large size:— ^^_ j^
" Total length 68 0
Height of the body 14 0
Length of the head 16 0
Width of tail 15 6
Length of ribs 10 6
Diameter of guUet 0 2
" I could not pass my hand through tlie gullet. Xumber of ver-
tebrre 52. From all the conversations I have had with the whalers,
I do not think the Cape Whale ever attains the size of the Greenland
species. These whales of the Cape I constantly found covered ^vdth
Tubicinelhc lialcrnarum and Coronula Bahrnaris ; but the Spermaceti
AMiale was seldom or never so covered : they occur principally on the
head, where they arc crowded, and but rarely on the body, and then
onlv sincrle scattered ones."'
>jfc*.
94 bal.t;nid.e.
In False Bay they carry on the fishery from the shore, and dui'ing
the time Mr. War\vick was there, only one bnll out of sixty speci-
mens was killed, the females coming into the bay to bring forth their
young. He skinned one -which was siipposed to be not more than
eight or ten days old ; it was 20 feet long.
The females with their calves approach the shores of the Cape
about the month of June. The female whales, at the end of the period
of gestation, seem to %-isit the bights and inlets of the country which
are next to theii' feeding-grounds. The same is the case round Van
Diemen's Land and New Zealand.
" If 13 feet be the size of the calf in the Northern seas at the
period of birth, as stated by Mr. Seoresby, it will be found to be
much inferior to what is observed in the South Sea, for I have myself
seen more than one extracted from the uterus which had attained
the length of 19 feet." — A. Smith, South Afr. Quart. Journ. p. 130.
The baleen of this animal is sometimes called the "VYhale-fin of
the " Blackfish," the name that has been applied to the Physeter
Microps and to an Orca.
There are sometimes imported with the baleen a few yellowish-
white "fins," which seldom exceed 2 feet iu length; in these, the
fibres as well as the enamel are white ; they are not so transparent
as the pale variety of the Greenland fins before referred to ; they
have the same coarse texture, and are brittle like the black southern
specimens ; and as they do not take so good a polish, they cannot be
used for making shavings for plaiting, &c.
There has lately been brought by the South-Sea ships several
hundredweights of a very small kind of whalebone, which is im-
planted in the remains of the palate, in three or four series, gradually
diminishing iu size towards the iianermost series ; each piece is linear,
compressed, from ^ to ■!• of an inch wide, rounded on the edge,
vai-ying from 5 to 8 inches in length, and ending in a tuft of black
haif-like fibres. In texture, colour, and external appearance it exactly
agrees with the baleen of the Southern Whales, and I suspect it must
form the inner part of the " screening-apparatus " of that animal ;
and if that be the case, the existence of these separate i^ieces near the
middle of the roof of the moi;th wiU form a very peculiar character
in this kind of whale. I am further strengthened in this belief by
perceiving amongst some short pieces of " Southern Whale-fin," pro-
bably forming the end part of a " side," at the inner, or shorter, or
palatine edge of each blade, two or three small, separate linear pro-
cesses of whalebone ending in a parcel of bail's, similar to the jiieces
above described, but of a smaller size and rather more wavy.
Seoresby, who gives a very detailed account of the position of the
baleen in Greenland "'ATiales (Arct. Reg. i. 457 and ii. 415), does not
mention anything of the kind in that animal ; but it is described as
occurring in the Fin-back by Mr. F. J. Knox (see Cat. Anat. Prep.
WTiale, 7. u. 5).
The Black WTiale or Eight "V\Tiale is the one chased on the coast
of New Holland. During the winter season many boats are sent out
from the coast.
2. EUBAL^XA.
95
" The whale feeling herself covered and uncomfortable from
barnacles on her skin, strikes in from the mouth of the river
(Murray), and there plays and gambols for hom's just outside or
among the breakers. Having roUed the barnacles off in the fresh
water, she takes to sea. It is the knowledge that the fresh water
kills the barnacles that brings her in. "WTienever it was practicable,
my whalers, as well as those of the opposition fishery, were glad to
take advantage of this peculiarity of the fish." — Cadell, Journ. Roy.
Geogr. Soc. 1855, 179.
This is most probably distinct from Euhalcena australis (BaJcena
aiistralls, Voy. Pole Sud).
Captain 8ganzin (Mem. de la Soc. du Mus. H. N. de Strasbourg,
iii. 2) states that Tuhkinelln Balamarum is found on the large
whales which are taken accidentally on the coast of Madagascar,
but never on the young whales which are caught in the Canal of
St. Maria. The latter have rarely some specimens of the Coronula
Diadema attached to them. The old whales which are stranded on
the shores of St. Maria, on the contraiy, are often covered with
large numbers of the Coronula Balamaris.
Mr. Holdsworth has presented to the British Museum a specimen
which had been received from an American whaler, as " the Bonnet
of Balcemi Mi/sticetus, obtained at the Sandwich Islands."
4.
A
^'-^..
y^
<^uyi
/I/..
V"
Fiff. 7.
^^
The specimen is oblong, 11 inches long, and 8 inches wide, very
irregular in outline, ^vith a very rotxgh pitted surface, four of the pits
being much larger than the rest, and dividing the surface into six
prominences. The whole substance seems to be formed of irregular
horny layers placed one under the other, the lowest layer being the
one last formed ; and each of these layers is more or less crumpled
and phcated on the surface, giAnng the irregular appearance to the
mass.
The lower layer is attached to the skin of the whale, a part of the
skin being attached to the inner surface of the mass or " bonnet," as
it is called.
On showing the specimen to a foreign zoologist, he stated that it
was" an excrescence on the skin of a whale, formed bv the adiiesion
96 BALiENIDiE,
of the barnacles called Coronula, and that the irregularities on the
surface of the bonnet were caused by the attachment and wearing
action of these animals.
This is quite a mistake : the Coromdce sink themselves into the
epidermis of the whale, as is also the case with the genus Tuh'mnella.
I have seen numerous specimens of both these animals in situ, and
the skin roiind the cirripedes is scarcely altered in structure, and
offers no resemblance to the horny excrescence called the bonnet.
Any one who examines the bonnet will find that the plate of horn
of which it is formed is plicated and folded when deposited ; and this
explains the irregularity of the general form of the body.
The zoologist referred to has since said that he behoves it is caused
by the irritation of the whale-louse, and that the irregularities on
the surface are caused by them. This may perhaps have arisen from
the surface of the specimen being covered with whale-hce when it
was first procured from the whaler ; but this may be only because
the hollow on the surface forms a good hiding for them ; and I think
the supposition that they are the origin of the wart or horn requires
further observation.
Mr. Holdsworth has since sent to the Museum a much smaller
specimen, also obtained at the Sandwich Islands, which is oblong,
elongate, and more symmetrical ; but the upper surface is not so
eveiily channelled. It is 6 inches long and 2^ wide. It is spoken
of by the whalers as a wart on the tip of the nose, and is commonly
called the " Whale's bonnet."
I do not recollect observing any account of this " honnet," or giant
corn, or rudimentary frontal horn, as it may be regarded, in any
account of the Eight Whale, nor in that of the Spermaceti Whale.
I have specially searched for it again in works by persons who have
seen these whales alive, but without success.
It has been suggested by Mr. Holdsworth that the bonnet may
be a natural development, and possibly characteristic of the species ;
he thinks that the "pale prominence" on the nose oi Balcenct ant-
arctica, as figured in ' Fauna Japonica,' pis. 28 & 29, may be intended
to represent it. In the description this part is only described as
" une forte preeminence teinte de blanc."
In the excellent drawing of the male whale from the coast of
New Zealand, which I figured iinder the name of Balama antipo-
danim, in Dieffenbach's ' New Zealand,' vol. ii. 1. 1, there is a rough
roundish prominence on the front of the lower jaw, as well as on the
front of the upper one.
I behove that a prominence of the kind is to be observed in all
the species of the genus Balama, although I have nevei^seen them
described as hard and horny ; but that is no reason v^ this may
not be the case. — Gray, Proc. Zool. >Soc. 1864.
2. Eubalaena Sieboldii. The Japan Whale.
Black ; the middle of the belly to the vent, and a spot on the chin
and over the eye, white ; the nose with a rounded prominence in
2. KUIUL.ilNA. 97
front. The head is two-fifths of the entire length ; the pectoral fin
large, pointed. — Temm.
Iklrena Sieboldii, Gray, Ann. S,- Mag. N. H. 1864, xiv. .349.
BaL-ena australis, Temm. Fauna Japan, t. 28 & 29
Balffiiia Japonica, r;/-«y, Zool. E. ^- T. 15, 47. t. l.'f. 2 Hjaleen) ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 18o0, 17. \ ^ >
PBaljena Japonica, Lacep.Mcm.Mm. iv.473 ; Desm.Mamm. 528, 802 •
Fi-^chei; 8;/n. 522.
? Balrena lun'ulata, Lacep. Mem. Mm. iv. 475 ; Desm. 3famm. 528, 803 :
rt^scncr, Si/n. 522.
Inhab. Japan, visiting the coast periodicaUy. The head is often
covered with barnacles (cirripedes).
This species is only described and figured from a model, made in
porcolain-clay by a Japanese, under tlie inspection of a Japanese
whaler and M. Siobold ; but no remains of the animal were brought
to Europe ; so that we do not know whether it is a Euhahena or a
Hunterius, or if it may not be an entirely new form.
B. Japonica and B. humJata, Lacep., are from Chinese drawin"-s
They differ in colour from Temminck's figure. "
Var. ? 1. North-west ^Y]lnle, Bulcena Japonka ?, Gray, Zool
S'''i''^?-n*'V^'' ^^- *• ^*- ^- - C^^il^en). Yar. 1. Gray, Cat. Cetac!
B. M. looO, 1 1 .
a, h. Two plates of " North-west Coast Whalebone." North-west
coast of America. Pre^sented by Messrs. Smith and Simmonds.—
The specimens figured in the 'Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,'
p. 47. tab. 1. fig. 2. j^tf-t^u-t^x^ /:dtJi~^nLAJt^&.^fKJt-t^ /^
c, <L Two iilates of " North-west Coast Whalebone." North-west "
coast of North America.
The baleen is nearly as long as the Greenland, varying from 7
to 12 feet long, and slender; but for the same length it is nearly
twice as thick in substance, and it gradually diminishes in thick-
ness towards the ends. The enamel, when the outer coat is removed
IS not so polished as that of the Greenland, and when cut through'
the central fil)res are thicker, tubular, and occupy about one-fifth to
one-eighth of the thickness— much more in proportion than they do
in the Greenland fins, and the enamel and fibre are coarser in tex-
ture and much more brittle.
The fins or blades of this whalebone are generally flexuous, or
" not kindly," so that when cut into strips they have the defect of
being variously bent, and tapering towards the end, which, with
their bnttlc\pss, greatly reduces their value.
Mr. Eennef^observes that " the Eight Whale, so abundant and
so little B|)lestecrin the northernmost waters of the Pacific, or off the
north-w?3f coast of America, is probably identical with the Green-
land species " (Whaling Voyage, ii. 229). The whalebone or baleen
shows it IS more allied to the Cape species, but apparently distinct
from it.
•• There are tliree vertebra;, a pair of humeri, and a pair of scapulte,
whieli I have referred to Bnl.rna (Hisfrali.^, Desmoiilins, in the Museum'
t
y 1- -. ::"-::^^U!^ixMX-i~ /\
H
98 BAL^NID.E.
of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. Probably from the coast of India."
—Bhjth.
What is Balama indica, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. xxviii. 488 ; Cat.
Mus. As. Soc. Beng. 93? — Inhab. Indian Ocean; Bay of Bengal.
Arabian Sea, occasionally entering the Persian Gulf.
Chamisso figures a species of Whalebone Wliale as Balcvna KuUo-
moch, found in the Aleutian seas, from a wooden model made by the
Aleutians (see N. Act. Nat. Cur. t. 17. f. 1). It is noticed as B. Cu-
laimncd- by PaUas (Zool. Rosso-Asiat. i. 288).
3. HUNTERIUS.
Eibs 15.15; first double-headed, the rest single-headed. Tympanic
bone rhombic, nearly like that of Balana. Head large, forming
above one-fourth of the entire length of the adult.
Himterius, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864 ; Ann. S,- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1864,
xiv. 349.
The first rib very broad, with two heads, attached to the transverse
processes of the first and second dorsal vertebrae ; the sternal end
deeply cut out. The first four cervical vertebrae soldered together,
the second and third with lateral processes beneath. Vertebrae 55
(or 57) : dorsal 16 ; lumbar 8 ; caudal 24 ; scapula, atlas, and cer-
vical vertebrae ? The tympanic bone Uke that of Balana and
Euhahena.
Baleen elongate, thick ; enamel coat thin, the central fibres coarse,
forming a rather rigid fringe.
" Total number of vertebrae 57 or 58. Pairs of ribs 15. Head less
than one-thii-d of the total length of the body. Nasal bones short
and broad; orbital processes of the frontal moderately long, and
widening considerably at their outer extremity, directed horizontally
outwards. First five cervical vertebra only anchylosed (?). Baleen-
plates moderately long, and broad at the base." — Floiver, P. Z. S.
1864, 390.
1. Hunterius Temminckii.
Balsena australis, Temm. Faunu Japon. t. 28 & 29.
Balaena Mysticetus antarctica, Schkffel, Ahhandl. 1841, 37.
Himterius Temminckii, Gray, Ann. S)- Mag. N. H. 1864, xiv. 349.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope (fforsiock). Skeleton of young animal
(and skull of adult ?), Mus. Leyden.
" It does not quite attain to the size of Greenland Right \\Tiales.
The head is proportionally smaller (taking up only a fourth of the
entire length of the animal), but it becomes wider near the eyes.
The snout is broader, with a hard elevation near the front part,
slightly humped at the point. Upper jaw along the posterior part
of the angle of the mouth much deeper downwards, and arching
from the outside. Whiskers somewhat shorter. Pectoral fins a
trifle longer, and more firmly spined at the point. Caudal fins not
so deeply incised. The white of the underside limited to only a
3. niJNTERni.s.
99
small portion of the belly. The skull is proportionally smaller than
in the Greenland Right Whale, much higher and broader behind.
The muzzle %-iewed from above bulges at the sides. The frontal
bone and the hindmost excrescence of the upper jaw are not oblique
from behind, but (at least in maturity) laterally flattened ; finally,
the lower jaw is much more powerful.
" Our skeleton has seven vertebras in the neck, of which the first
four are soldered together, and only the second and third have lateral
processes beneath. There are 15 pairs of ribs, of which only those
nearest the middle, viz. the third to the seventh, are provided with a
smaU crown ; they do not, however, reach the vertebi-ffi of the body.
" The first rib is unusually broadly and deeply inserted into the
end of the sternum, or running straight out into two processes, and
divided at the vertebral ends by a deep notch into two knobs, it is
fastened to the lateral processes of the first and second vertebrte.
There are only Ifi dorsal vertebrae, 8 lumbar, and 24 caudal. The
flipper has five well-articulated digital and clearly developed meta-
carpal bones." — Schler/el, Ahhandl. 1841, 37.
Fiff. 8.
First rib of Hunterius Temminckii, in the Le3"den Museum.
(From a sketch by Mr. Gerrard.)
Mr. Flower has given me a drawing of the ear-bone from the same
specimen ; it is rhombic, very thick and swollen, Like, but rather
wider than, the ear-bone of Euhaltena auntralis.
" A very fine skull of an adult and a nearly complete skeleton of a
young indi\-idual, both obtained from the Cape of Good Hope by
Dr. Horstock, are contained in the Leyden Museum. These are
briefly described by Schlegel in his ' Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete
der Zoologie,' &c. (Lej-den, 1841), part 1. p. 37.
" The skull is 13' 5" in extreme length. To any one accustomed
to the appearance of the skull of the adult B. Mifsticefns, the dif-
ferential characters exhibited b}' this specimen are very striking.
The size is much inferior, both absolutely and as compared with that
of the body of the animal. Its general contour is less regularly
arched, as it rises abruptly in the occipital region to a very prominent
and rounded eminence at the junction of the supraoccipital, frontal,
and nasal bones, and then slopes gradually down to the apex of the
beak. The articular processes of the squamosals are broader and
less elongated. The supraorbital processes of the frontal are, as
noticed by Schlegel, directed more horizontallv outwards, shorter,
H 2
<
tx
A
100 BAL,ENIDiE.
and very much stouter, especially at the extremity. The orbital
processes of the maxillary are also stouter. One of the most marked
differences from B. Mi/sticetus, and one which I have not before
seen noticed, is the great breadth and comparative shortness of the
nasal bones, and consequent great width of the posterior margin
of the nasal aperture. The part of the upper surface of the two
nasal bones uncovered by the frontal is 13|" broad and 11" long;
in a skull of B. Mysticetus, 17' in length, they are but 7" broad and
11" long. The malar, lacrymal, and tympanic bones are absent
from this skidl.
" The skeleton is that of a young animal ; the epiphyses of all the
vertebraj and of both ends of the humeras, radius, and ulna are not
united. It wants the lacrymals, malars, sternum, hyoid and pelvic
bones. The entire length is 31' 4", of which the head occupies 7'.
The total number of the vertebrae is 56 ; and one, or perhaps two,
may be wanting from the end of the tail. The first five of the
cervical vertebrae are united together ; the bodies of the other two
are greatly compressed and close together, but not anchylosed There
are fifteen pairs of ribs. The first, as described by Schlegel, is of very
singular shape, being dix-ided at the upper end for a distance of 6"
into two broad flat heads, anterior and posterior, and widening ex-
ceedingly at the lower end, in the middle of the border of which is
a deep notch. It is 34" in length, measured in a straight line, 4" in
breadth at the middle, and \2^" at the lower end. The two divisions
of the upper end are attached to the transverse processes of the first
and second dorsal vertebrae, which disposition induced Schlegel to
assign 16 dorsal vertebrae to this specimen ; but this is probably an
error of the articiJator, as in the Fin-Whales with double heads to
the fu'st rib, these are connected with the seventh cervical and first
dorsal vertebras ; and in B. Mi/sticetus the head of the first rib is
placed altogether in front of the transverse process of the first dorsal
vertebra, being intimately connected with the seventh cervical.
" The second rib is very thick and broad at the lower end. The
last rib is much shorter and more slender than the others. There
are nine chevron bones present. The scapula is 26" broad and 24"
high, with very short acromial and coracoid processes. The humerus
15" long. The radius 16|" long and 10" broad at its distal end.
The iilna 8" broad at the same part. The thumb is absent; the
digits differ but slightly from each other in length. The second,
third, and fifth have, besides the metacarpal bones, each four pha-
langes ; the fourth has five ; but, as they are artificially articulated,
these numbers are not entirely to be depended on." — Floiver, P. Z. S.
1864, 396, 397.
The baleen sold in the market as " North-west Coast whalebone,"
which I figured in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' 1. 1. f. 4,
is quite distinct, and fetches a different price from that called
" South-Sea whalebone," which is said sometimes to be brought from
the Cape — showing that the Whalebone Whale of the North Pacific
is a distinct species.
4. CAPERBA.
101
4. CAPEREA.
The tympanic bone irregular rhombic, aperture irreg-ular, much
contracted at the ujjper end, and the wide part not half the length
of the bone. «
The scapula, atlas, ribs, and cervical vertcbraj not observed. J <li
Caperea, Graij, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 202 (May 24) : Ann. &■ Maq.
Nat. Hist. 1864, xiv. 349.
1. Caperea antipodarum. The New Zealand Whale.
Eala'ua antipodarum, Gray, Diiffenbach, Neiv Zealand, t. 1.
Right Whale, Polach, New Zealand, ii. 401.
Balrena antarctica, Grai), Zool. Erehm Sf Terror, C'ete, 16. t. 1 ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 18 ; (not Lesson nor Given).
Bal?ena Caperea antipodarum, Grai/, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 202.
Caperea antipodarum, Grai/, Ann. '^- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1864, xiv. 349.
Inhab. New Zealand ; Jackson Bay.
Described from a very accurate drawing of a specimen taken in
Jackson Bay ; it is very like Temminck's figure of B. aiistralis, but
there is a roundish prominence on the front of the under jaw similar
to the one on the nose ; the latter only is figured in that species ; the
pectoral fin, as in that species, is about two-sevenths from the chin.
M. Milne-Edwai-ds informs me that there is a skeleton of this
whale in the Paris Museum.
Fig. 9.
!r**s*i)
Tympanic bones of Caperea (tntipudarmn.
Tlie tymjianic bone oblong, rugiilose ; the upper and outer margin
thick and rounded ; the lower edge truncated ; tlie back regularly
convex, with a smooth, Ijroad, slightly depressed portion just above
the middle. The lower truncated end verj- broad, witli a regular
convexity on the inner half, and keeled on the outer half of the upper
102 BALJENIB^.
margin ; the lower margin angular. The lower surface is moderately
convex, the aperture very irregular, narrow, and contracted above,
truncated below (see fig. 9).
Inhab. New Zealand ; Otago (Mr. Stuart).
" The beach at Tory Channel, New Zealand, was covered with re-
mains of whales' skulls, vertebrae, huge shoulder-blades, and fins." —
Dieffenhach, New Zealand, i. 35.
The figure in Dieffenbach's ' Voyage ' " is from a cow whale 60 feet
long, drawn while afloat, so that its shape was unaltered. The Black
Whales of New Zealand appear to be inferior in size to those of the
Northern seas. The cow whale figured was regarded as being of
an unusiiaUy large size. Seoresby says he has measured Greenland
Whales 70 to 72 feet long."
" The male or bull whale is very rarely caiight on the shores of New
Zealand, as it never approaches the land so near as the female and
young do, and is more shy and wild. The season in which whaling
is carried on is from May to October. In the beginning of May the
cows approach the shallow coast and smooth waters for the purpose of
biinging forth their young. This period lasts about four months, as
in May whales are seen with newly-born calves, and cows have been
killed in July in full gestation. During the same month also copu-
lation is sometimes observed by the whalers. In company with the
cows are also the calves of the preceding year or years ; it is uncer-
tain at what age the whale attains its full size or leaves its mother.
The young whales are called Scrags, and they yield about four
tuns of oil. The full-grown foetus is 14 feet long."
" The whale is a truly migratory animal. They arrive at the coast
of New Zealand in the beginning of May from the northward, and go
through Cook's Strait, keeping along the coast of the Northern
Island, and pass between the latter and Entry Island. They are
never seen on the opposite coast, nor do they enter the northern en-
trance of Queen Charlotte's Sound. From Entry Island they sweep
into Cloudy Bay, and at the end of October they go either to the
eastward or return to the northward. From the month of June
they begin to show themselves near Chatham Island, where their
numbers increase with the termination of the season in the latter
place. During the six remaining months of the year, the ships
cruising in the ' whaling-ground ' fall in with many whales. This
whaling-ground extends from Chatham Island to the eastward of
the northern islands of New Zealand, and from thence to Norfolk
Island."
" The results of the whale-fishery on the coast of New Zealand are
of very small amount in the British market, owing to the indiscrimi-
nate slaughter of the fish during the last fifteen years, without due
regard to the preservation of the dams and their young. The shore-
Avhalers, in hunting the animal in the season when it visits the
shallow water of the coast to bring forth the young and suckle it in
securit}', have felled the tree to obtain the fruit, and have thus taken
the most certain means of destroying an otherwise profitable and
important trade."
O. M.VCLEAYIUS.
103
" The whales approach the shores and bays with the flood-tide, and
quit them with the ebb. In their migration they seem to be influ-
enced by the direction of the tides. "V\Tiales are often seen in places
where the depth of the water does not much exceed their own
breadth, rubbing their huge bodies against the rocks, and freeing
themselves of the barnacles and other parasitic animals with which
they are covered."
" The maternal affection of the whale for its young is very great.
As soon as the mother observes a threatened danger she clings as it
were to the calf, tries to hide it, and often takes it between her
fluke-fins and attempts to escape. The affection of the whale for
her young is the principal means of her destruction. The calf, inex-
perienced and slow, is easily killed, and the cow is afterwards a sure
prey. It is not known in what manner the cow suckles her calf.
The whalers deny that they can or do. The teats are two in number,
situated in membranous folds on both sides of the genital organs,
and are small in size."
" The cow was a velvet-like black, with the exception of a milk-
white spot round the navel. They are said to be sometimes speckled
and entii'ely cream-coloured, which are albinos.
" The calf said to be six weeks old was 24 feet long. The brain
weighed 5 pounds 1 ounce. The baleen was very soft and useless.
There were 200 plates on each side of the roof of the upper jaw.
" About 120 whales are captured yearly at four stations.
" The whalers easily distingiiish the bull from the cow at a con-
siderable distance, the elevation near the ^pout-holes, called the top-
knot, being much higher in the bidls, and this part is always above
the water." — Dieffenhacli, New Zealand, i. 44-54.
What is Balcena mistralis, " Desmoul.," Schrenck, Amur-Lande,
i. 193 ; Bahena antarctica, Schlegel, Fauna Japon. Mamm. 18 ? —
Inhab. Island Sachalin: called " Kahn."
Lesson, CEuvi'. Buff'on, i. 391 (Tab. Reg. Anim. 202) ; Wagler,
N. S. Amph. 33, give the name of "Z?. antarctica " to the " Right or
Black Whale of the whalers of the Antarctic seas."
II. Atlas si^arate from tf\e other cervical ve,rtvbr(t, tvhich are all united into . .
a simjlk mass; the loiter lateral jn'ocesSfOf the second jand third cervical \(j.
vertebrm rounded. ' ^ jL ^ %iJt
5. MACLEAYIUS. AP * •^
Macloayius, Gray, I'roc. ZjoI. Soc. 1804.
The atlas vertebra distinct, separate, with short, broad, trunc;
lateral processes occupying tlic iipper two-thii'ds of the side of the
bodj' of the vertebra, the lower side of the body forming a section of
a cii-cle ; the neural arch strong, with a high central ridge forming a
distinct keel.
The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh cervical ver-
tebra; united into a single mass by their bodies and neural apophyses ;
the upper lateral process rudimentary, more or less anchylosed ; the
ated / /
r
V
1
1(J4 BAL^NIDJi:.
lower processes of the second and third cervical vertebris large, thick,
short, truncated ; the neural arches very broad and strong, united
together, the anterior one forming a large, broad, convex, hood-like
body over those of the other cervical vertebrae.
This genus is cstabhshed on the cervical vertebra; existing in the
Museum at Sydney, New South Wales, of which Mr. Ivi-efft has sent
me a photograph, showing the atlas and other cervical vertebrte, seen
in front, and the cervical vertebrae without the atlas, seen obliquely.
These latter bones seem to me to clearly indicate a sjiecies of whale
which has not yet been described. On a comparison of them with
the figures of the cervical vertebrae of the Balcena Mysticetus (Cuv.
Oss. Foss. V. t. 26. f. 18) and of Euhalana austrcdis (Cuv. Oss. Foss. v.
t. 26. f. 13), they appear to be more nearly allied to the genus Eu~
halcena than to Balcena, but are very distinct from either. These
bones differ from both those genera in the atlas being separate and
free from the other cervical vertebrae, instead of being aU united
together into a single mass. In this respect they agree with the
cervical vertebrae of the Sperm Whale {Catodoii) ; but they cannot
belong to that genus, on account of the general form of the vertebrae,
and especially the form of the neural arch. In both these particulars
they much more nearly resemble the genera Balcena and Euhalcena.
Genera which have the cervical vertebrae united into one or two
masses may be distinguished thus : — -
A. The neural arch of atlas with a strong tcell-clevelojJcd ri(l(/e on its upjier
edge, forming a keeled crest.
a. The lateral processes of the atlas on the iqjper part of the side. Balsenidte.
* The atlas vertebra imited with the biher cervical vertebrce into ct^ngftbocly.
Balaena and Eubalaena.
** The atlas vertebra free froki, amhsejHif^te front, the other cemiictd ver-
tebrce. Macl^ayius.
b. The lateral process of the atlas and other cervical vertebra" on the lotv^er
IHtrt of the side of the body. Hyperoodon and Lagocetus. Orca
crassidens ?
B. The neural arch of atlas low, scarcely raised, keeled on the npper edge ; the
lateral 2>rocesses very wide, occupying nearly the whole side-edge of the
body of the vertebra. Catodoutidae. Catodon.
The form of the atlas at once distinguishes this genus from Cato-
don, or the Sperm Whale. In that genus the atlas is oblong, trans-
verse ; the lateral processes occupy the entire side of the body of
the bone, and are truncated at the end ; the lower edge is gradually
curved from the centre to the end of the lateral processes ; the upper
edge is rather shorter, the middle part over the neural arch being
only slightly raised and keeled, and scarcely higher than the upper
outer edge of the lateral processes.
I have named this genus after Mr. MacLeay, the former Secretary
of the Linnean Society, and his son Williain Sharp MacLeaj', two
naturahsts who have done so much for science ; and to the latter
5. MACLEAYIUS.
105
evci^- student of Whales iimst be indebted for his work ou the South -
Soa Speriu Whale and the very extraordinury Euiihijsctcs Grcujii.
Yi'x. 10.
Macleayias AmtruUeusis. Front view of atlas and cervical vertebrae.
Fio-. 11.
Mmlvaiiim Aintt'ralwiisis. Oblique view of the second to the seventh
cervical vertebrte.
ion BALiENOrXERID^.
I have ventured to make these fragments of an animal (as they
may be called) into a genus ; for I think we can only study the
gigantic whales as we study fossils, from the parts which are pre-
served to us. It is to be hoped that at some future time more
perfect skeletons will be collected and preserved, and then the
description of the genus will be filled up.
6. PAL.ffiOCETUS.
Atlas free. The second cervical vertebra with a prominent
rounded lateral process with a small basal perforation. The third
to fifth cervical with .
Piileocetus, Seelcy, Geol. Journ. I860.
This genus, in the form of the lateral process of the atlas or second
cervical vertebra, has some resemblance to the Finner Whales {Ba-
Imnopteridai). It is probable that when it is better known it will
form a family (Fcdceocefidce), to be placed between Bcdcenklte and
Balcenopteridce. — See also Professor Owen, Brit. Foss. Mamm. pp. xv
ife 520 ; Pcdmntology, p. 355.
1. Palseocetus Sedgwickii.
Paleocetus Sedgwackii, Seelei/, Geol. Journ. 1865, tab. f. 1, 2.
Fossil in the Crag. The cervical vertebra, Woodward tan Museimi,
Camhridge.
Family 2. BAL^NOPTERID^.
Dorsal fin distinct. Belly longitudinally plaited. Baleen short
and broad, triangular, twisted. MaxUlary bones broad, expanded,
sharp-edged. Tympanic bone oblong or ovate. Frontal bone flat,
expanded, broad over the orbit ; orbit large. Pectoral fin lanceolate ;
fingers 4. Vertebrae of neck free, or some rarely arichylosed. Sca-
pula broader than high, with or without a coracoid. The lateral
process of the axis or second cervical vertebra produced, ring-like,
with a basal perforation. The ring is not completely ossified until
adult age, so that the skeleton sometimes presents two short pro-
cesses more or less encircling a basal aperture.
Balfenoptera, Lacep. Cetac.
Mysticetus, Wagler, Syst. Amph.
Rorqualus, F. Cuvier, Cetac.
BalffinidiB (b.). Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M.
P^inne-fiscli, Balrenoptera, Schler/cl, AbJiandl. 1841, .38.
Balffinopteridaj, Gray, P. Z. S. 18(!4 ; Ann. ^- Mag. N. H. 18G4, xiv.
" The head less than one-fourth of the total length of the body.
A dorsal fin. Skin of the under surface of the throat and chest pro-
vided with numerous parallel longitudinal furrows. The bones of
the cranium very slightly arched. The rostrum broad at the base,
gradually tapering, depressed. The orbital processes of the frontal
moderately prolonged, broad, and flat on the upper surface. Tym-
panic bones elongated, ovoid. The coronoid process of the lower jaw
liAL^NOPTERID.i:. 107
more or less developed. Baleen-plates short. Cervical vertebra;
usually all free. Hand narrow and tetradactylous." — Floiver, P.Z. >S.
l.S(i4, ;3iJl.
The anatomy of these animals, and especially a description of their
bones, has been given bj' Albers, Anat. Comp. 1. 1 ; Camper, Cetaces,
t. 11 & 12; lludolphi, licrl. Abhandl. LS20, t. 1-4; Cuv. Oss. Foss.
v. 504. t. 2(3. f. 5; llaviu, Ann. Sei. Nat. 1841, 337; and by Yan
Breda, Van der Linden, and J. Dubar, in separate pamphlets on the
specimen cast ashore at Ostend, which was exhibited in London
some years ago ; and the anatomy of Megcqjtera and Bakenoptera
has been given in detail by Eschricht, who has carefully examined
fu3tal specimens of these whales.
Cu\'ier (Oss. Foss. v. 2G4) figures the skull of a specimen described
by Laccpede, from the Mediterranean, under the name of Rorqual cle
la Mediferranee (t. 20. f. 5), and he gives a copy of the head of the
skeleton of Balcena rostrata of Rudolphi (Berlin. Abhandl. 1820,
t. 1, 2, 3, 4), Tinder the name of liorqual (hi Nord (Oss. Foss. v.
t. 26. f. 6).
Polach (New Zealand, ii. 407) describes these whales as ha\dng
three fins on the back ; this is probably only a false translation of
Kay's B. tripennis, referring to its having a dorsal as well as two
pectoral fins.
0. Fabricius (Fauna Grccnlandica, 30) describes B. Boops with the
blower on a common tubercle, and covered by a common valve !
From the study of Professor Eschricht's paper, and from personal
communication with him, and from the examination of the several
skeletons of this genus, in difterent collections, I am satisfied that
there are several distinct species.
The proportions given by the tables quoted in the previous edition
of this Catalogue, and the measurement of other specimens (all of
which I drew from scale on paper), have shown that they were
permanent, and to be considered as specific or generic distinctions
rather than variations in the growth of the same species. These dis-
tinctions were further confirmed by the examination of the skeletons ;
for it was found that the bones of the neck of the small species
(which had been considered to be the young of the larger ones) were
anchylosed together, while those of the larger ones were free ; and
it also showed that the form of the lateral process of the nuchal
vertebra was the stime in specimens of different sizes from the same
locality, proving that the stracture of these bones depended on the
mobility of the neck of the difterent species, fitting it for their
ditferent habit and manner of life, indicated by the size of the fins
and other external characters.
It is only necessary to refer to Dr. Jacob's very interesting paper
in the * Dublin Journal of Science' for 1825, p. 332, where he at-
tempts to prove that all the Finner Whales found in the North Sea
are of one species. To show how dangerous it is to reason on
such subjects, his arguments arc scattered to the wind directly a
reference and comparison is made to specimens. The examination
and comparison of the skeleton, after making every allowance for
108
BAL^NOl'TERID.!!:.
changes which may take place in the development of the bones
during growth and the variations that may occur in individuals of
the same species, show that the species of Finner Whales which
inhabit the northern hemisphere are niiich more numerous than was
formerly suspected ; and it is probably the same with those that
inhabit the southern half of the globe.
Professor Eschricht, in 1846, had so little confidence in the number
of species of Whales inhabiting the North Sea, that he considered
that he had made an advance when he thought it was proved that
there were at least three different species having their abode in the
North Sea (4th Mem. p. 157).
Cuvier, in his essay in the ' Ossemens Fossiles,' admits three kinds
of Finner ; each of them now forms the type of a genus : llorqual du
Cdi'^=^Megaptera ; Eorqual de la Meditcrranee = P%AYf?«s; Eorqual
du 'NoTd=SibhaIdius and Balcenoptera. Van Beneden, in 1861,
progresses one step fiu'ther ; he admits four — that is, separates the
Rorqual du Nord into two species : thus, — 1. Pterobahena minor=
Balcenoptera ; 2. Pterohalcena commimis^^Plujsalus (and perhaps
Benedenia); 3. P. c/igas=Slbbal(Uus; 4. Kypliobcdcma longhnana =
Megaptera. (See Nouv. Mem. Acad. Hoy. Brus. 1861, xxxii. 38.)
The whalers recognize three kinds: — 1. The Humpback {Mega-
pterina) ; 2. The Finner (Phi/salina) ; 3. The Beaked Whales
(Bidcenopterina), considered in this Catalogue as tribes.
" Sometimes chase is given to the Finback and the Humpback
Whales, but these are seldom caught, not only on account of their
superior cunning, greater wildness and celerity — by means of which
they are enabled to run out the longest line- — -but also because giving
less oil than the Black "WTiales they are not so frequently pursued." —
Dieffenbacli, Neiu Zealand, i. 42.
It is possible, indeed not improbable, that the lateral processes of
the cervical vertebrje of all the Finner Whales are more or less ring-
like in the cartilaginous state, and that the different form of the
processes seen in the prepared skeletons may depend on the extent
to which the cartilage becomes ossified. If this is the case, the ex-
tent to which the cartilage does become ossified seems to be different
in the various species, and therefore offers a good character by which
to determine them. In some species the ring is entirely ossified,
while in others a large, and in others, again, only a small part of the
base of the lateral processes becomes bony. In species which have
a great part of the processes ossified, sometimes the two processes
unite into a ring on one side of the vertebra, and the processes keep
separate on the other. Yet, as far as I have been able to examine
the subject, the extent to which the processes become ossified seems
to be a good character of the species — of course liable to a certain
extent of variation, as all characters are. Some authors even seem
to believe that the lateral processes of the cei-vical vertebras are liable
to great variation in this respect during the age and decadence of
the animal. Yet the special form of the lateral bones which form
the more or less perfect rings, the comparative thickness of the upper
and lower processes with respect to each other, and their thickness
DAL.TCXOl'TERTD.E. 109
as compared with that of the processes of the same vertebrae in other
.species, seem to afford most excellent specific characters, and such
as do not appear to vary, so far as I have as yet examined them, in
the different ages of tlie same kind of Whale.
These characters have shown that we have several kinds of Finner
\'\Tiales inhabiting our shores ; and I have little doubt that when the
skeletons of the whales that inhabit other seas have been similarly
examined and compared, there will be foiind to be many more species
of these animals than has hitherto been supposed. Indeed this is
proved to be the case when we examine and compare the baleen, the
car- bones, and other remains brought from different localities.
" It will help much in determining specific identity of new or little-
known species, if we can show, among those that are well known,
what is the usual amount, and what the limit, of variation in size ;
for we may assume that it is at least probable that the same laws
govern the different members of a group so well defined as the
Wliales. No species of Baltenoid Cetacean is so well determined as
the Northern Right Whale (BaJcena Mi/.sticetirs), and of none are we
able to adduce any approach to the number of instances of the size
that various individuals of the species have attained. A slceleton in
a late stage of the adolescent period in the Museum at Brussels
measures a Httle over 50' in length ; and Scoresby, as is well known,
states that out of 322 examples examined by him, not one exceeded
(50' in length ; indeed the largest measured was 5S', being one of
the longest, to appearance, that he ever saw. The adult animals
must then have a tolerably limited range of variation, within a few
feet of either side of 55'. Again, the common and well-marked
species Balcemj^tera rosti-ata, the dwarf of the family, is still in
the adolescent stage at 25' long, and there is no instance recorded in
which it exceeded 31'. The adult Humpbacked Whale {Megciptera
Jongimana) appears to range within 45' and 50' in length. In the
common Fin-Wliale {PJn/saJus antiquorum) we have evidence of
variation at an adult age, and in the same (male) sex, of from GO'
(Ilosherville Gardens) to nearly 70' (Alexandi-a Park and Antwerp
Zoological Gardens). It is possible that this species may sometimes
attain a few feet longer, but all the cases in which this is stated re-
quire fresh investigation. The alleged length of a whale in the flesh
is rarely to be depended on, and even the given measurements of
skeletons arc often inaccurate, as much depends upon the method of
articulation. Size being in the popular mind a point of ^-ital import-
ance in a whale, the tendency to exaggerate this quality is a con-
stant obstacle to exact investigation. We may conclude, then, that
all the evidence at present available tends to prove that the idea
which some naturalists entertain, that whales have no definite limit
to their growth, is incorrect, and that, as in other mammals, there
is an average size to which each species attains, subject to individual
differences within a moderate range." — Flower, P. Z.S. 1864, 387.
" The num])er of vertebrae and number of ribs have been supposed
to be subject to considerable individual variation, partly in conse-
quence of several distinct species having been confounded^ and partly
110
BAL^NOPTERID.E.
from the loose way in which these bones have been counted from
defective or badly articulated skeletons ; but, in fact, subject to the
exceptional circumstances about to be mentioned, they are quite as
constant among the Cetacea as among other Mammalia, and are
therefore characters of the highest importance in determining species.
Every example of Bahenoptcra rosfmta that I have examined in
museujns, or found recorded, has eleven pairs of ribs, and a total
number of vertebrae amounting to 48 or 50. In like manner skele-
tons of Phi/salus antiquorum, when complete, appear always to have
15 pairs of ribs and 61 or 62 vertebrse ; Megaptera longimana has
14 paii's of ribs and 53 vertebrae ; Balcena Mysticetus 12-13 pairs of
ribs and 54 vertebrae. It frequently happens that the last pair of
ribs only attain a rudimentary condition, and, their heads not arti-
culating with the vertebrse, they are lost in preparing the skeleton.
This condition of the last (15th) pair of ribs is weU seen in the ske-
leton of Physalus antiquorum in the Alexandra Park, prepared by
Mr. Gerrard, jim. ; they measure, the one 19|" in length, the other
27", and taper to a point at their upper extremity, being suspended
in the position they originally occupied, far removed from the ver-
tebral column. A smaU rudimentary additional rib, or pair of ribs,
attached to the first lumbar vertebra, is sometimes developed ; but a
fully formed pair of ribs above the normal number is, I believe, never
met with.
Fiu. 12.
Sternal bones of Fin- Whales of different genera, Jjfth nat. size.
a. Physalus antiquorum. Alexandra Park.
b. SibbuliUus Schlegelii. Mus. Leyden.
c. Baleenoptera rostraia. Mus. Roy. Coll. Surg.
Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 393.
BAL.ENOPTERID.?!.
Ill
" As to the number of vertebra?, a small amount of latitude may
usually be allowed on account of the diiRculties connected with the
terminal bones of the tail. Very often in specimens in museums
several of these are wanting, owing to carelessness in preparing the
skeleton ; and, by a less excusable carelessness, the circumstance may
not be noted in published accounts of the number of vertebra pos-
sessed by the specimen. But even if all are present, slight discre-
pancies in enumeration readily occur. In early periods of life, the
last vertebra, although certainly formed in cartilage, is not ossified,
and the penultimate has so much the appearance afterwards assumed
by the last, as frequently to be taken for it ; or, again, later in Ufe
two or even three of the terminal vertebral elements grow together
so as to form a single osseous mass, which is counted as one or several
bones according to the discretion of the observer. Therefore, even
in well-described skeletons, a discrepancy of one or two in the given
number of caudal vertebrae is of no great consequence ; but there is
no evidence to prove the occurrence of any greater variation in any
given species,"— i^/ower, P. Z. S. 18G4, 388.
I
Upper surface of nasal bones of ^^^lales of different genera, ^^i\\ nat. size.
a. Balmia 3Iysticetm. Mus. Roy. Coll. Surg.
h. Huntirim. Mus. Leyden.
c. Alet/fiptera loiit/imciiia. Mus. Brussels.
(I. Fhj/sdiiis antiqiiontm. Mus. Roy. Coll. Surg.
e. SibbukUiis SchlvyeUi. Mus. Leyden.
/. BaUenoptera rostrata. Mus. Roy. CoU. Surg.
Flower, P. Z. S. 18G4, 390.
112
BAL.T!NOrTERTI)J<',.
Ciiviei' (Oss. Fos. v.) determined by the form of the head three
lands of Finncr Whale, but he was doubtful if they might not be
varieties of age of the same species. These kinds are the types of
three genera : viz. Rorqual du Cap = Megaptera, E-orqual de la
Mediterranee = Phi/solus, Rorqual du Nord = Sihbaldius.
" In the fii'st three columns of the fallowing Table are given the
actual length of the cranium, greatest breadth (at the squamosals
behind the orbit), and breadth across the middle of the beak, in
inches ; and in the last two, the proportionate breadth of the skull
and beak to the total length, the latter being reckoned at 100.
Length
ot
cranium.
Breadth
of
cranium.
Breadth
of
beak.
Proportion to
length.
Breadth
of
skull.
Breadth
of
beak.
Ph/snlus an Hqiwrum.
184
179
1S6
168
126
111
118
256
116
79
80
78
63
65
48
96
78
86
75
60
56
60
118
57
40
38
30
34
35
24
33
32
36
34i
26
'>2r'
32
22
16
15
18
13
15
52
44
46
45
48
50
51
46
49
51
48
46
54
54
50
18
18
19
20
21
20
27
19
20
19
22
21
23
20
Adult. Rosherville Gardens
Young. Mus. R. Coll. Surg
Cuvierma lafirostrh.
Utrecht (Mus. Lidth de Jeude) . . .
SihhuMlus horcalis.
Adult. Ostend. (Approximation |
from Dubar's measurements.). . J
S/Ma/dius laticeps.
Adolescent. From Java, in Ley- "1
den Mus J
Sihhaldiiis SMcgdii.
Yoimg. Berlin. (Approximation |
from Eudolplii's figure.) J
Bala-no-ptera rostrcvta.
Adolescent. Mus. R. Co'l. Surg....
Young. Mus. R. Coll. Surg
" It is seen by this that the individual differences among specimens
oiPhysalus and Sihbaldius are considerable, the proportionate breadth
of skull ranging in the first case between 44 and 52, and of the beak
between 18 and 21, and in the second genus between 4G and 51,
and 19 and 22 ; and these differences do not seem at all to be regu-
lated by age. A slight allowance must certainly be made for errors
arising from the difficulty of measuring straight lines with exactness,
especially single-handed, upon these large irregular objects. On the
whole, however, the specimens of Sibhaldius have no advantage on
the score of breadth. The examples of Balcvnoptera ro.'^frafa are
slightly bi-oader than the others in proportion to their length.
" Van Bcneden is of opinion that this specimen, as well as that at
Berlin, is referable to the same species as the very large female
Whale taken near Ostend in 1827, the skeleton of which was exhi-
BALJiNOPTERIDiE. 113
bitod some years ago at Charing Cross ; and as this animal was 87 feet
in length (larger than the ordinary size attained by the common
Fin-Whale), he has given it the specific name oi </ic/as. Unfortu-
nately this skeleton, having been shipped for the United States, is
no longer available for examination ; and the only descriptions and
drawings we have of it are not made with the scientific accuracy
necessary to settle the question. It certainly agrees in many important
points — the number of vertebrae (54, a few wanting Ixom the end of
the tail) and of ribs (14), the double head of the first rib, and the
small broad sternum. Its generic identity is therefore undoubted.
" One difficulty which arises in my mind is about the size. The
32'-long examples of Sihhaldius at Leyden and Brussels are, as I
have said, in the young stage ; but still the general condition of the
bones shows them to be by no means in the earliest period of youth.
A common Fin-Whale {Phi/sahis antiquomm) that I examined at
the Hague, 40' long, had the bones much softer, more spongy, and
incomplete at the ends of the processes than in either of these ;
w^hereupon I should a priori have said that the latter belonged to a
sjiecies which, when adult, was smaller than the common one. As far
as we know at present, the young of Fin-Whales are from one-fourth
to one-third of the length of the mother at the time of birth, which
would give a very early age to our specimens if derived from such
a parent as the Ostend Mliale. As these speculations upon the size
and growth of Whales are, however, based upon very slight founda-
tion, I must still admit the possibility of the specific relationship of
the Ostend Whale with the representatives of Sihhaldius laticeps in
the museums of Berlin, Leyden, and Brussels." — Floiver, P. Z. S.
18G4, 399, 400.
The examination of the skeleton has shown that there are several
species found in the North Sea, characterized by the bones of the
neck and by the external colour ; and I think there is little doubt
that, when we have had an opportunity of comparing the skeletons
of the Finner Whales found in other seas, especially of those in the
southern hemisphere, it will be seen that they arc perfectly distinct
from those here described.
SVXOPSIS OF THE GrENERA.
I. Dorsal Jin loir, broad. Pectoral Jin very long, ivitli 4 ver;/ lonr/ Jinr/crs
of manji p/iala)if/eii. J'crtebrce 55 or 60. Cervical vprfchrci'. often
anclit/loscd. Lateral process of avis tardilji ossijied. Nearal canal
larqe, Jiii/h, triangular. Pihs 14 or 15. Megapterina, or Hunch-
backed W hairs.'
1. Mkgai'TKRA. Hlade-bone witliout acromion or coracoid process. JJody
of cervical vertebrc'c subcircular.
2. PoEscoi'iA. Blade-bone with small coracoid process. Body of cervical
vertebrte nearly square.
3. EscKRicHTius. Blade-bone witli large coracoid process. Body of cer-
vical vertebrre separate, sniidl, roundish, oblong. The nem-al canal
very broad, high.
I
114 maljjnopterid.t:.
II. Dorsal Jin hiyh, erect, compressed, falcate, ahout three-fourths the
entire length from the nose. Pectoral Jin moderate, with 4 short
Jviigers of 4 or 6 phalanges. Vertehrce 55 or 04. Cervical rertebrre
not anchylosed. Neural canal oblong, transverse, Hibs 14 or 15.
Physalina, or Fiuner Whales.
* Vertebrce 60 or 64. First rib single-headed.
4. Benedenia. Rostrum of skull narrow, attenuated, vnth straight
slanting' sides. Second cervical vertebra with two short truncated
lateral processes. First rib single-headed.
5. Physalus. Rostrum of skull narrow, attenuated, with straight slant-
ing sides. Second cervical vertebra with a broad lateral process with
a large perforation at the base. First rib single-headed. Sternum
trifoliate, with a long slender hinder process.
6. CuviEHius. Rostnmi of sliuU broad, the outer side ciu'ved, especially
in front. The second cervical vertebra with two short thick lateral
processes. First rib single-headed. Sternum oblong ovate, trans-
verse.
** Vertebra 55. First rib double-headed.
7. SiBBALDius. Second cer\ical vertebra with a broad lateral process
perforated at the base. First and second ribs double-headed. Lower
jaw compressed, with distinct corouoid process. Vertebrse 55,
III. Dorsal Jin high, erect, compressed, about two-thirds of the entire length
from the nose. Pectoral moderate, with 4 shoHJingers. Vei-tebrce 50.
Cervical reiiebrce sometimes anchylosed. Neural canal broad, tri-
gonal. Ribs 11 . 11. Balsenopterina, or Beaked Whales.
8. Bal^noptera. Second cervical with a broad lateral expansion per-
forated at the base. First rib single-headed. Lower jaw with
conical coronoid process.
The student must not run away with the idea that, because the
characters of the genera here given are taken from a few parts of the
skeleton, they are the only differences which exist between the skele-
tons of the different genera and species. The form of the head and
the peculiarities of the cervical vertebrae, of the ribs, and of the
blade-bone have been selected after a long and careful comparison of
the skeletons, as the parts which afford the most striking characters,
that can be most easily conveyed to the mind of the student in a few
words, and therefore best adapted for the distinction of the genera
and species.
The careful examination of many skeletons has proved to me
that almost every bone of each genus is peculiar — that is to say, that
no bone is exactly alike in any two genera ; but the difference be-
tween them is often very slight, so slight that it would be almost im-
possible to convey an accurate conception of it to the reader by words
alone, yet it is permanent and characteristic. Though the same
bones of the different skeletons of the same species of Megaptera or
Physalus which I have examined offer a certain amount of variation
in minor particiJars, yet ahnost eveiy bone of each sjjccies has a
character of its own; so that a person conversant with the subject,
and fresh from the study and comparison, can say at once to which
l!.\T,.>:NOrTEKID.K. J ^ rj
genus or species any bone that might be shown to him belongs, even
It It were only a phalange or a rib.
The ear-bones of each genus, as fur as I have been able to examine,
seem to aftord very good characters ; but, unfortunately, they are
otten sent to the Museum separate from the skull and other bones
of the animal to which they belong.
Skeletons of whales are sliown hi museums and gardens, without
any large and expensive building; indeed sHght special buildings
are best permitting more ventilation. In Paris, the whale's skeleton
IS exliibited under a glass roof in the quadrangle of the Museum ;
at Antwerp it is shown m a buikUng formed of galvanized iron • and
tney are shown in a similar manner at Edinburgh, the Isle of Wight
and other locahties. "^fe^^w
I. Dorsal Jin low broad. Tectoraljin very lorn,, tcith 4 very long fingers
tuZ'V fT"; ^^'■''^'■ff^ ^'-eO. Cervical vertebrc/ofteu an.
l<n(/e,h,,h, trianyular, as/ur/h a.s broad. Jlibs 14 or 15. Coronoi'd nro-
01 bital end. Orbit moderate. Megapternia, or Hunchbacked Whales.
BaLTnopterus, Geoffr. Leqons, 3Iumm. 67, 1835
J^TT'iS'If saf'' ^'''^' ^' ^"■''"■' ^^ ' ^'"^- ^^'^'''- ^- ^^- 23' i^^o 5
Megapteron, Gray, Zool. Ereb. d^- Terror, 51
Mysticetus, sp., Wagler, N. S. Amph. 33, 1840
JmL-enoptei-a, § Boops, Brandt, Vo,/. Alt. Orient. 4to, 1845
K^^3llobala3ua, E.schncht, Nord. Wallthiere, xv. 1845 f„l '^ ■
15ala3uoptera leucopteron. Lesson, in the Nouv. Tab. Rig. Anim 202
SJe^d'""" *' "^"^^""'^^'"•^ despecheurs- of the ^' Haides
llorqual du Cap, Cur.
INfegapterina, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 205.
I\Irfr:ipt.Tiii;c, Floin-r, P. Z. S. 18(i4, 391
Bu.u.h Whale Dudley, Phil. Trans, xxxiii. 1725, no. 387, p. 258
BaliC'Da nodosa, Bonnat. Cet. 6.
Balreiioptera (pars), Lacep.
The 5»«rA m,-Alc& are easily known from the Finners {Balano-
ptera)m being .shorter and more robust, the skull nearly one-foiu'th of
the entire length, the head wider between the eves, the mouth larger
thelip warty, and the nose large and rounded; the plaits of the
beUy and throat are broad ; the dorsal is more forward ; the pectoral
arger and narrow, about one-fifth of the length of the body ; and the
tail is wider, and the lobes generally more pointed
The skull of tliis genus is intermediate in form between that of
Balivna and Balmioptera.
This kind of whale was noticed by DucUey (Phil. Trans, xxxiii. 25S)
He says " Fhe Bunch or llumpharlrd Mhale has a bunch standing
n the place where the fin does in the Fin-back ; this bunch is as
big as a man s head, and a foot high, slu.ped Hke a j.lu- pointin-
116 BALENOPTERID-E.
backwards. The bone (whalebone) is not worth much, though
somewhat better than the Fin-hacl-. His fin (pectoral) is sometimes
IS feet long, and very white. Both Fm-bacls and Humpbacks are
shaped in reeves (folds), longitudinally from head to tail, on their
beUy and sides, as far as their fins, which are about halfway up
the sides,"
This description is the origin of Balcena nodosa of Bonnaterre and
other authors. The French authors have evidently not undei-stood
the word " reeves," and have therefore arranged these with the
smooth-beUied finlcss whales ; and Bonnaterre translates the position
of the fins on the sides into " presque an milieu du corps," instead
of haKway up the sides. Dudley, when speaking of the Spermaceti
Whale, says, " He has a bunch on his back like a Humpback,"
which explains what he means by a bunch.
The Humpbacks are well known to the whalers, for Beale says,
" The Humpback Whale possesses, like the Greenland "VVTiale, the
baleen, and spouts from the top of the head, yet has a hump not
very dissimilar to that of the Sperm Whale." (p. 12.)
Professor Eschricht, in the ' Danish Transactions,' 1846, has
figured the dorsal fin of this genus, and shows that it is more pro-
perly a hunch, as Dudley calls it, than a fin.
Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 367) thinks that the Humpback "WTiale
was probably only a whale of another kind whose fins had been
injured, not recognizing in his Cape Rorqual the genus of whale
here noticed.
Olafsen speaks of a whale under the name of Hnufuhal-i- (French
translation, iii. 22), which is said to have a smooth belly, and a horn
instead of a fin on the back ; but the account of the animals in this
work is evidently only a compilation, and this appears like an incor-
rect translation of Dudley.
Dr. Bennett observes — " The Humpback of the southern whalers
derives its trivial name from an embossed appendage or hump
on the posterior part of the back. It has two spiracles or nostrils
on the summit of the head, and its mouth is furnished with
plates of short whalebone. When seen on the surface of the water,
it bears a close resemblance to the SjJerm Whale in colour and the
appearance of the hump, as well as in a habit it has of casting its
tail vertically in the air ; when about to dive, the hump slopes to-
wards the tail in a more oblique manner than does the similar
appendage in the Sperm Whale.
"It is seldom molested by whalers, and is never a chief object of
their pursuit, although the oil it produces is superior to that from
the Right Whale (Balcena), and but little inferior to sperm oil.
" It is a species (genus ?) frequently seen in the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, where it occurs in small herds, and seldom at any
considerable distance from land, although the vicinity of the most
abrupt coast would appear to be its favourite resort. Examples are
occasionally seen in the neighbourhood of the islands of the Pacific,
and very frequently in the deep water around the island of St. Helena.
1. JIKGAl'TERA. 117
The liiglicst south latitude in which we noticed the species (genus)
was 49° ; the highest north latitude 40°, on the western side of the
continent of America. Most abundant off the bold coast of Cape
St. Lucas, California." — Bennett, Whaling Voi/ar/e, ii. 232.
Captain Sir James Ross observed them as far south us 71° 50'.
Professor Eschiicht believes the Keporhah of Greenland and the
Bermuda TI hale to be the same species, and that it migrates from
Greenland to Bermuda, according to the season ; and he states that
he cannot find any sufficient distinction in the skeleton of the Cape
specimen in the Paris Museum, to separate it as a species from the
Greenland examples.
Schlegel considers Baloena Joiigimana of the North Sea, the
Rorqual du Cap, and the drawing he received from Japan, as all
belonging to a single species, though he owns there are differences
between them. I am incUned to doubt these conclusions, and there-
fore, until we have more conclusive e\ddence, have considered it ad-
visable to regard them as separate ; especially as Cuvier's (Oss. Foss.
V. 381) description of the union of the lateral processes of the cer-
vical vertcbroB of the Cape specimen is very different from that of
the lateral processes of the Greenland specimens in the Museum,
received from Professor Eschricht (see Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, 88).
1. MEGAPTERA. Hunchhaclced M' hales.
Blade-bone without an acromion or coracoid process. Body of the
cervical vertcbraj oblong, wider than high. Neural canal broad and
high. First rib single-headed, without any internal process.
Megaptera, Gray, Ann. S,- Mag. N. H. 1864, 207, 350.
Pectoral fin elongate, about one-fifth of the entire length of the
animal. Dorsal fin low, truncate. Second cervical vertebra with two
short truncated lateral processes. First rib simple-headed, without
any internal process.
Head broad, moderate, flattened. Throat and chest with deep
longitudinal folds. Dorsal fin low or tuberous, behind the middle
of the body. The pectoral very large, one-fifth of the entire length
of the animal, as long as the head, consisting of only four fingers.
The eyes above the angle of the mouth. The navel is before the
front edge, the male organs under the back edge of the dorsal, and
the vent nearer the tail ; the female organs are behind the back edge
of the dorsal, with the vent at its hinder end.
Skidl : nose narrow, broad behind, and contracted in front. Tem-
poral bone broad. Interorbital space Avide. The upper maxillary
bone is rather broad, with a convex outer margin ; the intermaxil-
laries are raodei-ately broad ; the nasal veiy small. The frontal bone
is broad, much and gradually narrowed and contracted over the orbit.
The lower jaw slender, much arched, subcyhndrical, -with a com-
pressed ridgo-like ramus near the base (see Eschr. it Peinh. f. a,
p. 542). Cervical vertebra; well developed, more or loss anchylosed.
118 BAL^NOPTEEID^.
The atlas vertebra with an oblong body, and with a large and short
broad lateral process from the nppcr part of each side. The upper
and lower lateral processes of tho second cervical vertebra very thick,
short, blunt, and separated at the ends ; of the other cervical ver-
tebrse slender, more elongate, separate. Neural arch of the cervical
vertebrae strong, high, with a large subcircular cavity for the spinal
marrow. The bodies of the cervical vertebrae oblong, roundish, or
subquadrangular, rather wider than high. The scapiila short and
broad, without any, or a veiy smaU, coracoid process. The ann-
bonelong; wrist \vith a broad flat spur; the fingers four, elongate,
very unequal in length, the third longest, the second rather shorter,
the fourth much shorter, and the first shortest ; the longest is formed
of eight joints (see Eschr. Dan. Trans. 1845, t. 2. f. D, & t. 3. f. 4).
The front ribs thick, oblong, compressed, ^vithout any swelling or
compressed dilated part near the condyle.
The baleen is short, broad, triangular, much longer than broad at
the base, rapidly attenuated, edged with a series of bristle-like fibres,
which become much thicker and more rigid near and at the tip.
Rather twisted, especially when dry. The tympanic bones are like
those of the Bcdmioptera, oblong, but shorter and more ventricose.
The foetal specimens exhibit numerous rudimentary teeth in both
jaws. These are fig-ured by Eschricht (Danish Trans, iv. t. 4. f. a, h)
from specimens 35 and 45 inches long (copied Zool. Erebus & Terror,
t. 30. f. 2-14).
" Orbital process of frontal much narrowed externally. Scapula
high and narrow ; acromion and coracoid process absent or rudi-
mentary. Metacarpus and phalanges greatly elongated. Vertebrae 53.
Ribs 14. Coronoid process of lower jaw low, obtuse. Nasal bones
narrow, pointed at both ends, rising to a sharp ridge in the middle
line, and deeply hollowed at the sides." — Fhiver, P. Z. S. 1864, 391.
In the foetal state the forearm-bones are very much longer than
the humerus. The third finger is the longest, but not much longer
than the second ; the fourth, and then the first, are shortest. The
spur at the wrist is falcate. The first finger has 3, the second 8, the
third 8, and the fourth 3 phalanges. (See Eschricht, Wallthierc,
t.3. f. 4.)
In the ' Catalogiie of Cetacea,' p. 24, by a slip of the pen, the first
rib is incorrectly said to be forked at the end near the vertebra.
The cervical vertebra? are liable to be more or less anchylosed
together. In two specimens, one of M. longimana, in the Museum,
all the cervical vertebrae are free. In the young specimen in the
Derby Museum at Liverpool, which is probably M. longhnana, the
second and third cervical vertebrae are very thin, and anchylosed both
by the body and the neural arch. In the specimen of M. Poeskop in
Paris, according to Cuvier, the second and third cervicals are united
by the upper part of their body ; and m a specimen, apparently of
the same species, from the Cape, in the British Museum the second
and third cervical vertebrae are only anchylosed by one side of the
neural arch, and free everywhere else. The breast-bone is irregular
rhombic ; in one specimen of M. longhnana from Greenland it is
1. MEGAPTERA.
119
pierced with a large central perforation ; in another adult specimen
of the same species it is imperforate.
Fig. 14.
[r-r^-
Megapteva longimana. Escitr. Nordhv. t. 3. f. 2.
1. Megaptera longimana. Johnston's Humphached Whale.
Black : pectoral fin and beneath white, black varied ; lower lip
with two series of tubercles ; pectoral nearly one-third of the entire
length ; dorsal elongate, the front edge over end of pectoral ; throat
and belly grooved.
Female : upper and lower lip with a series of tubercles ; dorsal an
obscure protuberance. — Johnston, Trans. Sewc. N. H. Sac. t. 1.
? Balfena niusculus, Ascan. Icon. Rer. Nat. iii. t. 26, cop. Bonnat. C6t.
E. M. t. 371 ; Schreb. Siiugeth. t. 335.
? Balfena Boops (Keporkak), O. Fahr. Faun. Groenl. 36? (not Linn.) ;
TurtoH, Brit. Fauna, 16; Kikson, Skand. Fauna, 639.
Keporkak, Lanohaandede Finhval, or Balaena Boops, Eschricht, K.
Damke Vid. 'Sehkahs Afh. 1845, xi. 230. t. 1, 3, 4.
Kypliobalrena (Boops), Eschricht, Nord. WalUhiere, 1849.
K ypliobalnsna longimana, Van Bonedcn.
K\])hobalwna Boops, Eschricht, Nord. WaUthiere, 1849.
Bakena longimana, Rudolphi, Mem. Acad. Berl. 1829, 133. t. 12 (mas),
cop. Brandt i^- Batzcburff, t. 15. f. 2.
Balienoptera longimana, Jiapp, Cetac. 35.
Whale, Johnston, Trans. Netccastle N. S. Soc. i. 6. t. 1 (female, on
back).
Megaptera longimana, Gra)/, Zool. E. Sf T. 17 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847,
92 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 207. f. 5, 6, 7 ; Ann. ^■
Mar/. N. II. 18(i4, xiv. 3.'30.
Megaptcron longimana, Gray, Zool. E. ^- T. 51 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847,
89.
Inhab. North Sea; month of the Maese {lludolijhi). Newcastle
(Joh)istoa).
a. Stuffed specimen, young. Greenland. Professor Eschricht's Col-
lection, as Mc(jai>teron Boops, llschricht.
120
BALJiN.OPTERID.'E.
^^' b. Skull of tidult. Greenland. Professor Eschriclit's Collection.
c. Baleen of skull 6. Greenland. Professor Esehricht's Collection.
X Skeleton. Greenland. Professor Eschricht's Collection,
The cervical vertebrae are all free. The second cervical vertebra
has two very large, thick, converging lateral processes, as long as
half the diameter of the body of the vertebra ; the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, and seventh have elongated slender superior lateral pro-
cesses which bend rather downwards, and the sixth and seventh
rather forwards ; the fourth and fifth have a very short rudimentary
inferior lateral process, which is smaller on the left side ; the other
vertebrae are without any.
The upper part or the spinous process of the second vertebra is
very large and convex, covering this part of the next vertebra. —
Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, 92.
Fio-. 15.
Atlas vertebra of Megaptera hnf/imana.
Extreme width 20 inches ; height 13 inches.
Var. 1. The cervical vertebrae are aU free. The second cei-vical is
very thick ; the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh are thicker and
of nearly equal thickness, the seventh being rather the thickest.
The upper lateral processes are developed and nearly equal in all of
them, those of the third and fourth being directed backwards, the
fifth straight out, and those of the sixth and seventh directed
backwards at the end. The lower lateral processes are generally
wanting ; the fourth and fifth vertebrae have a rudimentary process
on each side ; the processes are of very unequal length on the two
sides of the same vertebra, the largest being not more than an inch
and a half long, and the rest mere roitnded tubercles. The breast-
bone is iiTCgular subrhombic, with a large central perforation.
1. MEGArTEIU.
1:^1
In a second imperfect skeleton in the British Museum, which had
been mounted, the cervicals are all free. Fourth cervical like that
in the Greenland specimen ; but it has elongated, simple, straight
lower lateral processes on each side. Seventh like that bone in the
Greenland siieeimen, without any lower lateral process.
Fio-. 10.
oh^'li.W'i
'C
Second cer\'ical vertebra of Megaptcra lom/iiiKUKt.
Fis:. 17.
I
Fifth cervical vertebra of Mcc/dptcva hnigimaiKi.
122
BALiENOPTERIDJE.
Sternum rhombic, without any central perforation. The tympanic
bone is oblong, ventricose, smooth, very solid, with a rough depres-
sion on the convex outer side. It is very like that of the genus
Physalus, but shorter, more ventricose, and more solid.
Flo-. 18.
Top of the first and second ribs of Mecjuptera Imxjimana.
Var. 2. MooREi. The second and third cervical vertebra; very
thin, anchylosed together by the body and neural arch. The body
of the cervical vertebrse oblong, transverse, much wider than high.
The neural {irch rather slender, with a subcircular oblong cavity,
which is fully two-thirds as high as wide.
Inhab. Estuarj- of the Dee (1863, TJws. Moore). Skeleton in the
Free Museum, Liverpool ; a young female 31 feet long.
The atlas is very thick ; the second cervical nearly as thick as
the atlas, with the upper and lower lateral pi'ocesses separate, short ;
the fifth, sixth, and seventh eei-vicals all similar to the third and
fourth ; the fifth thin, and the seventh the thickest. The second
cervical vertebra has two short broad thick processes, with a rounded
interrupted perforation between them ; the third and fourth have a
thin long shelving-down upper, and a short straight lower process ;
the fifth, sixth, and seventh are similar, but have only an upper lateral
process ; the fifth is the thinnest, and the seventh the thickest. The
arms were 10 feet long ; the cartUage between the bones of the arms
and the fingers is nearly half as long as the arm-bones ; there are
four bones immersed in it, small, variously shaped and sized ; the
cartilage between the elongated finger-bones is nearly half as long as
the phalanges ; the phalanges nearly all of the same oblong shape,
and subsymmetrical in form. The bones of the skull are so fragile
as scarcely to bear their ovra weight.
Moore, in the lithographic ' Naturalist's Scrap-Book ' (printed in
Liverpool) for July 17, 1863, observes, " It yielded no oQ ; the blub-
ber was like a cow's udder, as exposed in the market for sale in
Liverpool. Length 31 feet 4 inches. Bought by a manufacturer of
oil and grease, who made nothing of it." " All black ; beUy mot-
tled and streaked with white ; pectoral fins milk-white, with a black
1. MEGAPTERA. 123
blotch here and there. Baleen very closely packed together, thirty-
eight blades in a foot ; the largest blade was nearly 2 feet long."
" Female : length 31 feet 4 inches, of gape 8 feet, from snout to eye
S feet, of eye 15 inches, from snout to base of ijcetoral 11 feet, of pec-
toral lU feet ; extreme width of tail 11 feet, from snout to beginning
of hump 18 feet, of hump 3 feet 3 inches, from snout to cloaca 21 feet.''
" Stomach contained shrimps."
Eschricht figures a new-born specimen of this species, from Green-
land, which was 35 inches long ; it has several seiies of bristles on
the lips, parallel with the gape (see K. Dansk. Yid. Selsk. xi. t. 3.
f. 1, and the teeth as seen in the jaws, t. 4).
" There is a nearly complete skeleton of a young animal, obtained
from Greenland through Eschricht, in the Leydeu Museum. It is
28' 7" long, of which the skuU is 7' 7". There are but thirteen ribs
present." — Flower, P. Z. IS. 1864, 397.
In the Museum at Louvaine is a " complete skeleton of young,
32' 2' long, of which the head is 8' 6". Vertebra) : C. 7, D. 14, L.
and C. 31 = 52. Ribs 14 pairs. Sternum with a very deep notch
in the middle of the upper border. Upper and lower transverse pro-
cesses of the axis more open at the ends than in the Brussels speci-
men. Upper processes of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth slender,
almost straight, and of nearly equal length ; lower processes much
shorter, and gradually diminishing from the third to the sixth ; absent
in the seventh."— i^/o »•(';-, P.Z.S. 18(i4, 418.
There is " a very fine and complete skeleton, 46' long, of a nearly
adult individual in the Brussels Museum. The vertebral formula is
C 7, U. 14, L. 11, C. 21=53. llibs 14 pairs. The enormous size of
the fins is grandly displayed in this specimen ; they measure 12' from
the head of the humerus to the tip of the phalanges. The cervical
vertebra) are all free ; the second to the fifth have the upper and lower
transverse processes separate in all, but not complete at the ends.
Those of the second are short, thick, and convergent, but stUl with
a wide interval between their ends ; this, according to Eschricht, is
completed in the living animal by cartilage, which may in old age
become ossified ; but the tendency to it is certainly less than in the
BaJivnopterldce. According to the same excellent authority, the pro-
cesses of the succeeding vertebra) are not continued in cartilage so
far as to meet ; so that we could never expect to find osseous rings
on them. In the Brussels specimen the upper processes increase, and
the lower ones decrease in length, from the third to the fifth. There
is no inferior process on the sixth or seventh." — Flower, P. Z. S.
1864, 416.
Dr. Johnston's description chiefly differs from Rudolphi's in both
lips having a row of tubercles, and in the dorsal lieing said to be a
small obscure protuberance ; but the animal was lying on its back,
sunk in the sand.
Rudolphi (Berl. Abhandl. 1829, t. 1, 4) figures the bones of this
species, with enlarged details of the skull. Thej' nearly resemble
the skull of the Caj)e Eor(|ual of Cuvier in fonu, but the nasal boiu^s
are broad, and nearly of the same width from the front of the blow-
124 BAL.ENOPTEEID^.
holes to near the tip, where they gradually taper ; the temporal bones
appear more quaclrangnlar. The skeleton is iu the Berhu Museum.
It was taken in the Elbe, 1822.
According to Professor Eschricht, this is the most common whale
iu the Greenland seas. In the ' Danish Transactions ' he has given a
figure of this species, and a very detailed account of its anatomy and
develoj^ment, chiefly founded on the examination of the fcetus.
He observes, " This animal is always infested with Biadona Bahe-
nanmt, and with a species of Of ion, which he regards as new, while
the Cirripedes are never found on any species of Balcenoptera. On
the other hand, the Tuhlcinella, Coronida Balcvnaris, and Otions are
often found on the Balcvna Mijsticetus or Right Whale of the Southern
Seas " (see Eschricht, 144).
The following descriptions must be referred to this species with
doubt, as both agree with true Bcdcenopterce in the position of the
genital organs and vent compared with the dorsal fin, and Eabricius
especially says the pectoral fin is composed of five fingers.
Ascanius (Icon. Rer. Nat. iii. t. 26) gives a figure of a female
Eorqual with a plaited belly, 66 feet long, from the North Sea, which
he thought might be B. musculus of Linnaeus (it is not well copied
by Bonnaterre, E. M. t. 3. f. 1, and Schreber, t. 335) ; it has a
large pectoral fin, about two-ninths the length of the body ; but
the di'awing is not so good as the others in the work, and the fin is
so awkwardly applied to the body, that perhaps its size may depend
on the incompetence of the artist. The dorsal fin, which is only
indicated as if doubtfid in the original figure, is continued to the
tail, but in Bonnaterre's copy it is represented as of equal authority
with the other part.
0. Eabricius (Faun. Groenl. 37), five years after, described a
Balcenoptera under the name of B. Boops, Linn., which appears to
differ from B. Phi/snhis, for he says — " Pinna} pcctorales magnae,
obovato-oblongae, margine postica Integra, regione cubiti parum
fractse, antica autem rotundato-crenatae." And, he continues, "Ante
nares in vertice capitis tres ordines convexitatum circularium, huic
forsitan peculiare quid,'' — " Pinna dorsalis compressa, basi latior,
apice acutiuscula, antice sursiim repanda, posticc fere perpendicu-
laris," and " Corpus pone pinnam dorsalem incipit carina acuta in
pinnam caudalem usque pergcns."
Rudolphi, and after him Schlegel, refer B. Boops, 0. Eabricius,
to this species ; and Professor Eschricht has no doubt that BaLvna
Boops of 0. Eabricius is intended for this species, as it is called
Keporl-al- by the Greenlanders. If this be the case-, Fabricius's de-
scription of the form and position of the dorsal tui and the position
of the sexual organs is not correct.
Brandt, in the list of Altaian animals (Voy. Alt. Orient. 1845, 4to),
has adopted this opinion, and formed a section for Balcfnoptera
longimana, which he calls Boops, merely characterized as " Pectoral
elongate."
Schlegel refers the Rorqiialus 7ninor of Knox to this species, pro-
bably misled by the inaccurate figures of this species in Jardine's
2. POEScoriA.
125
Nat. Lib. vi. t. 6. He points out that lludolphi and M. ¥. Cuvicr,
in their description of B. lonf/lmnna, have confounded the figure of
Baleine du Cap an(\. liorqual du Cap, of Cuvier's ' Ossemens Fossiles,'
together. — Faun. Japon. 21, note.
Gervais (Zool. et Paleont. Franc;, t. 38. f. 7) figures some tympanic
bones under the name of liorqiudus de Bayonne. They are verj' like
those of Meijaptera longimana, and are larger than those of Balcv-
noptera rostrata.
2. POESCOPIA.
Blade-bone with a small coracoid process. Body of the cervical
vertebraj nearly square, with the angles rounded.
Inhab. South Sea.
Megaptera, § Poescopia, Grai/,Proc. Zool. Sac. 18(i4, 207 ; An». ^- Ma//.
N. H. 1864, xiv. 350.
Fisr. 10.
The fifth cer\'ical vertebra of Megaptera Lalaiiclii.
Ribs 14 ; the second, third, and fourth attached to the vertebra;,
the rest to the processes. Vertebrae 52. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 382.
The humerus very short ; forearm-bones nearly twice as long as
the humerus ; fingers 4, very long, the second longest, twice as long
as the lower arm -bone. Phalanges 3.8.8.4, the third finger nearly
as long as the second, the first and fourth much shorter, not half as
long a-s the first, thicker.— C'»v. Oss. Foss. vi. t. 26. f. 22.
According to Cuvier, it differs from the (ireenland Megaptera in
the following particulars : —
126 BAL.ENOPTEUrD^.
Axis vertebra distinct (Cuv. t. 2G. f. 19) ; second and tliu-d cer-
vicals united by spinous apophyses (t. 2G. f. 20) ; the fourth (t. 26.
f. 21 ), hfth, sixth, and seventh free. Blade-bone short, much broader
than high, with a small acromion (Cuv. t. 26. f. 9). Humerus short,
thick ; the forearm-bones elongated ; hand very long ; fingers four,
very long, the two middle much the longest (Cuv. t. 26. f. 22).
Pelvis crescent-shaped (Cuv. t. 2(;. f. 24).
The cervical vertebraB which are in the British Museum (see fig. 19),
received dii'ect from the Cape, present several very important charac-
ters, especially the square foi-m of the bodies of the vertebrae, which
afford most striking specific distinctions ; but perhaps Professor
Eschricht may not have been able to examine the form of this part,
as the skeleton in the Paris Museum is articulated, and the articular
surfaces of the cervical vertebrae are not shown.
Professor Eschricht, who seems to have formed a theory that the
number of species of Whales was very limited, states that he could
not find any distinction in the skeleton of the Cape specimen in the
Paris Museum to separate it as a species from the Greenland ex-
amples. I cannot make any observation as regards the Paris ske-
leton ; but it is said to have been brought by Delalande from the
Cape, and is probably from those seas.
M. Van Benedcn, in his " lieseurches on the Cetacea of Belgium,"
also regards the Cape species as the same as the Greenland one (see
Nouv. Mem. Acad. Roy. Bruxelles, xxxii. 38, 1861). He now con-
siders them as distinct, and is about to publish a description of the
Paris skeleton.
1. Poescopia Lalandii. The Cape Hmnphach.
Blade-bone with a very small coracoid process (Cuv. Oss. Foss.
t. 29. f. 9). Dorsal nearly over the end of the pectoral. Inter-
maxillary narrowed and contracted in front. Temporal bone broad,
triangular. " Second and third cervical vertebra; united by the
upper part of their bod)-." — Cuvier.
Rorqual du Cap, Cm: Oss. Foss. v. 370. t. 26. f. 1-4 (skull), t. 26. f.l9-
21 (verteb.), f. 9 (blade-bone), f. 22 (fins), f. 24 ( pelvis ),t. 2-5. f. 1-5
(tongue-bone) : all from Delalande' s specimen.
Bahena Poeskop, Desmoitli'ns.
Baljena Bala3uoptera Poeskop, Desmoulins, Diet. Class. It. N. ii. Itil,
from Delalande s MSS.
Balaiua Lalandii, Fischer, Syn. 525, from Cuvier.
Balffiuoptera Capensis, Smith, S. African Quart. Joiirn. 1.30.
Megaptera Poeskop, Gray, Zool. E. 'S^ T. 17 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 29.
Rorqual noueux, Voy. Pole Sud, t. 24 (fem. not described).
Balajnoptera leucopteron, Lesson, N. Tab. Hey. Anim. 202.
Humpbacked Whales, Hoss, Antarctic Voy. i! 161, 191(?); Mitchell,
Trav. Amtr. ii. 241 (?) ; JBeale, H. Sperm W. 12, 30 (?).
Megaptera Poescopia Lalandii, Gray, Froc. ^ool. Soc. 1804, 207;
Ann. i^ May. N. H. 1864, xiv. 350.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope {Delalande) ; called Poeslcop. Skeleton,
Mus. Paris.
1 ^ V «
^^ — - [ii^^
.. a
-
2. PoEscopiA. 127
«. Cervical vertebrae. Cape of Good Hope. Purchased. The two
are united on one side and free on the other. Anterior with
short lower lateral process, sixth and seventh withoiit any lower
lateral process.
" Head depressed, slightly convex above, with a small projection
on each side of spiracle ; the apex of the upper jaw acutely rounded ;
lower jaw much longer and broader than the upper jaw, and with
three or four subglobular elevations on each side near tip. Back
slightly arched, with a carinated and slightly elevated hunch towards
the tail, highest about its middle, whence it slants off to each
extremity ; hinder part of the body carinated above and below.
Throat and breast strongly marked with elevated longitudinal rugaa,
with deep corresponding furrows between them. Eyes a little above
the angle of the mouth ; the opening of the spiracles rather in
front of them. LaminiE of whalebone 300 on each side, of a bluish
colour, and margined on the inner side with stiff horny bristles.
" Back and sides black ; beUy dull white, with some irregular
black spots. Pectoral fin narrow, both its anterior and posterior
edges irregularly notched ; upper surface black, under surface pure
white. Hinder edge of tail fin nearly square, with a slight notch at
its middle, opposite the back-bone, on each side of which it is slightly
convex, towards points a little concave.
" Length from tip of lower jaw to hinder margin of tail fin 34| feet,
from tip of lower jaw to angle of mouth 7-i feet, from tip of upper
jaw to angle of mouth 6 feet, from angle of mouth to base of pectoral
fin y feet ; -width of pectoral at base 2 feet, near point 1 foot ; width
of tail from tip to tip 9 feet. Length of whalebone near angle of
mouth 1 foot.
" Inhab. the seas about the Cape of Good Hojie. The IlianphacJc
of the whalefishers.
" The only specimen of the species which I have had an oppor-
tunity of examining had lost the skin of the hinder portion of the
back before I saw it, so that I am unable to describe the hunch from
my own observation. Those who have been in the habit of seeing
and killing this species all agree as to the character of the hunch,
and from what I have myself observed at a distance through a tele-
scope, I sliould feel inclined to regard their description as correct.
They unite in asserting that there is nothing of the appearance of a
regular fin ; and all that I could distinguish, from watching the animal
when in motion, and partly above the surface of the water, was a
sort of semilunar elevation towards the tail and somewhat above the
line of the back." — A. >SniiiJi, African Quart. Journ. p. 131.
Delalande's account was published by Desnioidins, who merely
gives the following particulars, except -SN'hat appears to be common to
the genus. He says, " it has a boss on the occiput, and its dorsal is
nearly over the pectoral;" in the Em-opean and Bermudean figures
it is over the end of these fins.
Cuvier's figures of the adult skuU differ from Eudolphi's figure of
M. hncjimana in the intermaxillaries being narrower and contracted
in front of the blowers, and then rather widened again aiul linear,
128
BAL-liNOrTEEID-E.
and the temporal bono is broader and more triangular — -which made
me believe it to be a distinct species before I obtained the cervical
vertebrte.
M. Desmoidins, in describing this species, pointed out the most
important character of the genus, viz. the length of the pectoral.
The following species are j^robably Megapterhup, but they are too
imperfectly known to determine to what genus they belong.
1. Megaptera Novae-Zelandise.
The tympanic bones very like those of M. longimana, but shorter
and more swollen, and the pcriotic bone broad and expanded ; the
rest of the skeleton, unfortunately, is miknown.
Megaptera Nova?-Zelandia^, Grai/, Proc. ZooJ. Sue. 1864, 2<ML; Ami. S,-
May. N. H. 1864, xiv. 351.
Inhab. New Zealand.
Fijr. 20.
Ear-bones of Megaptera Nova'-Zc'laiuli<r.
The specimens in the British Museum of the bones of the ear, with
tympanic bones attached, were sent from New Zealand by Mr. Stuart,
and are very like these bones in the Megaptera longimana from
Greenland in the Museiun collection, but differ in the tympanic bone
being rather shorter and more swoUen. The latter is nearly regu-
larly oblong, and very convex at the upper part, with a somewhat
hemispherical outline, and rather wider below.
I
MEGAPTERINJE. 129
The bones attached to the tj-mpanic arc broad and expanded, very
unlike the same bones in the Greenland species.
This species may be the same as the one from the Cape ; but it is
well to indicate the existence of a Humpbacked Whale in this dis-
trict, in the hope of inducing naturalists to give an account of it, or
to send a skeleton of it to England for comparison.
M. Van Benedon states that there is the incomplete skull of a
Megaptera, bi'ought from Java by Professor Reinhardt, in tic Leyden
Museum, but Mr. Flower informs me that it is more like the skull
of a young SihhakUus.
2. Megaptera? Burmeisteri.
Baljenoptera allied to B. Lalandii, Burmeister, MSS.
Inhab. coast of Ijuenos Ayres. Mus. Buenos Ayres. Skeleton
complete, ♦ithout the fore fins {Burmeister).
The skeleton is alhed to B. Lalandii of the Cape of Good Hope,
figured in Cu^-ier's ' Ossemens Fossiles.' The shape of the skull is
different. The ribs 14 . 14.
" The vertebrae are also peculiar. After the fourteen dorsal, which
bear the ribs, follow twelve lumbar without any under processes
(haemapophyses), and then follow three with processes. The first of
these is very remarkable for the shortness and peculiar figure of its
small transverse processes, and especially for the very large size of
the body of the vertebra, which seems to me to indicate clearly the
sacral vertebra, or the beginning of the tail." — Burmeister, Letter,
24th Sept. 1864.
3. Megaptera Americana. The Bermuda Humphaclc.
Black ; belly white ; head with round tiibercles.
Whale ( JuLartes P), Phil. Trans, i. 11 (1665).
Bunch or Humpbacked \N'hale of Dudley, Phil. Irans. xxxiii. 258. « '^^ '
Bcdicna nodosa, Bonnaterre, Cet. 5, from Undleif. '^^ '
luMo^tM*-
Megaptera Americana, (J ray, Zool. Ereh. S;- Terror, 17. / ^f^c f.Oi<^^
Megapteron Americana, Gray, Zool. Ereh. i^- Terror, 52. ^
Inhab. Bermuda, March to end of May, when they leave. 1 i\.t.i oot^ itf/
I have a tracing of the Bermuda Whale, but do not know whence /-'^ I ^ -^ /*4
it was derived : it is said to be common in that island. It is very ^ , ■ /. '^
like the figure oi Meijapteru lonyinianu, but the dorsal fin i>s repre- ^* * '**■*"
sented as lower, and the tail wider. This is doubtless the whale -J ^^-^
described in I'hil. Trans, i. 11 and 132, where an account is given of ^3^ i^ lats-
the method of taking it. It is described thus : — " Length of adult -\, '
88 feet ; the pectoral 26 feet (rather less than one-third of the entire ^''"' ^ ^-^^
length), and the tail 23 feet broad. There are great bends (plaits) dt^m^^fuT'
undeineath from nose to the navel ; a fin on the back, paved ■with - >—
fat like the caul of a hog ; sharp, like the ridge of a house, behind ; ^^'-''^ ^" ' ^
head pretty blutf, full of bumps on both sides; back black, belly Iv'^ouy]-
white, and dorsal fin ])ehind." /■_ ^ j 2 U.-
'• Upon their fins and tail they have a store of clams or barnacles, ^7 . ,
upon Avhich he said rock- weeds and sea-tangle did grow a hand long. VC{.n/-t-Cr^t
130 BALJiNoPrEIUDJi.
" They fod much upon grass (Zostera) growing at the bottom of the
sea : in their great bag of maw he found two or three hogsheads of a
greenish grassy matter." — Phil. Trans, i. 13.
Baleen from Bermuda, called Bennuda finner, is extensively im-
ported ; it is similar to the baleen of the Grey Finner.
4. Megaptera Kuzira. The Kuzira.
Dorsal small, and behind the middle of the back ; the pectoral fin
rather short, and less than one-fourth the entire length of the body ;
the nose and side of the throat have round warts ; belly plaited.
Balffina antarctica, Tentm. Faun. Jajion. 27.
Bala3noptera antarctica, 'Temm. Faun. Japan, t. 30 (not t. 23).
Megaptera antarctica, Gray, Zool. Freb. if Terror, 17 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 30.
? Balfenoptera lougimana, Schrenck, Amur-Lunde, 192.
Inhab. Japan. ? Amur-Land.
Skull in Mus. Leyden, Jide Van Beneden.
The figure in the ' Fauna Japonica ' is from a drawing brought
home by M. Siebold, not accompanied by remains. M. Siebold ob-
serves that the Japanese distinguish three varieties : —
1. Sato Kuzira. Black; nose more elongate and rounded, and the
pectoral long ; the belly and lower face of the pectoral are grey, with
■white rays.
2. Nagusu Kuzira. Paler ; nose more pointed ; the bellj'' has ten
plaits. In both, the lower jaw is larger than the upper.
3. Noso Kuzira. Distinguished from the first because the back
and fins are white -spotted. — Faun. Jap. 24.
Chamisso figures a species of this genus from the Aleutian seas,
under the name of AUomoch or Aliama ; when young, Aliamaga dach
(N. Acta Nat. Cur. xii. 258. t. 18. f. 5 ; Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 527.
n. 4), from a wooden model made by the Aleutians : and Pallas (Zool.
Eosso-Asiat. i. 288) calls it Bahena Allamaclc. The pectoral fins are
long ; they, and the underside of the tail are white.
Pallas, under the name oi. B. Boops'l (Zool. Kosso-Asiat. i. 291),
describes a whale which appears to belong to this genus, found at
Behring's Straits by Steller, when he was shipwrecked. The head
was i, the pectoral fin i, the entire length, and the vent -^^j from
the head, as shown by the following measurements : — length, 50 feet ;
head, 12 feet ; pectoral fin, 10 feet long and 5 feet wide ; tail, 16 feet
wide, and the vent 35 feet from the head. If these measurements
are correct, the pectoral fin is shorter and much wider than it
generally is in this genus. The position of the dorsal fin is not
noted.
In the Zoologia Rosso-Asiat. 293, Pallas described a whale under
the name of B. musculus, observed by Merle at Kamtschatka. It
was long and slender, ash-brown, white-clouded above, snow-white
beneath, and spotted on the sides. It was 22 feet 6 inches long ; the
dorsal was 6 feet from the tail, and 1 foot 11 inches high ; behind
the fin the back was two-keeled ; the pectoral fin was rounded at the
3. KSCHKICHTIUS. 131
end, and 10 feet 7 inches distant from the tip of the beak, 4 feet
2 inches long, and 1 foot 2 inches wide : behind the vent, 7 feet
before the tail, and 3 feet from the vent, is a kind of white fin, and
the genital organs are 1 foot 3 inches before the vent. If this de-
scription and these measurements are correct, it must be a most
distinct species, if not a peculiar genus : the pectoral fins are nearly
in the middle of the body ; and I know of no whale with a fin behind
the vent beneath, and with the genital organs nearly under the
pectorals. The pectoral is almost one-fifth of the entire length.
Schrcnck (Amur-Lande, i. 192) mentions a whale called Keng,
which he refers to " Balcenoptera longhnana, Eudolphi," as inhabit-
ing the south coast of the Ochotskian seas.
Forster, in ' Cook's Voyage,' appears to have met with a species of
this genus between Terra del Fuego and Staten Island. He says,
" These huge animals laj- on their backs, and with their long pectoral
fins beat the surface of the sea, which caused a great noise, equal to
the explosion of a swivel."
Lesson (Tab. Reg. Anim. 202) gives the name of B. hucoptcron to
the " Humpback of the whalers in the high southern latitudes."
Mitchell (Travels in Australia, ii. 241) speaks of a Hunchbacked
Whale which inhabits Portland Bay, Australia Felix.
This genus is also found in the seas of Java, for there is an im-
perfect skull, brought from that country by Professor E,einhardt, in
the Leyden Museum. — F. Japan. 24.
In the Museum of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, there are portions
of a "Whale skeleton, presented by Mr. Swinton, as recorded in the
* Gleanings of Science,' ii. 70. They consist of a nearly perfect skidl,
a rib, an injured scapula, and 34 vertebrae. Mr. Blyth thinks this
species agrees -vidth the Rorqual dii Cap (Cuv. Oss. Foss. viii. 276.
t. 227. f. 1, 4). A Meyapteron, according to Gray (see Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1847 ; Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1847, 2^2).— Bhjth's Reports.
The Rorqual noueux, Hombr. & Jacq. Zool. Dumont d'UrviUe, t. 24
(^Balcenoptera Astrolahia', Pucheran, Mag. Zool. 1854, and Arch. Na-
turg. 1855, 42), is probably a Humpback Whale.
3. ESCHRICHTIUS.
Dorsal fin ? Pectoral fin ? The lower jaw-bone
rather compressed, with a very low, slightly developed coronoid
process. Cervical vertebrifi free ; the second ?, the third, fourth,
and sixth with the lateral processes elongate, and separate at the
end ; body small, thick, solid : the canal of the spinal marrow very
wide, trigonal, and nearly as wide as the body of the vertebra, almost
as high as wide, with rounded angles. The blade-bone broader
than high, with an arched upper edge, and with a strongly developed
acromion and coracoid process. Breast-bone trigonal, rather longer
than wide ; front part arched out on the front edge, truncated at the
sides ; the hinder part at first suddenly tapering for half its length,
then gradually tapering to a point behind. Yertebrse 60. Ribs
15.15; the first rib simple-headed ; the first, second, and third
K 2
132
BAL^NOPTERID^.
Avith a compressed slender process below the condyle. Tlie humerus
short, thick ; the forearm-bones broad, compressed, rather longer
(about oue-thii-d) than the humerus.
Fiff. 21.
Third cervical vertebra, lower jaw, blade- and breast-bone oi JSschnchtnis
robustus. (From di'awings by Professor Lilljeborg.)
Professor Lilljeborg refers these bones to the genus Bala'noijtera,
because the blade-bone has a well- developed acromion and coracoid
process as in that genus, and because they are not developed in
Megajotera longhnana ; but the acromion is partially developed on
the blade-bone of M. LaJandii from the Cape, and there is no reason
why it may not be more developed in another species allied to it.
He says, "it is distinguished from B. longimana by the strongly
developed acromion and coracoid process on the blade-bone."
I am induced to refer it to 3Iegcq)terina on account of the form of
3. ESCHRICHTIUS.
133
the canal of the spinal marrow of the cervical vertebroe, and the want
of development of the ramus of the lower jaw.
The ribs and the blade-bone are more like Phijsalus than Mega~
ptera. This combination of characters induces me to think it should
form a genus by itself.
These observations are founded on some drawings of the bones
of the trj)pical specimen which Professor Lilljeborg has kindly sent
to me.
1. Eschrichtius robustus. The Grdso Whale.
Bal?enoptera robusta, Lilljeborg, Foredag Kiobenh. 1860, t. Gil. f. 1, 2 ;
Skancl. Hvalartade, 77.
Megaptera ? Eschrichtius robustus, Gray, Ann. ^- Mag. N. II. 1865.
Eschnchtius robustus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865.
Inhab. North Sea. The British Channel ; Babbicombe Bay, Tor-
bay, Devonshire {Mr. Pengelly, 24th Nov. 1861).
a. Cast of the fifth cervical vertebra, from a specimen cast ashore
at Babbicombe Bay, Devonshire, 1861, Presented by Mr. Pen-
gelly, 1864.
The Danish skeleton was discovered buried from 2 to 4 feet below
the surface, about 840 feet fi'om the beach, and about 12 to 15 feet
above the surface of the sea. It is imperfect, having only the first,
third, fourth, and sixth cervical vertebrae, a right scapula, a left
humerus, the right lower arm-bones, six carpal, four metacarpal,
and four phalangeal bones. Approximate length 45 or 50 feet ;
length of under jaw 8' 2" ; breadth of atlas 1' 5|" ; thickness of body
of third cervical 21, breadth of body 8f inches, width of including
transverse processes 2 feet; length of breast-bone 1\\ inches,
breadth 1 foot ; length of shoulder-blade 2' 8|", mdth 3' 6|" ; length
of humerus 1' 9|", width 11 1" ; length of radius 2' 3", breadth in
middle 7" ; length of ulna 2' 2|", breadth in middle 4".
Woi-u cervical vertebra. Devonshire.
The bod}* of tlie fourth or fifth cervical vertebra of this whale
was cast on the shore of Babbicombe Bay on the 24th of November,
134
BAL^NOPTERTlliE.
1861. It is very thick, and of nearly uniform thickness ; front and
hinder articulations nearly flat ; the sides nearly straight, the lower
side being the widest or most arched out. The upper and lower
lateral processes are very strong, the upper one subtrigonal, and bent
down nearly on a level with the articulating surface of the centrum ;
the under one rather compressed above, broader, rather flattened on
the lower edge. Width of the body 7\, height 6 inches ; the upper
process 3-|, and the lower 4^ inches ; but they are e\ddently broken,
and the ends worn.
II. Dorsal jin high, compressed, falcate, about three-fourths of the entire
length from the nose. Pectoral fn moderate, with 4 short fingers
of not more than 6 phalanges. Vertehrm .58 or G4. Comical ver-
tehrce not anchylosed ; body oblong, tramverse ; neural canal oblong,
transverse, broad and low. Bibs 14 to 16, first with an internal
compressed process. Lower jain ivith a conical coronoid process.
Physalina, or Finner Whales.
Physalina, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 211.
Balfena tripennis, Sibhcdd, Phal. 1692.
Balenapterus, sp., Lacep.
Balenopterus, sp., Lacep. ; F. Cuv. D. S. iV. Ixi. 518.
Balajnoptera, sp., Lacep. Cet.
Balsenoptera, Sect. 2 & 3, Gray, Zool. Ereb. c^- Terror, App. 50, 1846.
Pterobalaena (pars), Eschricht, Nord. Wallthiere, 1849.
(Catoptera w) Getoptera, Rafin. Anal. Nat. i. 219, 1815.
Mysticetus, sp., Wagler, N. S. Amph. 33.
Balsena, sp., Linn.; Illiger, Prodr. 142, 1811.
Physalis, Fleming, Brit. Anim. 1828.
Phvsalus, Lacep. Cet. ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, 90 ; Cat. Cetac.
1850, 34 ; Brandt.
Physelus, Rqfin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815. .
True Finner.?', Gray, Ann. 8f Mag. N. H. 1864, xiv. 351.
" Orbital process of frontal nearly as broad at the outer extremity
as the base, or somewhat narrowed. Scapula low, broad, with a
long acromion and coracoid process. Metacarpus and phalanges of
moderate dimensions.
" Van Beneden (" Faune Littorale de Belgique," Acad. Roy. Belg.
1860, xxxii.) has recognized the distinctive characters of three species
belonging to this group, which he calls Pferobcdcena communis, P.
gigns, and P. minor. Dr. Gray (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 215) con-
stitutes these three species as the types of distinct genera, which he
has named Physalus, Sihhaldius, and Balcenojjtera ; he also makes
a fourth genus, Beneclenia. Although I am as little disposed as any
one to multiply generic names (a tendency of modern times of which
we are all apt to complain), t cannot help admitting that, if the
genera of Whales are to be at all equivalent in value to those now
generally received in other groups of mammals, the first three of
these are perfectly valid. Of the genus Benedenia I speak with
more hesitation, as it is constituted onlj' upon the examination of
a very young individual, which I confess I am unable to distinguish
from a Physcdns. As the diagnostic characters given by Dr. Gray
BENEUEMA.
136
are brief, and limited to certain parts of the organization, I may be
permitted perhaps to give more detailed characters taken from the
skeleton generallj', which will, I think, fully confirm his views as far
as these genera are concerned. Into those characters, taken from the
external form, position of dorsal fin, or from the visceral anatomy, it is
not my purpose to enter at present." — Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 391.
A. Vertehrce 60 to 64. Thejirst rib single-headed.
4. BENEDENIA.
The maxilla gradually and regularly tapering in front, with a
straight outer edge. Second cervical vertebra with two short trun-
cated lateral processes ; first rib simple-headed, with a compressed
internal process. Neural arch of cervical vertebrae oblong, trans-
verse, broad and low, not more than two-thirds the width of the
body of the vertebrfe ; coracoid process distinct, high behind.
Pliysalus, § Rorqualus, Gray, Cat. Cet.
Benedenia, Grarj, P. Z. S. 18G4, 211 ; Ami. S/- Mag. N. H. 1864, xiv. 351.
Pectoral fins moderate ; dorsal fin falcate. Skull rather broad ;
maxillae broad, with nearly straight outer margins. The second
cervical vertebra with two separate, broad, strong, nearly equal-
sized lateral processes, which are rather expanded and truncated at
the tip (as in Megnptera). The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cervical
vertebrae with elongated slender upper and lower lateral processes,
which are attenuated and separated at the end (not forming rings).
The bodies of the cervical vertebrae oblong, transverse ; the canal of
the neural arch low, oblong, transverse, much ^vider than high. The
scapula short, broad, with a strong, well-marked coracoid process.
Vertebrae 60. Ribs 15, all simple ; the front ones compressed
and dilated at the end ; the first with a bi'oad rounded lobe on the
inner side ; the second with an elongate, slender, rounded intenial
process.
Fisr. 23.
Benedenia. Brit. Mus.
This genus is only described from the skeleton of a young speci-
men ; it combines the characters of Mecjaptera and P'hysalus. Its
second cervical vertebra has the form of that of Mcgaptera ; and it
has the low neural arch and the oblong transverse canal for the
spinal marrow, the blade-bone with the strong anterior process, the
same kind of front ribs, and the short pectoral fins of the genus
Physalus.
136
B AL.5:N0 PTERI D^ .
It has been suggested to me by a comparative anatomist of con-
siderable experience that perhaps the lateral processes of the cervical
vertebrae of this whale miglit be lengthened in the adult, and the
end of the upper and lower processes united into a broad expanded
plate as in the genus PJii/salus.
In the skeleton of the small foetus of Balcenoptera, only 9 inches
long, figured by Eschricht in the ' Royal Danish Transactions ' for
1846, t. 14. f. 2, the lateral processes of the second vertebra are very
nearly of the same shape as in the adult, forming a broad expansion,
with a perforation at its base. The cer%'ical and other vertebra) of
this foetus seemed to agree, in all details of form, with the same
bones in the adult.
I do not deny that the lateral process of the first corneal vertebra
may not be continued in cartilage, and be of the same form as that
of the genus Pluisalus ; but at any rate we have no proof, if this be
the case, that the cartilage at the end ever becomes ossified in this
genus any more than in the genus Megaptera, both genera agreeing
in the eqiiality of the thickness and strength and shortness of the
lateral processes.
Fig. 24.
Second cervical vertebra of Benedenia Knoxii.
Extreme width 19 inches; height 10 inches.
The genera Megaptera and Benedenia have separate, short upper
and lower lateral processes, which are rather dilated and truncated
at the end, having an interriipted circular perforation between their
inner bases. It has been suggested that, in the latter genus at
least, the separated processes may be only the imperfectly developed
state of the broad lateral process of the genus Pligsalus, the end
that is wanting in the skeleton probably existing in the living animal
in the state of cartilage. Bnt if this should be the case (which I
much doubt), the form of the margin of the perforation and the per-
foration itself must undergo great change during the ossification of
4. BENEDENIA.
137
the end of the process for there to be any resemblance between the
lateral processes of these genera and that of the genus PJii/sahis.
From what I have observed, I believe that no such change takes
place, and that the form of the processes and the situation of the
perforations aftbrd good characters for the separation of the species
into groups and the siiecies from each other.
Fiff. 25.
Fifth cervical vertebra of Benedenia E71
Fig. 2G.
First aud second ribs of Bencih-iiia Enoxii.
138 BAL^NOPTERIDJE.
1. Benedeuia Kuoxii.
Balaenoptera antiquorum, junior, Gray, Cat. Osteol. Spec. 142.
Physalus (Rorqualus) Boops, Graij, P. Z. S. 1847, 91 ; Cat. Cetac.
41, 1850.
Benedenia I^oxii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 212. f. 8, 8 a, 8 b.
The lower jaw with a distinct, low, long impression ; coronoid
process as high as half the height of the lower jaw-bone. Cervical
vertebrae all free ; the upper lateral processes bent down ; the lower
ones ascendant at the end, with a more or less acute angle on the
lower edge near the base. The second cervical vertebra moderately
thick ; the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rather thin, and
all nearly of the same thickness. The upper lateral processes of the
third and fourth very slightly bent back at the end ; of the fifth
similar, but nearly straight ; of the sixth and seventh broader and
stronger to the end, and rather bent forwards towards the head at
the end. The lower lateral processes of the third, fourth, and fifth
vertebrae compressed, high, nearly similar, and nearly equally strong,
with an obscure angular prominence on the lower edge near the base ;
of the sixth vertebra not so long, high, and compressed at the base,
tapering at the end, and with a decided angular projection on the
lower edge, where the end bends up. The seventh vertebra without
any lower lateral process on either side. The breast-bone broad
above, with an arched upper edge, narrow and rather produced below,
with concave sides, and without any central perforation. The front
(fii-st, second, and third) ribs thin, compressed, dilated at the end ;
the first with a short, broad, rounded, the second with a larger,
slender, produced process on the inner side.
The skull is 108 inches long and 54 broad at the broadest part of
the brain-case, 34 at the base, and 25 in the middle of the upper
jaw. The lower jaw is 118 inches long.
a. Skeleton of animal taken on the coast of Wales and towed into
Liverpool in 1846.
The length is 38 feet ; the head is 9 feet long ; the vertebrae are
60 in number, and there are 15 pairs of simple ribs.
The specimen here described was mentioned in the papers of the
day as a Spermaceti Whale !
This whale, or some of the same genus, has also probably been
caught on the coasts of France and Spain. M. Van Beneden, having
met with skeletons of whales, one at Bayonne and the other at
Abbeville, which he considered the young of Physalus nntiquorum,
observes that, in both, the two apophyses of the axis were not yet
imited ; the ribs, he observes, are wanting (Nouv. Mem. Acad. Roy.
Bruxelles, xxii. 37).
I am aware that Eschricht and Eeinhardt (Essay on the Northern
Whale) seem to doubt the distinctness of this species. Unfortunately
I do not understand Danish suificiently to quite make out what is
their objection ; but I feel that, excellent as is their essay on the
animal which they describe, some part of their argument would be
much modified if they had been able to examine a larger collection
O. PHYSALUS. 139
of skeletons from different localities, and if they could have examined
those in other museums and from other localities more in detail ;
but they give their opinions on specimens which they have not seen,
and, like many other Continental naturalists, without making suffi-
cient allowance for the very large extent of the collection in England,
or considering that the species here described are not separated until
after careful consideration and comparison. There is an inclination
in many of the Continental naturalists to believe that all the species
they do not possess are the same as, or only slight variations of,
those they have — an idea that is a fertile source of confusion and
error in reasoning. This theory of the limited number of species of
AVhales greatly detracts from the value of M. Eschricht's observations
on the anatomy of Whales, in his papers in the ' Danish Transactions' ;
for he constantly speaks of variations which would only be true if
they were found in the same kind of Whales, but are peculiarities
and important differences when they are found in different species
or kinds of animals.
5. PHYSALUS.
Pectoral fin moderate. Dorsal fin falcate, three-fourths the entire
length from nose. Cervical vertebrae all free ; the second with a
broad, expanded lateral process, with a large perforation in the upper
part of its base. Neural canal of cervical vertebrae oblong, transverse,
broad and low, not more than three-fourths of the width of the body of
the vertebrae. Tympanic bone oblong, elongate. Yertebrfe 60 or 64.
Eibs 14 to 16. First rib simple, compressed, not divided ; head with
a compressed internal pi'ocess near the condyle. Lower jaw thick,
convex on the sides, with a conical coronoid process.
Physalus, Lacep. ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, 88 ; Cat. Cetac. 34, 1850 ;
P. Z. S. 1864, 215
Physahs, Fleming, B. A. 1828.
Physelus, Pufin.
Baloena tripennis. Pay ( Razorback).
Balrenoptenis, sp., Lacep.
BaliBnoptera, sp., Lacep.
Pterobala^na, sp., Esclir.
OgmobalKna, Eschr. WalUhiere, 1 , 1849.
The head elongate, flattened, aboiit one-eighth the whole length.
The eye is near the angle of the mouth, and the blowers lunate,
covered by a valve and separated bj' a longitudinal groove. The
throat and chest with deep longitudinal folds and very dilatile. The
dorsal fin compressed, falcate, three-fourths the length of the body
from the nose, behind the line over the orifice of generation. The
pectoral moderate, about one-eighth the length of the body, one-
fourth the length of the body from the nose, of four fingers. The
vent \mder the front of the dorsal fin. Male organs two-fifths from
the chin, in front of line of dorsal ; female near vent. Vertebra?
60-64 ; cervical vertebrae all separate and free. The skull is broad,
depressed ; nose broad, gradually tapering, with straight sides, with
a narrow interorbital space (Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 373. t. 26). Maxilla
140
IiAL.ENOPTERID.E.
and intermaxilla narrower than in Mer/ajitem (see Eschr. & Reinh.
Nordhv. t. 3. f. 3). The baleen is short, broad, triangular, rather
longer than broad at the base, and edged with a series of elongate,
unequal, bristle-like fibres, which become much thicker and more
rigid near the ujiper tip. It is internally formed of one or two
crowded layers of thick tubular iibrcs, covered on each side with a
thin coat of enamel, which becomes thinner and thinner near the
edge, where the fibres are free ; always twisted.
Fio'. 27.
Physalus antiquorum. Eschr. Nordhv. t. 3. f. 3.
Tm. 28.
Physalus antiquorum. Cuv. Oss. Foss, t. 26. f. 3.
" Total number of vertebrae 61-64. Ribs 15 (or 16) pairs. Orbital
process of frontal bone considerably narrowed at its outer end. Nasal
bones short, broad, deeply hollowed on their sujjerior surface and
anterior border. Rami of the lower jaw massive, with a very con-
siderable curve, and a high, pointed, curved coronoid process. Neural
arches of the cervical vertebrae low ; spinous processes very slightly
5. PHYSVLUS. 141
developed. Transverse process of the atlas arising from the upper
half of the side of the body, long, tapering, conical, pointed dii'ectly
outwards. Upper and lower transverse jDrocesses, from the second
to the sixth vertebra;, well developed, broad, flat (and united at the
ends in the adidt, forming comjjlcte rings?). Head of the first rib
simple, articulating with the transverse i^rocess of the first dorsal
vertebra. Second, third, and sometimes the foui'th ribs with capi-
tular processes, reaching nearly to the bodies of the vertebra?.
Sternum broader than long, in the form of a short broad cross, of
Avhich the posterior arm is very narrow ; it might perhaps be com-
pared to the herakhc trefoil ; it is subject, however, to considerable
individual modifications." — Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 392.
The upper maxillary bone is rather broad, gradually tapering,
with a straight outer edge ; the intermaxillaries are moderate, and
the nasal very smaU. The frontal bone is broad and short, suddenly
narrowed on the outer side, and truncated over the orbit. The
lower jaw slender, arched, with a distinct elevated ramus near the
base (see Eschr. & Reinh. p. 544). The atlas vertebra with a sub-
circular body ; the lateral processes cylindrical and near the middle
of the side. The second cervical vertebra has a broad, more or less
elongated lateral process, which is pierced near the base with an
oblong perforation : the upper margin of the perforation is narrow,
and the lower edge much broader. The other cervical vertebra?
have two lateral processes, which are often united at the ends into
a more or less broad ring. The body of the cervical vertebras is ob-
long, transverse, broader than high. The neural arch is long, with
an oblong transverse canal for the spinal marrow, which is much
broader than it is high. The front ribs compressed, thin, with a
broad, more or less elongated expansion on the inner edge near the
condyle. The scapula high, with a broad coracoid process near the
joint.
The baleen forms three or four concentric lines on the palate, the
rows forming transverse lines. The plates of the inner rows are
short, of the outer elongate triangular ; they are all fiinged on the
inner obhque side. (See Ravin, Ann. Sci. Nat. v. 270. t. 11. f. 5-10 ;
see also Rosenthal, Abhandl. K. Acad. Berlin, 1827, 127.)
The shape of the lateral process of the second cervical vertebra
seems to be a good character of the genus. The perforation at the
base of it is rather above the middle of the base of the process, so
that the upper margin is narrower than the lower. In the genus
Bahpnoptera it is nearly in the centre of the base.
" The first pair of ribs is not articulated to the first dorsal vertebra,
nor to any vertebra whatever ; the head of it is buried in a mass of
ligament which connects all the upper lateral processes of the cer-
vical and the first dorsal vertebra together.
" No articulating surface exists in these processes on the first dorsal
vertebra. The articulating surfaces are well marked on all the other
dorsal vertebne. This shows the use of the lateral apophyses and their
great develo])ment in some species." — Jltddh', P. Z. tS. 185(i. 197.
'• In a glassy sea near Wick, a Finner ru.shed round us in every
142 BAL-i;NOPTEHIDJE.
direction, with its upper jaw above the water, blowing with great
violence and noise, and diving sometimes tranquilly, sometimes in a
seething wave created by its hn and tail. It was evidently feeding
on herrings, as every now and then it would rush headlong into por-
tions of the sea where the smooth surface was broken by the shoals
of fish. The blowholes were at times flat and unprojecting, at others
boldly prominent, the animal evidently having the power of raising
or depressing these organs. The Ein-whalcs of Orkney and Caithness
every season are observed in pursuit of herrings." — Heddle, P. Z. S.
1856.
These animals are often called Mazor -backs and Piked Whales by
the sailors.
The baleen or fin of the Finners is only used to split into false
bristles, but for this purpose they are inferior to the Southern or
lowest kind of baleen of the Balcence.
Martens (Spitz. 125. t. 2. f. c) figures a whale, under the name
of Fin-Jish, which agrees in all points with this group ; biit, as there
are no folds on the belly in the figure, Ray, and after him Brisson and
Linnaeus, established for it a species under the name of Balixna Phy-
salus (S. N. i. 186). As, however, the name Fin-fish, used by Mar-
tens, is the one now given by the Greenland whalers to these fin-backed
whales with plaited bellies, and a^ Martens does not mention the
colour, nor say a word about the belly, and as Scoresby says, from
report, that the skin of the Fin-fish is smooth, "except about the
sides of the thorax, where longitudinal rugae or sulci occur," I
think there can be little doubt that this whale was only a common
Tinner, and that the absence of the plaits arose from a mistake of
the artist. This renders the existence of the section which Lacepede
calls Rorquals a ventre lisse, and which Dr. Fleming transformed into
a genus under the name of Phi/salis, very doubtful.
Lacepede referred to the smooth-belhed Rorquals the " Hunch-
back " of Dudley, who distinctly says the belly is " reeved " ; but
Lacepede did not understand that word to be synonymous with
plaited.
Sibbald (Phalaenologia Nova, 1692) figures two specimens of Fin-
ners, caught on the coast of Scotland. Ray (Hist. Piscium, 17)
noticed these specimens. Brisson and Linnaeus regarded them as
separate species. Linnaeus designated the one with the skin under
the throat dilated, probably by the gas in the abdominal cavity, B.
muscuhis, and the other with this part contracted and flat, B. Boops.
I proved, by the examination of the specimen we have in the British
Museum, when alive, and M. Ravin observes (Ann. Sci. Nat. v. 275),
that this skin is very dilatable ; so that these characters appear to
depend on the manner in which the specimen might lie when drawn,
and the quantity of gas which might have been produced by the
decomposition of the interior. These species have been retained by
Turton, Fleming, Jenyns, and other authors who have compiled
works on the British fauna, except Bell, who cut the Gordian knot
by uniting them and the Bala'na rosfrafa of Hunter into a single
species ! The author who appears to have best understood the
I
5. puvsAi.us. 143
British species is Mr. F. J. Knox, who took some pains to examine
these animals and their anatomy.
For the purpose of convenient comparison the bones of these large
animals (indeed of all animals) are best kept separate. I believe
that it is having them separate that has enabled me to determine
some of the species here mentioned which had before been overlooked,
— a single specimen of each family or genus being mounted to show
the general form of the animal and the position the bones naturally
bear to each other.
Ray calls these whales Balcrna tripennis, thus separating them
from those which have no dorsal fin ; but Polach misunderstood him,
and says they have three fins on their back.
Mr. F. J. Knox, having purchased a whale 84 feet long, which
was stranded near North Berwick on the 5th of October, 1831, and
another 10 feet long, taken in the stake nets at Queensferr)^ Firth
of Forth, in February 1834, determined by anatomical differences
that they were distinct species, in a ' Catalogue of Anatomical Pre-
parations illustrative of the TVTiale,' by F. J. Knox, Conservator of
the Museum in Old vSurgeons' Hall, 8vo, Edinburgh, 1838. He dis-
tinguished the former by the name of BaJcena maximus horectlis, and
the latter as Balcena minimus horealis. As no description of the
coloui- of the animal, or any account of the nuchal vertebrae, is given,
it is impossible, from his account, to determine the species of the
former ; but the catalogue contains some most interesting particulars
relative to the anatomy of these animals.
Fortunately the skeleton of the larger whale was purchased by
the Town Council of Edinburgh, and was exhibited in the Zoological
Gardens of that city. As far as it was possible to examine it at the
height at which it was suspended, it appeared to be a Phi/scdus ; and
the same as, or very nearly allied to, the species described in this
Catalogue under the name of P. antiquorum. This skeleton was last
year moved to tlie New Museum, but the walls would not support
the weight, and they have to be rebuilt. The B. miuimus horealis
appears to be a young specimen of the B. rost)-ata or Pike Whale of
Hunter. Mr. F. J. Knox's drawing of this specimen, as suspended,
in the act of swimming, is represented in Jardine's ' Naturalist's
Library.'
This was the first time that the Northern Fiiwers had been sepa-
rated on an actual examination and comparison of specimens. I5ut
the pamphlet in which these observations were published being a
mere guide to the exhibition, has been overlooked, and I could only
procure a copy after great trouble, and from the family of the
author.
ij. t-'>-n
144 BALJENOPTERID^.
* The upper and lower lateral processes of the third, fourth, Jiff h, and sixth
duJ cervical vm-tebrcB elongate, united, formimj a ring ; the bodies of the cer-
viJC^ ^ vical vertebra oblong, transverse, much wider than high, the upper and
' ■ lower edge nearly straight; the lateral process of the second cervical
elcngated. Ribs 14 . 14.
1. Physalus antiquorum. Tlie Razorhack.
Slate-grey, beneath whitish. Baleen slate-coloured ; under edge
blackish, inner edge pale streaked.
Razorhack of the whalers. " B. Physalus, Linn. B. Gibbar, Lacepr —
Scoresby, Arct. Reg. i. 479.
f Balsena maximus borealis, Knox, Cat. Prep. l-iHiale.
I Great Northern Rorqual {Knox), Jardine, Nat. Lib. t. 6 (skeleton).
(r—Fhysalus antiquonmi, Graf/, P. Z. S. 1847, 96 ; Cat. Cetac. 38 ; P. Z. S.
\ 1864, 216. f. 9-12 ; Hecldle, P. Z. S. 1855, 195, fig. verteb. bad.
Rorqual de la Mediterranee, Lacep. t. 5. f. 1; Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v.
370. t. 26. f. 5.
Baleena, Shaw, Zool. 3Iisc. t. 720, from Lacep. t. 5. f. 1.
Balnena antiquorum, Fischer, Syn. 525 (from Cuvier).
BalaBHoptera antiquorum, Gray, Zool. E. Sf T. 50.
Bahena Physalus, Turton, B. F. 15; Jenyns,Man. 47; Nilsson, Skand.
Fauna, 636.
Balsenoptera Boops (part.), Fleming, B. A. 31 ; Jenyns, Man. 47.
Balsena musculus, Turton, B. F. 16 ; Jenyns, Man. 47 ; Mahngren,
Arch. Nat. 1864, 97.
Balsenoptera musculus, Fleming, Brit. Anim. 30 ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 335 ;
Fschr. SfReinh. Om Nordhv. t. 3. f. 2 (skull), t. 4. f. 6; Lilljeborg,
I. c. 42 ; Mahngren, Arch. Nat. 1864, 94.
Balsenoptera acuto-rostrata, Scoresby, Arct. Reg. i. 485. t. 13. f. 2.
Balsenoptera Boops, Bell, B. Quad. 520. f. 1.
Balsenoptera Physalus, Schleg. de Diere^i, 101. t. 20.
Rorqualus antiquorum, Gervai's, Compt. Rend. 1864, 676.
Balajna Physalus, O. Fabr. Faun. GrwnL 35.
Physalus vulgaris, Fleming, Brit. Aifiin. 32.
Balsenoptera Gibbar, Scoresby, Arct. Reg. i. 478.
Balsenoptera arctica, Schleg. Abhandl. 10. t. 9.
Balsenoptera borealis (part.), Rapp, Cetac. 51.
Pterobalsena communis, Eschricht, Van Beneden, Bull. Acad. Brux.
ser. 1. 1857, i. 393 ; Bull. Acad. Belg. xxii. 464 ; Nouv. Mem. Acad.
Brux. xxxii. (1861) 37 ; Arch. Naturg. 1858, 67.
Baleine de Sainte Cyprien, Companyo, Mein. 4to, 1830 ; Carcassonne
8j- Parities, Mem. ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 337.
The following may probably belong to this species : —
1. Balsena tripennis quse rostrum acutum habet, Sibbald, Phalamol. 29.
t. 1. f. D, E, cop. Bonnat. Cet. E. M. t. 3. f. 2; Schreb. t. 354.—
Nov. 17, 1690, 0. S. (46 feet long).
Pike-headed Whale, Penn. B. Zool. iii. 40.
Balsena Boops, Linn. S. N. i. 106.
Balasna borealis, var. Boops, Fischer, Syn. 524.
Balsenoptera Jubartes, Lacep. Cet. 120. t. 4. f. 1.
Jupiter- tish, Anderson, Isl 220.
Pike-headed Mysticete, Shato, Zool. ii. 492. t. 227.
2. Balsena tripennis quae maxillam inferiorem rotundam &c., Sibbald,
Phalcenol. 33. t. 3 ; (edit. 1792) 78. t. 3, cop. Botmat. Cet. E. M. t. 3. f. 1.
Round-lipped Whale, Pennant, Quad. iii. 42.
5. PHYSALUS.
145
Balfcna musculus, Linn. 8. N. i. 100.
I5alpena borealis niiisculus, Fischer, Sijn. 524.
l^alsenoptera Korqual, Lacep. Cet. 12(3. t. 1. f, 3.
Under-jawed Mysticete, S/iaw, Zool. ii. 495.
3. Fiuno Fische, Eyede, Gra-nl. 48, fig.
4. Fin-fisch, 3IaH'. Spitzb. 125. t. Q. f. c, cop. Fin-backed Mysticete,
Shmu, Zool. ii. t. 227 ; Enc. Meth. t. 2. f. 2.
Bala3na Pliysalus, Linn. S. N. i. 106 ; Schreb. Sduyeth. t. 333, from 3Iar-
tens, t. 5. f. 2.
Balffina Gibbar, Des7n. 3Limm. 528. Balaenoptera Gibbar, Lacep. Cct.
114. t. 1. f. 3, from Martens.
BalrBna edentula, &c., Rai/, Si/n.
5. Fiu Whale, Nei/l, JFern. Trans, i. (1811) 261 (c? 43 feet long).
0. Balajna sulcata, Walker, MSS. ? ; Neill, Went. Trans, i. 212 (41 feet
long, Biu'ntisland, lOtli June 1701).
7. BalfBna sulcata arctica, Schler/el, Verhand. Nederl. Ins. i. 1828, 1. 1, 2 ;
Ahhandl. t. G. f. 1, 2.
8. Balpenoptera arctica, Schlegel, Abhandl, ii. 10. t. 9 (length 40^ feet).
9. Balasnoptera sulcata, Jacob, Dublin Journ. Sci. 1825, 333.
Inhab. North Sea ; North Berwick, 1831 {P. J. Knox) ; skeleton
at Zoological Gardens, Edinburgh. Coast of Hampshire, 1842 ; ske-
leton at Black Gang Chine. Plymouth, 1831 ; skeleton in Bi'itish
Museum. The Hope lleach, near Gravesend, 1858 or 1859 ? ; ske-
leton at Rosherville Gardens, 1864. AUoa, Frith of Forth (Neill),
male. Burntisland, 10th June, 1862 ( Walker). Eiyi»©ttth, 1863
(Gerrard) ; skeleton in Alexandra Park,
a. Two plates of baleen. Needles, coast of Hampshire. From the
skeleton at Black Gang Chine.
h. Several plates of baleen united together. Greenland. From Mr.
Midler's collection.
c. Skeleton, 74|- feet long. Plymouth.
. Fio-. 29.
Atlas vertebra of Plty-mlus uidi(p(.orum, from Devonsliiro.
Extreme width 2G inches ; height 13 inches.
In the normal state of the cervical vertebnt of this species, both
the upper and lower lateral processes of all of them are developed
-fr^v^
146
DAL^NOPTERIDiE.
and united into rings. This is the case in the skeleton in the British
Museum, and in that, from the Thames, in llosherville Gardens. But
this is subject to some variation : in the specimen from BljTnouth,
prepared by Messrs. Gerrard, now in Alexandra Park, the lower
processes of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebraj are abortive — in
the sixth they are rediiced to small tubercles, and are entirely
wanting in the seventh.
Fi?. .30.
*^
Second cervical vertebra of Physalits atiiiquortim, from De i uuaMi«,
Extreme width 43 inches; height 13^ inches. /■';.>;
Width of articular surface 10 inches ; height 8 inches.
Fig. 31.
Fiflh cervical vertebra of Physalus mitiquonnu, from
Extreme width 351 inches ; height 10| inches.
Width of articular siurface 12 inches : hein-ht 7^ inches.
The different English skeletons of this whale which I have ex-
amined and which are adult, or at least nearly of the same size (that
is, from 70 to 80 feet long), exhibit considerable variation in the form
and in the size of the perforation, and in the development of the
rings of the lateral processes of the hinder cervical vertebrae, showing
that there are several species, or, what is more probable, that their
bones are liable to a considerable amount of variation.
The British Museum specimen was found floating on the sea in a
5. pnvsALrs.
14;
decomposed state, on the 2nd of October 1S31, in riymouth Sound
and IS said to hav(^ been 1()2 feet long and 75 feet in circumference ;
hut most hkely the abdominal cavity was distended by the internal
decomposition.
It formerly travelled the country, curiously mounted in three
caravans, the &-st containino- the head, the second the thorax, and
the third the middle of the tail ; when placed one after the other so
as to exhibit the parts of the skeleton in their proper situation, the
ends of the caravans were removed, and the cervical vertebrae, the
lumbar vertebra?, and the caudal vertebra) were suspended in their
proper situation between or beyond the caravans. The proprietor
had placed a blade of Greenland whalebone {Balana M>istketus) on
one side, and several blades of South-Sea whalebone {iiahvna mis-
trahs) on the other side of the upper jaw, in the place of the true
baleen of BaJcenoptera.
Fi-. 32.
Tympanic bones of Physulus untiquorum, from t4ftEnnsh]>. /^^
The cervical vertebrae are aU free and separate ; the second wnth
a broad lateral expansion, pierced at the base ; the third, fourth
fifth, and sixth with rings, the ring of the third being the broadest •
the seventh with only a superior lateral process, without a small
tubercular rudiment of a lower process ; the lateral processes of the
second and third cervical bent backwards, of the fourth straio-ht
and of the fifth and sixth bent forwards. The hinder vertebra? lar<-e
and heavy. Caudal vertebra; M'ithout chevrons 7, ^Wth chevrons 10
lumbar 17, dorsal 13, and cervical 7=54. The sternum is sinuous •
but the front edge is tnmcated, on a line with the ^videst part ; it is
148 bal.5:nopteridje.
18 inches wide and 141 inches long. The transverse apophyses are
as broad as the body of tho vertebra, and the latter is oblong, half
as broad again as high. The lateral processes of the cervical ver-
tebrae are much longer than the width of the body of the vertebra3 ;
the lateral process of the second cervical has a small, nearly central
perforation, and this perforation gradually becomes larger on each
succeeding vertebra, until it nearly occupies the whole disk of the
lateral process in the sixth ; the seventh being formed with only a
narrow elongated process from the upper edge, the lower process
being reduced into the form of a small tubercle. The ribs are
simple. The lumbar vertebrae are thick and large ; both these cha-
racters must render this Finner much more powerful and active in
the water than any of its allies. The lower jaw is 17 feet long;
the blade-bone 32 inches by 51. The upper arm -bone is 20 inches
long by IO5 wide ; the lower arm-bone 31 inches long. The chest-
bone is 28 inches wide and 18 inches long. The lumbar vertebras
are 1 1 inches long and 14 inches wide ; the first rib 59 inches long
and 10| inches wide at the sternal end.
There is a nearly perfect skeleton of this species (which I some
years ago visited in company with Professor Eschricht) exhibited at
Black Gang Chine, in the Isle of Wight, which was caught in April
1842, near the Needles. When first found, it was dark grey above
and whitish beneath.
Tho baleen is slate-coloured, with white streaks on the near or
inner side ; nearly black and with a few darker streaks near the
outer or straight side. It was 75 feet long. The skull is 16 feet
7 inches long, 5 feet wide at the notch, and the edge of the beak
from the notch is 12 feet long ; the lower jaw 16 feet 9 inches ; the
upper arm-bone 2 feet, and the larger forearm-bone 33 inches long.
In this skeleton the scapula and the chest-bones are wrongly placed,
and the bones of the carpus and finger. The lower processes of
the vertebrae, as well as some of the smaller parts of the head, are
deficient. There are 7 cervical vertebrae ; the second very broad,
with a very large lateral process, on each side pierced with a hole
near the body ; and the three following have a ring-like lateral
process. There are 14 thoracic vertebrae. The ribs are long ; the
first simple, shortish and broadish, the rest almost of equal size and
length, the last being very nearly as long as the others. The lumbar
vertebrae are 15, with considerably thicker bodies than the others.
Caudal vertebra) 18, exclusive of those contained in the fin of the
tail, which is preserved entire.
The skeleton at Rosherville is said to be 70 feet long, and was
taken in the Hope Eeach in 1858 or 1859. The lateral process of
the second cervical is large, elongate, produced, obliquely truncated
at the upper edge ; the perforation is moderate, not half the length
of the process, on a line with the lower edge of the opening. The
lateral processes of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cervical vertebrae
are narrow, ring-like, thin, with a large central cavity ; the seventh,
like the dorsal, has only an upper lateral process. Lower jaw 13 feet
long ; paddle 14 feet.
5. i-HYSVLrs. 149
In the skeleton from Plymouth, prepared by Mr. Gcrrard, now in
the Alexandra I'ark, the lateral processes of the second cervical are
large, pi'oduced, obliquely truncated, with a moderate-sized oblong
perforation, not half the length of the process, on a line with it, and
not more than one-third of the length of the lower edge ; of the third,
fourth, and fifth vertebrso ring-like, not quite so long as those of the
second vertebra, slender, thin, and weak ; the processes of the fifth
vertebra are the thickest and strongest, especially below ; the sixth
has upper processes only, which ai'e very thin and slight ; in the
seventh they are like the sixth, but much thicker and larger, and
bent back so that the two processes are close together at the tipper
edge ; the sixth vertebra has small short tubercles in the place of
the lower lateral process ; none are present in the seventh vertebra.
The bodies of the second and third cervical vertebrae are oblong,
transvei'se, much broader than high.
The OS hyoides elongate, transverse, broad in the middle, more
or less tapering at each end, with a deep wide notch in the middle
of the front edge, which has an elongate thick cylindrical process
on each side of it, and a slightly rounded scollop in the middle
of the hinder edge, with a slight prominence at each end of
it. The forearm-bone half as long again as the humerus. The
breast-bone is stibtrifoliate, the upper part very broad, subtri-
gonal, with a slight broad notch in the middle of the upper sides,
and the hinder part more or less produced into a kind of broad flat
stem. The shoulder-blade -ndth a large coracoid and acromion
process ; the upper edge arched, angle acute at each end, hinder end
produced.
The skeleton of a specimen, taken at Margate in 1850, was ex-
hibited at Shoreditch in 1864. It was not quite adult, and not in a
good condition.
Dr. P. Neill describes a male Fin-"Wliale stranded near AUoa in
the Frith of Forth, on the 23rd October 1803, It was 43 feet long.
The dorsal fin, called a pike by the whalers, was placed far down the
back, about 1 2 feet from the end of the tail, and nearly over the
vent. The lower jaw rather the longest, 14 feet long, and somewhat
wider than the upper. The tail was 10 feet wide. The blubber was
2 inches thick, firm in texture, not unlike the fat of pork. The
baleen dirty bluish.
ISibbald's specimen came ashore near Bui'ntisland, 17th Nov. 1G90,
0. S. ; it Avas 4(J feet long.
Dr. Walker mentions one from near Burntisland, 10th June 17G1,
46 feet long (see Neill, Mem. Wern. Soc. i. 201).
This species seems to be not uncommon, and most usuallj' comes
to the Cornish coast in the winter.
A female was found dead at sea, and towed into Plj-mouth, 27th
Sept. 1831. Length 79 feet {Cowli). Gullet found 'filled with a
large (juantity of pilchards, by which it was supposed to have been
choked, fc^aid to have visited the coast before.
Plymouth, 1831, Dr. Moore (Loudon's Mag. N. H. i. n. s.). It
had frequented the Cornish coast a long time previously in pursuit
150 BAL^NOPTEEIDiE.
of young herrings, multitudes of which it was seen to devour. —
CoiiA:h, Cornish Fauna, 9.
Several specimens of this enormous species are seen on the Cornish
coast every year, feeding on the smaller gregarious fishes. — Couch,
Cornish Fauna.
Mr. Hcddle observes, " The pectorals (of this and the Laman
Whale) measured fi-om tip to head of humerus exactly -^ths of the
length of the body. The head of each bears very nearly the same
proportion to the whole length. The cervical bones were so alike
that one drawing would do for either, except with some veiy minor
differences. In the Laman Whale the upper and lower transverse
processes of the fifth cervical vertebra are united, and the lower
process of the sixth is short, whereas in the Copinshay Whale the
transverse processes of the fifth are not united, and the lower process
of the sixth is as long as those of the third, fourth, and fifth."
The comparative union and disunion of the processes of the second
vertebra, the comparative length of the processes as regards the
body of the vertebrie, and the form of the angular apcrtiire of the
ring appear to constitute the best characters for the separation of
the species.
" The Orkney Whales seem to resemble P. Boops of the Museum
Catalogue in some respects, but then the processes are longer, and
the wing of the second cervical vertebra in the Orkney Whales, with
its perforation, is very different from the short development of the
second cei-vical in P. Boops, In P. antiquonini the processes i-ise
from the plane of the body of the vertebrae ; in the Laman and
Copinshay Whale they fall (see figs. P. Z. S. 1856, pp. 195, 196).
In fact, in some points the Orkney Whales seem to connect the
characters of the two sections of Dr. Gray's genus Physalus, resem-
bling, however, P. Boops more than P. antiquorum. The coloiu'S of
the whale were identical with those of the Laman M'hale. The
under jaw is wider. The length from the tip of the under jaw to
the notch in the tail is 45| feet, from tip of upper jaw to eye S^ feet,
to anterior pectoral 15 feet, tip of lower jaw to penis 28 feet, to
anus 31 1 feet, length of pectoral to anterior junction 4| feet, length
of cranium 10 j feet.
"The epidermis was j^^th of an inch thick, easily torn, and finelj'
striated, except on the fins, tail, jaws, lips, itc. AYhere black, the
pigment was easily removed by washing, and from the inner surface
was readily communicated to the fingers.
" Where, the body was black, the furrows and their interspaces
were black also, being covered with skin of the same texture as the
body. Where the black of the body began to ivash off into the
white of the lower parts, the furrows were black and the interspaces
pure white. On the lower surface, where the colour was white, the
plicffi when separated were lined witli a rosy epidermis. Vertebrae
62 : viz. cervical 7, dorsal 15, lumbar and caudal 40 ; the last not
larger than a walnut, and partly cartilaginous. The last six di-
minished in circumference very rapidly. Ribs 15 . 15 ; the first
pair simple, the second, third, and fourth with necks directed for-
5. pnrsALrs, 151
wards, but not rcacliiiig the bodies of the vcrtebi'oe, the rest simple.
The greatest length of the cranium was 11^ feet, the greatest length
of the lower maxilla 11^ feet, from the tip of the pectoral to the
head of the humerus 6^- feet. The colour of the back of the head
and of the sides to a line passing from the tail beneath the pectoral,
black. The jaws, and under and upper sides of both pectorals and
tail, black. The black ivashed off at the sides into a brilliant white,
of which colour were all the other parts, except the hollows between
the folds. Scattered irregularly over the back were greyish spots,
three or four in a square foot, resembling the appearance produced
by touching the skin with a slightly whitened finger. The polished
surface gave the whole body a greyish appearance, and it was said to
be greij.
" The baleen towards the snout gradually gave place to narrower
plates, three or four occuppng the place of one. This change com-
menced from the inside. At the snout the plates were still more
broken uj), and there assumed the appearance of small, slightly com-
pressed rods of baleen, of the thickness of a crow-quill, each tipped
with a tuft of long white bristles. The baleen completed the circuit
of the snout at a distance of 4 inches within the upper hp. At the
snout, the base of the baleen was 1 inch in width, gradually in-
creasing until, where the largest plates were inserted, it attained the
breadth of 9 inches, whence it decreased to a rounded point at the
interior angles of the mouth. Here the baleen entirely resolved
itself into white hair, which took its rise from the gums, Avithout the
intervention of the quill -like rods of the anterior extremity.
" The gum (or cheese of the whalefishers) was from 2 to 4 inches
thick, and between the bones of the jaw intervened a callous bed of
muscular substance.
" The tongiie tlesh-coloured above, and beneath leaden grey,
without distinct edges, of a very loose tissue.
" The throat easily admitted the closed hand.
" The trunk only separated from the head by a very slight depres-
sion behind the spiracles, the upper edge forming a beautifid and even
curve from head to tail, with the exception of the protuberance of
the dorsal fin.
" The expansion of the tail continued 2 or 3 feet along the side of
the trunk. gi\-ing, with the dorsal and ventral keels, a rhomboidal
form to that part of the animal. These keels consist entirely of
fatty tendinous substance, permeated through their entire length by
strong round tendons an inch in diameter, and when these were
removed the parts became round like the rest of the trunk.
" A female : lengtli from point of lower jaw to notch in tail 50 feet,
girth beneath the pectorals 2;?| feet, point of lower jaw to umbilicus
24i feet, to termination of the plicoB 26 feet, to reproductive organ
30 "feet.
" The external ear in a shallow groove, with small aperture the
size of a quill.
" The blowholes (see P. Z. S. 1850, t. 45. f. 1, 2, 3) in a hollow on
the summit of a low rounded eminence, immediately in front of a
152 BAl^NOPTERID^.
depression directly over the eyes, with a shallow groove between
them, and with a ridge in front gradually disappearing ere it reaches
the snout. The sides of the blowholes elastic, opening laterally. The
nares, each 4 inches in horizontal diameter, protected above and at
the sides by cartilaginous arches, which extend nearly to the surface
of the spiracles behind. The whole lining of the spiracles, breathing-
canals, and bronchial cavities was of a deep black. The septum
between the nares membranous.
" The eyes on bony prominences which projected outwards and
downwards ; about 4 inches long. The conjunctiva whitish, the iris
very dark brown, the crystalline lens two-thirds of an inch in dia-
meter.
"The lower jaw covered for nearly half its depth by strong firm
lips, turned uiwai'ds above. The jaw nowhere projected much over
the folds on the throat, and beneath the eye passed imperceptibly
into the general surface. The lower jaw fitted accurately into hollows
in the upper. The baleen extended from within 4 inches of the
snout to the angles of the mouth. The plates in the middle of the
series largest. The back of the mouth and the throat thinly covered
with soft white hair, inserted on the wrinkled skin.
" An ideal section of both jaws, partially opening, showing the
palatine ridge, the projecting baleen, and the overlapping under-lips,
with the tongue in the distended pouch, is represented in P. Z. S.
1856, t. 45. f. 6."
'■' The broad mng of the second cervical of the Nijhster Whale was
perforated by a hole as in the Copinshay and Laman Whales, and
the vertebrae appeared to correspond with theirs. The external
characters and coloui" also corresponded. The length was 65 to 68
feet, the pectoral from the head of the humerus nearly 8 feet, the
cranium 15 feet long. The blubber or speck was 8 or 10 inches
thick. They are not P. Boops, for three out of the four specimens
captured, all of which were examined, agreed with each other, and
differed from P. Boops in the upper and lower lateral processes of
the second cervical vertebra being united, leaving a subcontral ioia,-
men:'—IIecldle, P. Z. S. 1856, 187-198.
Mr. F. J. Knox, imder the name of Balcena maximus borealis, Knox
(Cat. Prep. Whale, p. 5, and Edin. New Phil. Joum. 1833, 181),
notices a specimen of a whale found off North Berwick which was
80 feet long, the head 23 feet, and the tail 20 feet wide from tip to
tij). He describes it as having 13 dorsal and 43 lumbar, sacral, and
caudal vertebrsB (Edin. N. Phil. Journ. 1834, 198). The skeleton of
this whale, purchased by the Town Council, was in the Zoological
Gardens, Echnbm-gh, and is figured in Jardine's 'Naturalist's Li-
brary,' vi. t. 5. It was last year removed to the New Museum in
Edinburgh, but on suspending it from the roof, the walls yielded to
the weight, and it had to be removed.
The baleen is black ? Cervical vertebrae separate. Second lateral
process very large ; third, fourth, and fifth large, ringed ; sixth very
imperfect, upper process elongate, bent down, lower short, rather
depressed ; seventh upper process elongate, lower wanting. The
5. rnrsALUs. 153
third and fourth ccrvicals thinnest and of nearly equal thickness,
fifth rather thicker, sixth thicker still, seventh thickest, and the
thoracic vertebrae becoming gradually thicker. Ribs 15 . 15, first
narrower at the vertebral end, second, third, and fourth dilated and
produced on the inner side of the vertebral end, rest simple. Chest-
bones in three series : first simple, second larger with processes, third
cordate, with the first pair of ribs on the hinder end. VertebriB :
10 caudal, 15 with chevron, 17 Imnbar, 15 thoracic, 7 cervical.
A dead specimen occurred in the Channel, near Brighton, 63 feet
long, 29th December 1830. The baleen was called the gills by the
fishermen at Brighton. — Mantell, Mag. N. H. iv. 163. At Overstrand,
Norfolk, March 1822 ; length 57 feet, pectoral 6^ feet. And at
Cromer, autumn 1822.
M. Van Beneden described the skeleton of a whale found by the
fishermen near the Isle Urk on the 23rd November 1851, and
floated to the Isle Vlieland, which is now mounted in the Gardens
at Antwerp.
" It is a male, 22 metres long and 12 metres in circumference, and
the head 5| metres. The head and back bluish grey ; the belly white.
The dorsal was half a metre long, and 3 metres from the tail.
" The skeleton is 21 metres long. The baleen black, white on the
inner side, the front plates all white. Skull like that described by
Eudolphi (■?). Cervical vertebrae 7, all free, of the same thickness
(not complete) ; the second with enormous transverse apophyses,
40 centimetres wide, with a perforation 18 centimetres in diameter.
The^third, fourth, fifth, and sixth with a circle; in the fourth to
the seventh the apophyses diminish consecutively in length ; in the
seventh the circle is incomplete.
" The vertebrae 61. The dorsal 14 or 15 ; the body of the first very
thin, like the cervical, gradually becoming thicker. The lumbar
vertebra) 15, very large and strong, with 17 chevron bones. The
ribs 1 4, or perhaps 15 pairs ; the first simple, without any appearance
of ossification. The sternum triangular, short in front, and subtri-
foliate, without any hole. No lacrymal bone."
Esehricht has observed that the number of vertebrae in whalea
varies according to the species, but is fixed in each, there being the
same number in the foetus as in the adult.
" In the Zoological Gardens at Antwerp is a very fine articulated
skeleton of a male {Physalus ctntiqnonim, Gray). The specimen has
already been the subject of a paper by Professor Van Beneden, en-
titled " Sm- une Baleine prise pres de Pile Vlieland, et dont le sque-
lette est monte au Jardin Royal de Zoologie d'Anvers " (Bull. Acad.
Brujcelles, 2'" ser. tome i. 1857, p. 390).
" The skeleton is complete, with the exception of one of the pelvic
bones, the tym])anic bones, the last pair of ribs (probably), and
one or two caudal vertebrae. As at present mounted, the interver-
tebral spaces appear to me too wide, especially in the cervical and
caudal regions ; and yet the skeleton measures in a straight line but
67' 6", viz. 15' 4" for tbe skull and 52' 2" for the vertebral column.
The length of tlie animal is given by Van Beneden at 22 metres, or
154 BALiENOPTEEIDiE.
72' 1". It exhibits all the signs of adult though not extreme age.
All the cpijjhysi's of the vertebrae are completely joined, as well as
those of the humerus and the upper end of the radius and ulna.
Those of the lower end of the last two bones are partially united.
The ujipcr border of the scapula is still incomplete towards the two
extremities. The number of vertebrae is sixty-one, the last being
modelled in wood ; but from the character of the sixtieth I should
say that there ought to be two behind it. Seven are cervical and
fifteen dorsal, and, according to Van Beneden, fourteen or fifteen
lumbar, though the place of attachment of the first chevron bone in
the skeleton indicates but thirteen as belonging to this series. The
characters of the atlas and the other cervical vertebra3 are quite
typical of the species ; the upper and lower transverse processes,
from the second to the sixth inclusive, are united to form complete
rings. The breadth of the atlas is 25" ; of the axis 44" ; of the
third 37". The aperture in the base of the gi-eat wing-like lateral
process of the axis is 6j" long and 3" deep. The inferior process of
the seventh is represented by a tubercle.
" The cranium and lower jaw present little worthy of special notice,
except that the articular processes of the squamosals are unusually
developed laterally, giving great breadth to the posterior part of the
head. The dimensions are given at p. 166. A circumstance that I
have not observed in any other WTialebone Whale is that a consider-
able mass of bone of irregular form projects forwards from below
the nasal bones in the trough of the vomer, to the extent of about
two feet, only attached posteriorly. This is evidently an ossification
developed in the ethmoidal cartilage.
" There are fourteen pairs of ribs present ; but as the fourteenth has
not the characters usually met with in the last rib, and as the fifteenth
vertebra has the end of the transverse process thickened and showdng
traces of an articular surface, it is most probable, as Van Beneden
supposes, that the fifteenth pair has been lost, and therefore that
the skeleton, if complete, would present no exception to the normal
number. The first rib is simple, 51" in extreme length, and 13f " in
breadth at its lower end. The second and third have capitular
processes which reach nearly to the bodies of the vertebraj ; that of
the second is rather the longest. There are corresponding rough
tuberosities on the sides of the bodies of the first and second dorsal
vertebrae. The neck becomes rudimentary in the fourth, and obso-
lete in the fifth and all succeeding ribs.
'• The sternum is tiifoliate, differing from the one figured at p. 110
chiefiy in having the posterior process shorter, broader at the base,
and more tapering to the point. Its extreme length is 19", and breadth
24". The hyoid has the usual shape ; its extreme breadth is 38",
and length 14". The stylo-hyals are 19" in length, and 5|" in
greatest breadth.
" One pelvic bone is present, suspended on the left side ; the other
is modelled in wood. It is 15" long and 3" in greatest breadth,
simple, straight, mucli compressed, sliglitly twisted on itself, broader
geuerally at one end than the other, but poiuted at both extremities.
5. PHYSALUS. 155
One edge is smooth and rounded, but furrowed by a deep linear
groove ; tlic other is irrcgidarly tuberculated and spiculated. This
form is quite dilt'erent from that of the pelvic bones of the specimen
in the Alexandra Park, where they are each I85" long, gently cui'ved,
flattened, quite smooth along the edges, and with a prominent angular
projection from near the middle of the convex border.
" The scapula is 31" in height and 51" in breadth; the acromion
is 12" long ; the coracoid 5^". The humerus 19" long, 9" in greatest
diameter, and 20^" in girth at the middle. The radius is 32" long,
7^" in breadth at the upper and 9" at the lower end. The ulna
36" in extreme length, from the end of the olecranon, 30" from the
middle of its surface for articulating with the humerus, 10" in breadth
aljove and G^" below. There are six ossifications in each carpus.
The phalanges appear complete. It should be stated that the latter
are not very exact, as the ends of the bones are more or less con-
cealed by the composition which replaces the cartilage. The baleen
is present in both sides. The largest plates measure about 28" in
length.
" The recent discovery of a large number of fossil remains of Ceta-
ceans in the excavations occasioned by the fortification of the city of
Antwerp has given a great impulse to the study of the osteology of
the existing members of the order in Belgium, and, chiefly by the
exertions of Professor Van Beneden of Louvain, a very fine collection
has been brought together, in great part obtained from the Northern
seas, through the cooperation of the late Professor Eschricht of
Copenhagen. Many of the specimens enrich the admirable anato-
mical collection of the University of Louvain ; but most of the lai-ger
ones have passed from the hands of Van Beneden to the lloyal
Museum of Natural History at Brussels, where they are arranged
and displayed to great advantage, under the able direction of M. Du
Bus."— Flower, F. Z. S. 1804, 414-41G.
" In December 1841 a male Fin-Whale about 40 feet long was
stranded at Katwijk-aan-Zee, about six miles from Leyden. Dr.
Schlegel gave a figure and desci'iption of its external characters,
with some notes on its anatomy, in the second part of his ' Ab-
handlimgen.' The skeleton passed into the hands of a person at
Schcveningen, at which place it was for some time exhibited. It
has been transferred to the Leyden Museum.
" The skeleton was evidently that of a very young individual of the
genus Fhijsnlus, agreeing in every particular, as far as I could ascer-
tain, with F. antiquorum. The bones were sjiongy, and the epi-
physes on the limb-bones and vertebrsc all non-united, even that on
the hinder surface of the axis. The skull was about 9 feet long ; the
nasals were deeply excavated ; the orbital process of the frontals
nari'owed at the extremity. The lower jaw had a considerable cuiTc
and a long coronoid process. As mentioned by Schlegel, the verte-
bral f(n-mula was C. 7, D. 15, L. 14, C. 24=00. The form of the
atlas and of the bodies of the cervical vertebrai were as in FJujsalus
generally ; the transverse processes were not developed, being in fact
mere stumps. The upper and lower processes were not united even
156 BALiENOPTERID^.
in the axis. The lower process of the fifth very short. Ribs 15 pairs ;
the first Avith a simple head. Sternum small, undeveloped, with
two broad lateral lobes at the anterior part, and a deep notch between
them on the front border, prolonged posteriorly into a handle-like
process; its entire length was 9", its breadth 10". Scapula 20" in
height, and 32" in breadth. Humerus 14" long, lladius 22" long." —
Floiver, P. Z. S. 1864, 409.
" A fine cranium from the Jutland coast, in the Louvain Museum,
about 15' in length. It is rather narrow posteriorly in proportion
to its length ; and the nasal bones, though of the general form cha-
racteristic of the genus, are very narrow, and pointed at their hinder
ends."— Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 418.
" A skull of a young specimen in the Leyden Museum, agreeing in
all its characters with P. antlquorum, Gray; marked ' Balcenoptera
PJiysalus, Mer Sept.' Its length, from the condyles to the tip of
the beak in a straight Hne, is 10' Q"."— Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 397.
Pallas, under the name of B. Pht/salus (Zool. Rosso-Asiat. 290),
described a specimen of this genus found in the North Sea in 1740.
It was 84 feet long ; the pectoral 9, the head 22 feet long, and the
tail 14 feet wide. He describes the skin as brown.
The young male, 42 feet long, caught near the mouth of the Somme,
on the coast of France, described and figured by Ravin (Ann. Sci.
Nat. X. 206. t. 11, XV. 337. t. 9), under the name of Bahcnoptera
rostrata, from the form of the skull, seems to be a species of the
genus Phi/salus, probably P. antiquorum ; but the details of the ske-
leton have not been given. The tympanic bones are drawn of a very
small size (?. c. t. 9. f. 2 r, 3 r). It is described : —
" Black above, beneath white. Pectoral black. Dorsal and caudal
with white scar on the edge. Baleen of the fii-st part of the series
white ; of the rest blackish blue, the colour changing suddenly from
one to the other.
" Inhab. coast of France, Somme (Pavi^i)."
M. Ravin (Ann. Sci. Nat. n. s. xv. t. 9) figures the skull ; but
although it resembles generally Cuvier's figui'e above quoted, it is
shorter and broader in proportion, being only twice the length of the
width of the jaws in front of the orbit.
Lacepede (Cetac. t. 5, 7) describes and figures a whale, stranded
near the Isle of Marguerite on 20th March 1797. It is described
as 60 feet long ; distance from nose to pectoral 14^, thence to dorsal
10|^, and from dorsal to caudal 8|-. But there must be some mistake,
as this accounts for only 34 feet. The pectorals are 5 feet long (that
is, only one-twelfth of the total length), and all black. Cuvier
figured the skull of this whale (Oss. Foss. t. 26. f. 5), and founded
on it his Rorqual de la Mediterranee. M. F. Cuvier (Cetac. 334)
regarded this as the type of his Balcena muscnlus. The skull and
some of the bones are at Paris (see Gervais, sur la Baleine de la
Mediterranee, 8vo, 1862, Montpehier) .
M. Companyo describes a male whale cast ashore near St. Cyprien.
The entire length was '82 feet, of the head 16 feet ; and the pectoral
was 13 feet long. Vertebra) 61, viz. cervical 7, dorsal 14, lumbar
5. riTTSAius. 157
15, caudal about 25. It was dark grey, with the throat and sides
of the pectoral white ; the belly blue, white-banded ; the pectoral
greyish, il. F. Cuvier refers this to the B. musndus, or Mediter-
ranean Rorqual. The skeleton was at Lyons in 1835.
M. Van Beneden (Ann. Sci. Nat. n. s. vi. 159) says the tympanic
bones brought from Iceland by M. Quoy belonged to the B. musculus
of CuATier {P. antiquorum).
Lesson records a young female taken at He d'Oleron, 54 feet long,
10th March, 1827.
There is a skeleton in the Zoological Gardens, Antwerp (see Bull.
Acad. Roy. Brux. xxiv. 3). A skeleton not mounted, Museum Paris.
And a skeleton, Museum Louvain, 1836, GO feet long ; Holland,
1836.
Professor Eschricht has two heads of this species at Copenhagen,
from Greenland. There are a head and some vertebrae at Paris, and
some vertebrffi at Berlin.
M. Van Beneden observes that the Rorqual de la Mediterranee of
Cuvier is the Mystketos of Aristotle and the Musculus of Pliny. It
is the only whale that has as yet been observed in the Mediterranean.
It may be doubtful if the Mediterranean whale is the same as the
one from the Atlantic Ocean here described. Cuvier described the
species from the head of a specimen, now in the Paris Museum, which
was cast ashore on the Isle of Marguerite on the 20th of March 1797.
M. Van Beneden says it is the same as his Pterobalana communis,
but at the same time he observes that the skull of the specimen from
Antwerp which he describes has " la plus grande rcssemblance avec
cette qui a ete decritc par Rudolphi, et qui se trouve au Museum de
Berlin ; elle offre exactement les memes proportions." Now, Pro-
fessor Rudolphi's specimen is the tj'pc of M. Cuvier's Rorqual du
Nord, which is separated from the Mediterranean Rorqual on account
of the very great difference in the form and proportions of the head.
However, the Antwerp specimen has the simple first ribs of the
ti-ue FJujscdus, and I suspect that in comparing the skull with the
Berlin skull some characters must have been overlooked.
" It is seen from time to time on the French coasts, especially those
of the Pyrenees orientales and the Var. In 1862 a female, with
her young, remained for more than a month chiefly in the small bays
of Paulilles, Port-Vendres, and Collioure. This was perhaps the
cetacean which, some months later, ran ashore at the rock of Borro,
on the Spanish coast, and was towed to Llanza, where M. Gervais
saw it."
This species is found in the Mediterranean. M. Gervais observes
that " such Cetaceans rarely run aground on the sandy shores of
Languedoc and La Camargue ; but the great whale with a chan-
nelled belly, mentioned by Dalcchamp as having come ashore in his
time near Montpcllier, must be regarded as a Rorqual, and the jaws
of this species preserved at Frontignan have probably a similar
origin.
"There is a skeleton of a whale 17 feet long in the museum of
Perpignan. The large whale taken at St. Cyprien has been de-
158
EALyENOPTERTD.E.
scribed by Farincs and Carcassonne as Bahvnopfera Arar/oiis. That
at St. Tropez, in 18:33 ; those of the lie Sainte Marguerite, one in
1797, described by Lacepedc and Cuvicr, and the other in 1864 ;
and two or three others taken near Toulon, of which the skull or
the entire skeleton have been preserved." — Comptes Bend us, 28 Nov.
1864, 870 ; Ann. ^- Ma(j. N. H. 1805, xv. 77.
Albers (Icon. Anat. 1822, t. 1) figures, under the name of Balcena
Boops, the skeleton of a whale cast ashore at Vegisack, near Bremen,
in 1009. The length was 29 feet ; length of pectoral fin 3, width
of tail 9 feet. Camper (Cetac. 74. t. 11, 12) figures the skull of this
specimen. Cuvier says he compared this skull with the one from
lie St. Marguerite, figured by Lacepede, and could see no difference
between them. Albers's figures would lead to the idea that the
lower jaw was scarcely wider than the upper ; this is corrected by
Camper. Professor Eschricht considers Albers's specimen the same
as Hunter's B. rostrata ; but it agrees with the whales of this genus
in having 34 and 35 lumbar and caudal vertebrae.
* The U2)per and lower lateral processes of the third, fourth, Jifth, and sixth
cervical vertebrce elongate, slender, free at the ends; the upper one heni
doivn ; the lateral process of the second cervical large, truncated. Body
of the cervical vertebrce oblong, ovate, not much broader than high; the
upper edge concave ; the lower very slightly conve.v. Ribs 15 . 15.
2. Physalus Duguidii.
The Orkney Whale (Physalus Duguidii), Heddle, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1850,
187, Mmmn. t. 4A & 45, anat. d' & 2 ; Arch. Naturq. 1858, 56.
Physalus Duguidii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 221. f. 13, 14, 15 ; Ami. ^■
Mag. N. H. 1864, 352,
Inhab. Orkney (Heddle).
Fie-. .S8.
.'>*!W,5
^^
Atlas of Physalus Duguidii.
Extreme width 21 inches; height I25 inches.
5. PnYSAT.TTS.
159
Cervical and part of dorsal vertcbrrc and the baleen in the British
Museum. Le!i{2;th 50 feet.
I'hc ujiper lateral processes of the third, fourth, and fifth cervical
vertebrae are very slender and bent down, with two slight angular
ridges on the outer edge ; the lower processes are much thicker and
bent up at the end, with a broad flat lower edge near the base, which
forms an angle at the end. The bodies of the cervical vertebrae are
roundish oblong, rather wider below than above, aboiit one-fourth
the width wider than they are high. The form of the body and the
slenderness and form of the lateral processes of the cervical vertebra;
seem to separate this species from P. anfiquot-imi, as well as the
separate form of the lateral processes. In the Plymouth specimen
of the latter in the Museum, the bodies of the cervical vertebra) are
oblong, transverse, being one-third the width broader than high.
Fiu-. .34.
Second cervical vertebra of Physalus Dvguidii.
Extreme length, measiu'ed by a cord, 25^ inches ;_ height 12 inches.
Articulating surface : height 7 inches ; width 11 inches.
Fiff. 35.
Fifth cervical vertebra of Vhymlus Dugtddii.
160
I!AL/'EN0PTERID.T5.
The short baleen forms the front part of the series, in which the
layer in the middle is dark slate-coloured, and the intermediate-
sized blades are more or less slate-coloured on the outer and white
on the inner side. The breast-bone is lozenge-shaped, with a large
central perforation.
Mr. Heddle gives a long account of this species in his paper in the
' Proceedings of the Zoological Society' above referred to.
The upper and lower lateral processes of the third, fourth, and fifth
cervical vertebra short, strcmg, separate, directed laterally ; the lateral
process of the second cervical short, truncated. liibs 16 . 16,
3. Physalus Sibbaldii.
Physalus (Rorqualus) Sibbaldii, Grai/, P. Z. S. 1847, 92; Cat. Cetac.
42 ; P. Z. S. 1864, 223. fig. 15 a ; Ann. i^- Mar/. N. If. 1864, xiv. 332.
Inhab. North Sea, ascending rivers ; in the Humber, Yorkshire.
Skeleton in Museum of the Hull Koyal Institution and Literary
and Philosophical Society. Length 50 feet.
The skeleton in the HuU Philosophical Society's Museum is 47 feet
long, and evidently of a young animal ; the arm or paddle is rather
more than 6 feet long. The baleen is all black. The lower jaw
strong, with a conical, large, well-developed ramus. Vertebra 64 :
cervical 7, dorsal 10, lumbar and caudal 41, Breast-bone wanting.
The cervical vertebrae are all separate ; the second cervical vertebra
has a broad lateral expansion, and is oblong, obliquely truncated
from the wide upper to the narrow lower edge, and with a small
oblong subcentral perforation near the base ; the third, fourth, fifth,
sixth, and seventh cervical vertebra3 have a straight, rather elongate
lateral process, which projects straight out from the body of the
vertebra, and the upper and lower ones are of nearly equal length.
The ribs 16 . 16, all simple. The end of the first rib, near the ver-
tebra, has a single head ; and the head of the first and second rib is
compressed laterally, and with a slender internal process. The
articulating surfaces of the cervical vertebrae are oblong, transverse,
much broader than high.
Fi^. 36.
Second and fifth cervical vertebras of Physalus Sibbaldii. (From a sketch
by Mr. Harrison, of Hull.)
5. I'HYSALUS. lUl
" The form of the head is much like that of Ravin's figure of the
skull of P. antiquorum. It is 10 feet 10 inches long, 4 feet 8 inches
wide at the orbits, and 2 feet 9 inches wide at the base of the beak.
The lower jaw is 9 feet 8 inches long without allowing for the
curves.'" — It. Harrison.
Finner Whales that have been onli/ imperfectly noticed.
1. Physalus ? australis. Tlie Southern Finner.
Bahena Quoyii, Fischer, Si/n. 52(3.
Hal.pna rostrata australis, Desmoulins, Diet. Class. H. N. ii. 166.
Biihcnoptera australis, Gray, Zool. E. 3f T. 51.
Bahenoptera australis. Southern Rorqual or Finback, Nimn. Narrat.
Favourite, 183, fig.
Phjsalus ? australis. Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 44.
Inhab. Falkland Islands ( Qiioy).
Desmoulins (Diet. Class. H. N. ii. 164), under the name of Balcena
rostrata australis, describes a whale seen by M. Quoy on the shores
of the Falkland Islands, which he saj-s was exactly like B. Physalus.
It was 55 feet long, and the pectoral fin 6 feet 3 inches — that is.
about one-eighth of the entire leiigth, the same as in Bahenoptera
Physalus ; but he says the dorsal fin was over the male organ — a
character which, as fai- as I know, is jjeculiar to the Humjiback
Whale {Meyaptera) — thus presenting a combination of characters
which, if correct, -wall not only prove it to be a distinct species, but
one forming a section by itself.
Lesson (Tab. Regno Anim. i. 202) gives the name oi Bala^iopteia
australis to the " Fin-back of the whalers of the South Sea." It is
most probably intended for this species, as Falkland Islands is given
for the habitat; but it may be Meyaptera PoesX-op, or perhaps a
confusion of the two.
'• The Fin-backed Whale of Desolation, near Kerguelen's Land, is
about 'M feet long. The whalebone short. The dorsal fin is arched
backwards, nearly over the pectoral, or, some fishermen say, a little
behind the middle of the back. The upper surface is black, lighter
beneath. The spout is single, much higlier than that of the Right
Whale (Bakrna) in the same latitude.'' — Kunns Narrative. The
figures, after the drawings of the whalers, represent the body only
as ratlier more than three times the length of the head.
" From the description I have received of the Fin-fish (Bahmo-
ptera liorqual), which often appears in the bays of both the western
and eastern coasts of Africa, I feel disposed to regard it as the
liorqual. It may, however, prove to be a ditterent species when
those who can note its characters shall have an opportunity of ex-
amining a dead specimen. It is here rarely attacked by the fishers,
being considered dangerous, and of little value from its yielding but
a small i)ropurtion of oil. About twelve years ago one was killed
in Table Bay whicli measuied 95 feet." — A. Smith, African Quart
Journ. 130. -^
162 BALT.XOrTEEIDJE.
2. Physalus Brasilieusis.
Balsenoptem Brasiliensis, Gniy, Zool. E. &• T. 51 ; Cat. Od. Spec. Apji.
142.
Physalus Brasilieusis, Grai/, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 43.
I have also received from Mr. Smith specimens of what is called
in trade Bahia Finner. This baleen is black ; the fibres on the edge
of the larger flakes are piu'plish brovrn, and of the smaller or terminal
ones paler brown. They are 35 inches long by Hi inches wide;
and the smaller, 10 inches long and 4 inches vride at the base. This
is so different in appearance from the other baleen of this genus that
I propose to call it Bahenoj^item Brasiliensis.
a. Three plates of baleen, "Bahia Finner.'' Bahia.
3. Physalus ? fasciatus. The Peruvian Finner.
" Lower jaw scarcely longer than the upper; head and back ash-
brown ; belly whitish ; tips of fins and a streak from the eye to the
middle of the body white. Length 38 feet." — Tschudi.
Balaenoptera, n. s., Tschudi, Mamm. Coiisp. Peruana, 13.
Balffinoptera Tschudi, Heich. Cetac. 33 ; Wiegm. Arch. 1844, 255.
Pliysalus fasciatus, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 42.
Inhab. coast of Pern.
4. Physalus Indicus.
" Lower jaw remarkably slender."
Balccnoptera Indica, Great Rorqual of the Indiau Ocean, Bli/th, Jimrn.
A. S. xxi. 358, xxii. 414 ; Bep. Asiatic Society Calcutta, xxviii. 5 ;
Friend of Lidia, 1842, Sejit. lo.
Balaenoptera, sp., Heitylin, in Sitzmiysber. d. Math.-natunv. Acad. d.
Wissensch. zu Wien, 1851, vii. 449.
Physalus, sp., Flotrer, P. Z. S. 1864, 408, note.
Inhab. Eed Sea. Mr. Blyth records the following : —
1. Chittagong coast, 15th August 1842, 90 feet long and 42 feet
in diameter.
2. Ai-akan coast, 84 feet long. Lower jaw remarkably slender,
the coronoid process well developed. Length 21 feet, liadius 38|
inches long.
3. A large jaw-bone of a ^Tiale (Asiat. Kes. xv. Append.p. xxsiv).
4. Yertebra and cranium of a WTiale {Asiat. lies. xvii. 624, and
Glean, of Science, ii. 71).
5. A skuU and lower jaw, 10 feet long, from Ai'akan. In the
Museum of the Calcutta Medical College.
'WTiales seem to have been not unfrequently stranded on the coast
of Mekran. Thus Xearchus, the commander of Alexander's fleet from
the Indus to the Persian Gidf, b.c. 327, described the Ichtlujopluigi
of that woodless region as using the bones of whales for building-
purposes (see Vincent's Voyage of Nearchus, p. 267-269, quoted by
Blyth).
" Whales are very rarely seen " in Ceylon ; " a dead one is occa-
5. rHYSALTJS. 163
sionully stranded. The skeleton of one cast ashore some twenty
years ago at Mount Laraiia is still in the museum at Colombo." —
KeJaart, Prod. Faunce Zei/hnicce, 1852.
" Whales are frequently captured 'within sight of Colombo." —
Tenncnfs Ceylon.
" Whales are very common on the coast of >\lipi, South Malabar.
American ships, and occasionally Swedish ones, call at Cochin for
stores during their cruises for them, but no English whalers ever
come here tliat I have heard of. One [whale], said to be 100 feet
long, was stranded on the coast. I saw some of the vertebrae and
ribs about three years ago. Last year another, 90 feet long, got
among the reefs in Quilon, and was murdered by some hundreds of
natives with guns, spears, axes, &c., and was cut up and eaten,
salted and dried as well as fresh. The Roman Catholic fishermen
of the coast pronounced it ' fii'st chop beef.'
" The Maldives and Seychelles are said to be the headquarters of
the whalers who seek for those whales. I am soriy I never noticed
the jaw-bones sufficiently, for I saw them on the beach." — liev. H.
Balcer, of Alipi, S. Malabar, quoted hij Blyth,
5. Physalus ? Iwasi. The Jai>an Finner.
Black ; side white-spotted ; belly white.
Balrenoptera arctica, Schlc(/el, Faun. Japan. 26.
IMiysalus ? Iwasi, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 42.
Bala>na sulcata antarctica, Sc/ileycl, Abh. 43 ; Faun. Japvn. Mamm.
t. 30.
Inhab. Japan.
A species of tliis genus is known in Japan under the name of Iwasi
Kuzira. It is very rare. One was cast ashore in 1760 at Kii, which
was about 25 feet long ; black, belly whitish, sides white-spotted.
They distinguish it from the other whales by the head being smaller,
narrower, and more pointed, and the pectoral shorter. It was driven
ashore by the SaJcauata (Grampus). Xo remains of this species were
brought home by M. Siebold. Temminck (Fauna Japonica) regards
it as identical with the Northern species. It is very desirable that
the bones of the Japan and Northern specimens should be accm-ately
compared. It may be observed that several animals, the Mole and
the Badger for example, were formerly said to lie like the European
species, but recent research has shown that they are thstiuct, and
they are now so considered in the ' Fauna Japonica.'
The following species are described by Lacepede from Chinese
drawings (see Mem.Mus.iv. 473): — Balanioj^tcra piinctuluta , B.niyra,
B. ccerah'scen.'t, and B. macidata.
" Ilazorbacks occur in the Strait of Formosa. Some Americans
fitted out lorchas for their capture, and erected boiling-houses at
"(Swatow, but they said they yielded too little oil to compensate for
the trouble ami lisk incurred in their captiu-e, as they arc dangerous
creatures to meddle with. They have very large flat heads and '^^
smooth backs. Seldom a year passes but one is stranded some-
M 2
164 nAL.EXOI'TEEIDj;.
whero in the vicinage of Swatow." — SwitiJioc, Proc. Asiatic Sue.
Bcnrjal, 1863.
6. Physalus antarcticus,
Balsenoptera autarctica, Orai/, Zoo!. E. ^- T. 51.
Physalus aiitavcticus, (Jraj/, Cat. Cetuc. />'. 31. 1850, 43.
There has been imported from Now Zealand a quantity of fiuner-
fins. or baleen, which are all yellowish white ; this doubtless indicates
a different species.
The Finner Whales also inhabit the Columbian shores. Lewis
and Clarke mention the skeleton of a liorqual found near the
Columbia River, 105 feet long. — Travels, 422.
Chamisso, in his accounts of the wooden models of whales which
were made by the Aleutians, of the species found in their seas, which
he deposited in the Berlin Museum, and described and figured in the
N. Acta Nat. Cur. xii. 212, figures three kinds of this genus : viz.
Ahugulich, t. 16. f. 2; Mangidach, t. 16. f. 3; and AgamaclitscMeh,
t. 18. f. 4, the B. Agamacliscliil\ Pallas, Zool. Kosso-Asiat. i. t. a.
If reliance is to be placed on the wooden models made by the
Aleutians, which have been described and figured by Chamisso — and
many of them are not bad representations of known genera — there is
a genus found at Kamtschatka which has not yet been described.
It is called Balmia J'schiehagJuk by Pallas (Zool. Rosso-Asiat. i. 289 ;
Nov. Act. Nat. Cm-, xii. 259. t. 19. f. 6). It has no dorsal fin, and a
smooth belly and chest ; the upper and lower part of the under
portion of the body are slightly keeled ; the head rounded, like Balce-
noptera, witli the blower on the hinder part of the crown. The
lower side of the tail and the pectoral are white.
6. CUVIERIUS.
The rostrum of the skull very broad, continued as far as the
middle with very little diminution of width, and then rounded;
outer margin much more convex in the front half. Maxillary bones
broad as in Megaptera. The atlas with short, thick, rounded lateral
processes growing straight out of the upper half of the sides of the
body. The axis with two short broad lateral processes which do not
completely unite, having a regular oval ])asal aperture. The cervical
vertebrae with oblong rounded bodies, with upper and lower lateral
processes which are not united into a ring. The neural canal trans-
versely oblong, flattened above. Vertebrte 64. Ribs 15 . 15 ; head
of first undivided ; the second and third each with a weU-developed
capitular process, which is longest and most slender in the third.
Sternum irregularly oval, notched in front. The scapula with a dis-
tinct acromion and coracoid. The humerus moderate. The radius
and ulna much longer than the humerus. Phalanges long.
This genus is intermediate between Phgsalus and Sibbaldius ; it
has the broad rostrum of the latter and the vertebra and ribs of the
former, and a peculiar sternum.
0. CUVIERIUS.
1 . Cuvierius latirostris,
Physalus latirostris, Flower, Vroc. Zool. Soc. 18G4, 410-414. ^^^ /-/JU^
Inhab North Sea. Skeleton of young specimen in the museinU
ot the late Pi-ofessor Lidth de Jeude, at Utrecht.
" Tn the collection of the late Professor Lidth de Jeudc, at Utrecht,
^ a fine skeleton of a Fin-Whale. It was obtained on the coast of JL^J^ a^v.^
Holland. It was from a young animal. The epiphyses were de- C>C ^^^
tached from both ends of the bodies of all the vertebra between the '^^'^'^^^
axis and the last t^vo or three of the tail; aLso from both ends of y-/ ^^/^^
the humerus and bones of the forearm. The exocci],ital, parietal, /^^^^f-"^
and squamosal bones were non-united; and moreover the processes A^^-^^^
ot the vertebras Mere imperfectly ossified, as shown by the condition ■
of their enrk, and their shortness compared with the large size of
the bodies of the bones. It was more advanced, however, than the
specimen examined at the Hague.
" The length of the cranium is t>' ] 0" ; of the vertebral column, the
bones being placed close together, without the epiphyses 31' 2"- to
this must be added at least o feet for the thickness of the epiphyses
and the intervertebral spaces ; so tliat the whole animal could not
have been imich short of 50 feet in length. The number of vertebraj
IS L. /, D. lo, remainder (of which 15 or 16 are lumbar) 4'>=(J4
ihe column is quite complete, and ends, not in an elongated bone
composed ot two or three centrums anchylosed, but in a small flat
circu ar, disk-like bone half an i.uh in diameter. The penultimate
vertebra is simple, short, rounded at the edges, and about an inch in
diameter. The one before this is much larger in every direction
increasing rapidly at its anterior end. ' '
" The cranium presents many of the characters Ijefore attributed to
the genus F/it/salus, but with some peculiarities that I have not met
with in any other specimen. The most remarkable of these is the
great width of the rostrum, whicli, instead of gradually and steadily
contracting from the base to the apex, as in P. antlquornm and the
members 0 the genera Sihh„M!us and BaUm^jfcm, continues as far
as the middle with very little diminution of width, so that the outer
border is much more strongly convex in the anfeiior half. This is
occasioned by the width of the maxillary bone, which more resembles
that oi Megaptera hnr/hwnia. The great difference of the proi)or-
tional breadth of the beak to the length of the cranium in this
specimen, as compared with other Fin-Whales, is seen in the Table at
p. 112 and m the Table of dimensions below. I may mention also
that the breadth of the palatine surface of the maxillary, measured
m a straight line, at the middle of the beak, is IG", whereas in the
cranium of a ('ommon Fin-^Miale (P. antlquonnn) in the Museum
ot the Koyal C olh-e of Surgeons, of almost the same length (viz
9 3 ) it is but 11 1". The na^al bones arc very broad and .short
raised to a ridge in the middle line, and hollowed on each side on
the upper surface and anterior border, though to a less extent than
in the common species. The orl)ital plate of the frontal resembles
in Its general form that of P/ii/sulus antiquorun,, but is rather less
16G
BAL^.N0PTEEIM5.
narrowed externally. The lower jaw is massive, has a high, pointed
coronoid process, and a considerable but not excessive curve.
"Dimensions {in inches) of Skulls of different examples 0/ Physalus
antiquorum and of the specimen at Utrecht.
Length of skull in a straight line
Breadth of condyles
Breadth of exoccipitals
Breadth of squamosals (greatest breadth 1
of skull)..' J
Length of supraoccipital
Length of articular process of squamosal . . .
Orbital process of frontal, length
Orbital process of frontal, breadth at base 1
(from curved border of maxillary to I
hinder edge of orbital process of frontal) J
Orbital process of frontal, breadth at upper 1
surface of outer end _(
Nasals, length
Nasals, breadth of the two, at posterior end
Nasals, breadth of the two, at anterior end
Length of beak (from cvu-ved border of 1
maxillary to tip of beak) J
Length of maxillary
Projection of maxillary beyond premaxillary
Breadth of masillaries at hinder end ,
Breadth of maxillaries across orbital pi'o-
cesses (following curve)
Breadth of beak at base (all the measure-
ments across the beak include the curve
of the upper surface)
Breadth of beak at one-quarter of its length
from base J
Breadth of maxillary at the same point
Breadth of premaxillary at same point
Breadth of beak at middle
Breadth of maxillary at middle
Breadth of premaxillary at middle
Breadth of beak at three-quarters of its 1
length from base J
Breadth of maxillary at same point
Breadth of premaxillary at same point
Length of lower jaw in a straight line
Height at coronoid process
Height at middle
Amount of curve (greatest distance of the 1
inner surface of the jaw from a straight I
line drawn between the extremities) ... J
-S.,
118 184
15 12
36 56
60
41
36
32
34
18
8^
6
n
133
145
9
17
89
186
14
55
86
m
34
30
32
17
7
11
132
142^
10^
17'
179
12
54
78
38
35
29
35
56 54 55
126
14i
39
60
26
25
18 12^
3
9
119
137
8
15
84
45 45
11
13i
6
33
94
18^
5
180
21
14i
5
36
10
6
23
21
38
111
lU
38
56
26
24
19
21
124
7
3
6
75
87
i'3
67
39
30
10
3i
22i
7i
3
13
3
24
112
15
n
15
Floiver, P. Z. 8. 1864, 411.
" In all the characters by which the atlas of Physalus differs from
that of Sibhaldivs, the present specimen agrees with the former.
C). CUVIERIUS.
167
The transverse processes arc short, thick, and rounded, growing
straight ont of the upper half of the sides of the body of the bone,
bitt, as said before, incomplete at their ends. It measures 14|" in
height, and 23" in extreme width ; IG" across the articular surface
for the skull, each facet being 12|" in height and G" in width ; at
their lower end these do not meet by a space of 2". The neural canal
is 10" in height, 5^" wide at the upper end, contracts rather above
its middle to 3;^", then expands somewhat again. The body of the
axis measures IG" across and 7|" in depth; with the processes, it is
24|" wide and 1G|" high ; the neural canal is 6|" wide by 5|" high.
The upper and lower transverse processes do not completely unite,
although thej" approach on one side within half an inch, on the other
not quite so much ; their extremities, however, are not ossified. The
opening between them is regularly oval, 4|" long and 3;^" wide.
" The bocUes of the remaining cervical vertebrce are rounded ob-
longs, theij- arches are low, and theLr spines little developed ; the
neural canals transversely elongated, and flattened above ; from the
third to the sixth, each has an upper and lower transverse process,
the upper ones rising somewhat from the body of the vertebras, before
taking their outward and downward course, very thin, especially at
their concave margin, gradually and very slightly decreasing in length.
The lower processes somewhat shorter, and considerably broader,
though thin ; with a tuberosity on their vtnder edge near the base ;
decreasing regularlj- in length, that of the sixth vertebra being
notably shorter than the others. In the seventh vertebra the upper
process is ^vider than in the others, and the lower one is reduced to
a mere tubercle.
'•' Dimensions of the Cervical Vertebrte (in inches).
Extreme
height.
Extreme
width.
23
22
22
2H
22
Height
of body.
Width
of body.
Height of
neural canal.
Width of
neural canal.
Third 14
Fourth 14
Fifth 14J^
Sixth 15
Seventh 15^
8
8i
8^
8^
13
12
Hi
4
4
H
3i
64 .
7i
" There are 15 pairs of ribs. The first has an undi\-ided head. The
tuberosity is prominent but narrow, and a thin crest extends from it
for some chstance along the convex border of the rib. The greatest
length in a straight Line is 34" ; the breadth at the middle 3", at the
lower end 6". The second and third ribs have both well-developed
capitular processes extending towards the bodies of the vertebrae,
longer and more slender in the third. In the fourth this process is
nearly obsolete, and absent in all the succeeding ones. There are
rough surfaces on the infero-latcral portions of the hinder edges of
the bodies of the first and second dorsal vertebras, to which those
processes of the ribs were connected, probably by the intervention of
a strong ligament. The length of the second rib is 49" ; of the
third 59".
168 BAL^NOPTERID^.
" A bone which, from its general appearance, texture, and surface,
I presume mxist be the sternum, especially as there was no other which
could have represented this portion of the skeleton, presents most
anomalous characters. It is very flat on both surfaces, a little more
than 1" in thickness, of an irregularly oval form, being larger on one
side than the other, and slightly produced at Avhat I suppose would
be the posterior border, and notched in the anterior. It is only 5f "
in its greatest diameter (transverse), and 4" in the other direction.
Certainly the condition of the edges gave evidence of a bone incom-
pletely ossified ; but its very small size, especially in the antero-
posterior direction, for a Phi/salus of the dimensions of the one
under examination, is very remarkable.
" The body of the hyoid I was unable to find ; but the stylo-hyals
are slightly curved, compressed, with a thick convex border, and a
thinner concave border, rather larger at one end than the other ; 14"
in length, 4:j" in greatest width, and 2" in thickness ; presenting, in
fact, the usual form seen in the genus Physcilus. The scapula and
arm-bones had also the ordinary form ; the former is 21" in height,
and 35|" in breadth ; the acromion 7|" long, and 3^" in breadth ;
the coracoid 2|" long ; the glenoid fossa 10|" by 7". The humerus
is 17" long, 7| ' in longest diameter, and 20" in circumference at the
middle. The radius is 27" long, 6" in breadth at the upper end,
4^" at the middle and 7|" below, and 3" thick at the middle. The
ulna is 25" long, 7" across at the top, Sg" at the middle (and 2" in
thickness), and 5|" at the lower end. The circumference of the two
bones together at their middle is 20|-". The metacarpal bones are
long for the size of the animal, being respectively, beginning at the
radial side, 6", 8", 6|", and 4^" ; whereas the same bones in the
adult Common Fin-Whale in the Antwerp Zoological Gardens are
4|", 6", 6", and 4|" ; and in the specimen in the Alexandra Park
4|-", 6", 5", 3f". The phalanges are long, and rather different in
number from those in the specimens of the Common Fin-Whale which
I have examined, being 4, 5, 5, and 3 in the several digits, com-
mencing on the radial side with No. II. In the Antwerp Phy solus
they are 2, 7, 6, and 3. But, as in both cases they have been arti-
ficially articulated, much importance cannot be attached to these
numbers.
" This skeleton differs in some respects from any other that I have
seen, nor can I identify it with any published description sufficiently
detailed for exact comparison. That it belongs to the genus Physalus
as above defined there is little question. The only difficulty is in
the form of the sternum. It must be remembered that the indi^ndual
was young, and the bone, being slow of development, is subject to
considerable variation in form during growth, and also, when fuUy
grown, to great individual diversities of form. It scarcely seems
advisable, therefore, on account of this one specimen to modify the
generic diagnosis as regards this bone, though such a course might
be necessary if a very small oval, transversely elongated sternum were
found characteristic of the adult animals belonging to the species.
I think that there can be no question that this character, together
/. SIUIiAI.DlU.S. IQ().
with the additional two caudal vertebras, the wide luaxillaries, the
more elongated metacarpals, and the sliglit differences in tlie form
of the cei-vical vertebrue and the ribs, are sufficient to establish a
well-marked species ; and, unless it can be identified with any that
has been previously described, I would suggest the name of lafi'rostris
as an appropriate designation.'' — Flower, P. Z. S. 1864 411-414
B. T ertcbrce^ii. Thejirst rib douhle-headed. J'J ■
7. SIBBALDIUS.
The pectoral fins moderate. The sectmd cerncal vertebra with a
broad elongated lateral process, perforated at the base. The first
and second ribs double-headed. Lower jaw compressed, high, flat
on the sides, with a conical coronoid process. Yertebrfe 55 or 56
Ribs 13 . 13 or 14 . 14.
Balrenoptera, sp., Gt-ui/.
Pterobalsena, sp., Esciirtcht, Van Benedon.
7 Sibbaldus, arm/, Proc. Zool. 600. 1864, 223; Ann. &• Man. N. H.
1864, xiv. .'v')2.
Sibbaldiiis, Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 392.
Pectoral fin one-eighth of the entii-e length ; and the dorsal fin
" opposite the opening of the vent," nearly three-fourths of the entire
length from the nose. SkuU very broad. Maxillary bones verv
broad, graduaUy tapering, with nearly sti-aight outer edges. The
intermaxillaries moderate, linear. The frontal bones broad, band-
like, with a wide sinuous edge over the orbits. Kasal bones small.
The lower jaw slightly arched, compressed, with a conical ramus
near the condyle. The lateral process of the second cervical vertebra
expanded, with a basal perforation (Rudolphi, Berl. Trans. 1822,
t. 1. f. 2). Tympanic bone oblong, ventricose (see Dubar, t. 4. f. l\
Rudolphi, t. 3. f. 6). The lateral processes of the second to the sixtli
cervical vertebrae separate, elongate. The arm -bones* strong the
forearm-bones nearly double the length of the humerus. The sca-
pula broad, with a large, well-develoiied coracoid process in front
The hand with four rather short fingers ; the second and third equal
and longest : the inner or fourth rather shorter than the first
Phaknges 4.5.5. 3. Vertebra? 54. Ribs 13 or 14. The first rib
slender, with a process on the side near the condyle, as if the rib
was divided into two somewhat similar lobes above (Rudolphi, t 5
f. 6). According to Dubar, the first rib is articulated to the first
and second dorsnl vertcbra\
The under jaw less curved; but the great character is that the
front rib is split into two separate parts near the coiidvle, or double-
headed as Dubar calls it. The tvmpanic bones are "short, oblono-
swollen (figured tn situ in the skull, Rudolphi, /. c. t. 3. f. 6). '" ^q
" Total nuni])er of vertebra) Jfc»-58. JUbs 14 pairs. Orl)ital i)ro- ^^v
cess of frontal bone nearly a^)/oM\ at out(>r end as at the base
Xasal bones elongate, narrow, flat, or verv sli-litlv hollowed on the
sides of the upper surface, obliquely truncated at" the anterior end
170
BALiENOPTERID.^.
(fig. 13, «, p. 111). Lacrymal bones thickened and I'ounded at the
outer end. Lower jaw with a comjmratively slight curve, and a low,
obtusely triangular coronoid process. Nem-al arches of the cervical
vertebrae high, and their spines well developed. Transverse process
of atlas arising from upper two-thirds of side of the body, short, and
deep from above downwards (fig. 41, p. 181 ; fig. 42, p. 182). On
the hinder border of the under surface a median pointed triangular
process, directed backwards and articulating with the axis. Upper
and lower transverse processes of the second to the sixth vertebrae
inclusive well developed, broad, and flat (united at their ends in the
adult, except the sixth ?). Lower process of the sixth short, broad,
and much twisted on itself. Head of the first rib bifurcated into an
anterior and posterior division, articulating with the extremities of the
transverse processes of the seventh cervical and first dorsal vertebra}
respectively. Second, third, and fourth ribs with short capitular pro-
cesses. Sternum verysmall, short,and broad, somewhat lozenge-shaped
(fig. 12, b, p. 110). Stylohyals very broad and flat (fig. 48, p.l84).
" Type species, aS^. laticeps, Graj':'—FJo2i'er, P.Z.S. 1864, 392, 393.
J,/. ^././,,.M^ "-'*'• ^■"""
SibbakJius laticeps (from Rudolphi)
t. 26. f. (j.
Professor Schlegel seems to think that the bifurcation of the fii'st
rib is a mark of youth, for he observes, " It appears that in old
specimens of the BaJanoptefa PJu/sahis this bifurcation is grown to
one solid mass This singular character has often induced me to
beheve tliat the first rib, as it is called, is only the horns of the os
hyoides." — Letter, 24^/t A^gmt 1864.
I may observe, in reply, that the full-grown specimen described
as the " Ostend "VMiale" had the bifurcation Avell developed.
* Dorsal Jin compressed, fulcate, two-thirds of the entire length from the nose.
Hibs 13 . 13. First rib short, dilated at the sternal end. Sternum with
an elongate, narrow posterior lobe. Rudolphius.
1 . Sibbaldius laticeps.
Black, beneath white. Upper jaws wide, in the skull only twice
as long as the ■^'idth of their base in front of the orbits ; the lower
/ . SIBBALDirS.
171
jaws slightly curved and scarcely wider than the edge of the upper
ones. Pectoral fin one-eighth of the entire length, and rather more
than one-third, and the dorsal nearly three-fourths, from the nose.
The length was 31 feet 1 inch, from nose to the eye 2 feet 9 inches,
to blower 3 feet 11 inches, to pectoral 3 feet 6| inches, to the front
of the dorsal 19 feet 2 inches, to the vent 21 feet.
Balc-ena rostrata, Euclolphi, Bcrl Abhrnxll. 1820, t. 1 ("not Huutm-) ;
Brandt <^- Rutzeh. Med. Zool. i. 119. t. 15. f. 3, t. 16. f. 12 : Graii Cat
Cetac. B. M. ' •'
Rorqual du Nord, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 564. t. 26. f. 6 (copied fi-om
Budolphi). ^ ^
Balrenoptera laticeps, Grmj, Zool. E. <^- T. (from Budolphi); Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 37.
BaL-ena horealis (part.), Fischer, Sipi. 524 (from Cuvier).
Bah-ena Pbysalus (part.), Kilsson, 'Scand. Faiom, 635.
Pterobalwna Boops (part.), Eschricht, K. Damk. Vid. Sehk. 1840,
Balajuoptera borealis (part.), Bapp, Cetac. 51. fiJ'Ou-th^*^ ^^''^cT
Inhab. North Sea. Holstcin, 1819 (liudolpld): skeleton in Mus! "
Berlin, 31 feet long. Zuyder Zee, 1816, skeleton in Mus. Leyden.
Fio-.
C:rr<M^ <^i^^CrZ'<4J^ /%zy^
U5
First rib of Sibhaldius laticeps. (From Rudolphi.)
The blade-bones with an elongated coracoid process, bent up to-
wards the upper edge of the bone, and only a very rudimentaiy
acromion ; the upper edge arched ; the ends acute, the hinder one
rather produced. The forearm-bones are slender, rather dilated at
each end, more than twice the length of the short thick humerus ;
the ulna vdih. a rounded dilatation on the upper end (olecranon)'.
Fingers 4, moderately long ; the two middle longest, subequal, each
of .seven joints ; the first shorter, of four joints ; and the fourth
shorter still, of three joints. — Rudolphi, t. 1. f. 1.
Entire length 31 feet 1 inch. Length from nose to front of eye
5 feet 3 iiichcs, to pectoral fin 9 feet, to dorsal fin 19 feet 2 inches,
to vent 21 feet ; length of pectoral fin 3 feet 6 inches, breadth of
pectoral fin 8 inches.
The OS hyoidcs broader in the midtlle. the end rather tapering and
bent up towards the front, the middle of the hinder edge produced
out into broad rounded lobes (see Rudolphi, t. 4. f. 1, 2). The tym-
paTiic bones are short, oblong, swollen ; they are figured in situ in
the skull (Rudolphi, I. c. t. 3. f. 6). Dorsal fin two-thirds of the
] 12 BALJiXOPTERID-E.
entire leiiglh from the nose. (Length 31 feet, dorsal 19 feet.)
Lilljeborg describes the dorsal fin as of the usual size, and the baleen
as black.
Cuvier copies the figure of the head of this whale as that of the
Northern Rorqual, and points out its distinctions from that which he
had received from the Mediterranean. The nasal bones appear much
broader than in the smaU common Finner, Balcvnoptera rostntta.
J. B. Fischer, in his ' Synopsis ilammalium,' gives the name of
Balcena borealis to the Rorqual du Nord of Cuvier, which is established
on the Balcena rostrata of Rudolphi. He adds the account of the
Ostend Whale to his synonyms, and gives the bifid head of the first
ril) as one of his specific characters ; but he mentions the Balcena
Boops and B. Musculus of Linne, and B. rostrata of Midler, as pro-
bable varieties of this species.
M. Van Beneden, ^vho regarded this as the young of the follow-
ing, observes that the skeleton in the Berlin Museum, from Holstein,
is not quite adult ; and also states that there is a skeleton, not quite
adult, in the Leyden Museum, from the Zuyder Zee (1816).
" A skeleton in the Leyden Museum, marked ' Balcenoptera Phy-
salus, Vinvisch, Zuider Zee.' This is no. 17 of Eschricht's list (Un-
tersuchungen iiber die Nordischen Wallthiere, Leipzig, 18-19), accord-
ing to which it was taken in the Zuider Zee, near Monnikendam,
Aug. 29th, 1811, its length being 32' Ptheinland. The skeleton is
perfect, 'with the exception of the hyoid and pehac bones. The
malars, lacrymals, and tympanies are present. The entire length
(including the skull, which is 6' 7") is 29' 7" ; but the bodies of the
vertebrae are placed close together, so that 2 or 3 feet shoidd be
added for the intervertebral spaces. The animal was young ; the
epiphyses of all the vertebrse, including that of the hinder surface
of the axis, are separate from the bodies, as well as those of both
ends of the humerus, radius, and ulna. The vertebral formula is
C. 7, D. 13 or 14, L. 16 or 15, C. 19 = 55; but the last caudal is
elongated, and really consists of two bodies anchylosed, with even a
minute rudimentary third. The cervical vertebrae exhibit all the cha-
racters peculiar to the genus ; but their lateral processes are, as the
surface of the bone shows, incomplete at the ends. The atlas has
a deep, compressed-from-before-backwards, short transverse process,
and a backward-directed, median triangular projection on the under
surface of its body for articulation with the axis. The five following
vertebra; have each an Tipper and lower transverse process, but not
united together at their ends in any of them — not quite, even in the
second. The processes are of tolerably equal length throughout,
except the lower one of the sixth vertebra, which is shorter and
broad, and twisted on itself so that its flat surface is horizontal at
the end. The upper processes are slenderer than the lower, and
become more so posteriori}'. The spaces between the upper and lower
processes, in vertical height, are in the second 2"-2, in the third 4"*2,
in the fourth 4"-2, in the fifth 4"-l, in the sixth 4"-7. The spines
are comparatively well developed, especially that of the axis.
" There are thirteen pairs of ribs present ; but it is probable that
7. SIDItALDlirS. 173
the posterior pair are wanting. The first has a biJiJ artioukir head,
the cleft extending to the depth of 5 inches. It articulates by this
Avith the transverse processes of the seventh cervical and first doi'sal.
Its extreme length in a straight line is 21"; its breadth at the middle
2^" , at the lower end 4|". The second, third, and fourth have short
capitular processes, not reaching halfway to the bodies of the ver-
tebrae. These processes are absent in all tlie others. The longest
rib (the fifth) is 41" in a straight line, the twelfth is ,31", and the
thirteenth J30". There are ten chevron bones present. The ster-
num is remarkably small for the size of the animal, a transversely
elongated lozenge in shape, 4" in antero-posterior and 8" in trans-
verse diameter.
" The scapula is, as usual in the family, much elongated trans-
versely, and has a long acromion process. Its length is 14", its
breadth 25". The humerus is 10" long; the radius 18^", and pro-
portionately slender. The hand, artificially articulated, is 18" long ;
the second digit has, besides the metacarpal, three bones, the third
three bones, the fourth six bones, the fifth three bones. These
numbers are probably not correct, as they do not correspond with a
natural skeleton of the hand of the same species at Brussels.
" The upper surface of the orbital plate of the frontal is almost of
a rhomboid form. The malars are very thin ; the outer end of the
lacrymals forms a thick, projecting, rounded knob. The nasal bones
are almost straight across their anterior ends, slightly longer at the
middle, and sloping away at the sides ; their upper surface tolerably
flat, but raised to a low ridge in the middle towards the anterior
end, and slightly hollowed on each side of this. The dimensions of
the cranium arc given in the Table at p. ISO, compared \\\i\\ those of
other s]iecimens of the genus. The inferior maxQlaries have low,
obtusely triangular coronoid processes. They are articulated too
close to the head, and their upper edge rotated too much inwards.
This position greatly diminishes their cmve as seen from above, and
causes their extremity to bend downwards. I was much interested
in observing this, as it explains away a great peculiarity in the figure
of the whale in the Berlin Museum by Rudolphi (Abhandlungen
Acad. Berlin, 1822), in which the same mode of articulating has
caused some misconception as to the character and relation of these
bones, the more imjxjrtant to be rectified, as this is the only figure
extant of the skull of any member of this genus.
" There can be little doubt that this skeleton is identical with
the above-mentioned specimen described by Rudolphi ; at least, a
careful penisal of his description and figure (for I have not seen the
skeleton) leaves this impression on my mind. In habitat, age, size,
number of vertebra; and ribs, and all other important osteological
characters they agree. There are certainly slight differences in the
proportions of the parts of the cranium, but not greater than are foimcl
among difterent individuals of undoTil>tedly the same species; and it
is possible that even these may arise from inaccuracies on the part
of the artist. Sume of the evidence also is wanting to make the
comparison complete ; for instance, the sternum from the Berlin
174 BALJENOPTEETDJ!:.
specimen, and the hyoids from the one at Leyden. In assigning
only five vertebrae to the cervical region, Rudolphi is obviously in
error, being probably misled by the mode in which the skeleton was
articulated. He states that the transverse processes of the cervical
vertebrae have all (that is, the first five) very large holes. If this is
strictly correct (that is,. if the holes are completely surrounded by
bone), it indicates a more advanced state of ossification than in the
Leyden specimen — a cii'cumstance, of which the peculiarity is some-
what diminished by the fact that the skeleton of a whale of the same
species, and of almost exactly the same size, in the Brussels Museum
is in a condition intermediate between the two, the processes of the
second and third vertebrae being completely united, but not those
of the fourth and fifth. In calling his specimen Baliena rostrata,
lludolphi was acting upon the idea, then prevalent, of the specific
unity of many of the northern Fia-Whales now kno-mi to be distinct.
Dr. Gray seems to have been the first to point out that it difi'ered
from all whales which had been previously described with anything
like definite accuracy, and gave it the name of ' Eudolphi's Finner
Whale,' Balcenoptera laticeps (Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,
1846); this name therefore has the right of priority for the species."
—Flotver, P. Z. S. 1864, 397-399.
In the Brussels Museiun " there is a veiy interesting skeleton,
almost the exact counterpart in size to that in the Leyden Museum.
It was obtained by Eschricht from the North Cape. The condition of
the epiphyses shows that it is young, they being all non-united both
in the "vertebral column and long bones ; but the ossification of the
transverse processes of the cervical vertebrte has proceeded further
tlian in that at Leyden. The skeleton is well articidated, and gives
now a total length of 31' 8" ; but about G" must be added for the
end of the tail, which is wanting. The dimensions of the skull are
given in the Table at p. 180. The nasals are narrow, cut off" nearly
straight at their anterior ends, shghtly hollowed on each side above.
The lacrymals are thickened at their outer edge. The orbital pro-
cesses of the frontals broad externally. Lower jaw light, little
curved, and with a short triangiilar coronoid process.
" There are 7 cervical, 14 dorsal, and 32 lambo-caudal vertebrse
present ; about 5 of the latter are absent, which would make a total
of 58. The atlas has the usual characteristics of the genus. The
transverse process of the axis forms a complete ring, the aperture of
which has a length of 2|" and height of 2". The whole process is
5|" long, but is incomplete at the end; it is 5|" in height at the
middle, and the opening is situated much nearer the upper than
the lower margin of the process. In the third vertebra also the
upper and lower processes are united ; in the fourth, fifth, and sixth
they are separate. The lower one of the sixth is shortest, broad, and
twisted on itself. In the seventh the inferior process is represented
by a small tubercle.
" There are 13 ribs present on the right side, and 14 on the left.
The fourteenth is very much thinner than the others, twisted back-
wards at its lower end, with a very slender head, articulated to the
i?
/u^^..^^ ^ y^i.<^^^^ /^^jL_^ /^/g
ayC€y a^a^^^ cZ-x"^^.
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J
/Pt~t^-C-xJ t/ ^
<sj-t— )
.^c^.
'if
iy^^^t^^C^^^^ tri^ii^. -^^^LiiS^^^yl^ -^iiC-H^ ^^^^.^y^c^^ '/Ca^,^^ ■t^.^f^
f.^^ Z**-!^^
^^u^ '^^^
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^
7. SIIiliALDIUS. 175
transverse process of the vertebra. The first pair of ribs have double
heads ; but the anterior head on both sides is very incompletely deve-
loped, and on the right side completely detached from the remainder
of the bone ; it has a pointed end below, merely applied to the main
part of the rib ; so that if it had been lost in maceration, this rib
might have been supposed to be simple. On the left side it is anchy-
losed, but very slender. It would be interesting to ascertain, by the
examination of younger specimens, whether this anterior head has
always a separate centre of ossification, as it is not improbable that
this singular double-headed bone is in reality formed by the coales-
cence of two originally distinct ribs. The second, third, and fourth
ribs have small capitular processes. The stylo-hyals are very flat,
but not so broad proportionately as in the Java \\Tiale, being 11"
long and 3^" in greatest width. The bones of the fore limbs present
the same general characters and proportions as in the Leyden spe-
cimen from the Zuyder Zee. The sternum is absent.
" This specimen has been previously mentioned in this paper as
an example of SlhhaJdiiis Jaticcjps, Gray, presenting some interesting
individual de^dations from that at Leyden, referable to the develop-
ment of the two skeletons not having proceeded pari passu in all
parts of the system.'' — Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 417.
** Dorml Jin i-erj/ small, far bc/tiiid, and filaced on a tliick prominence.
Ribs \-i.\A;Jirst short, sternal end very broad and deeply notched.
Sternum icith a broad short hinder lobe. Os hyuides transverse ; sides
slender; hinder cdae cut out in the middle. y-v",. ^ • / Ut. /./>t/
2. Sibbaldius borealis. The Flat-haclc.
Sibl)aldus borealis, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1804, 223 ; Ann. ^- 3Iag. K. H.
im4:, xiv. 352.
Ealeine d'Ostende, Tan Breda, en letter bock, 1827, 341 ; Dubar, Os-
teoyr(q)hie, Bruxelles, 8vo, 1828, t. 1-10; Bernaert, ^' Notice sur lit
Bideine echouee pri'S (FOstende,'' Paris, 1829.
Bak'inoptere d'Ostende, Van drr Linden, 1828, Bruxelles, 8vo.
The 0.*itend AMiale, Guide to the P.thibition at Charing Cross, trith
drairinys by Scharff.
Great Northern Ilorrpial, " R. borealis, Lesson," Jardine, Nat. Lib.
125. t. 5 (from Scharff').
Balajua borealis (part.), Fischer, Syn. 524 (from Dubar).
BaLenoptera Rorqual, T)eu-hur.st, Loudon Xhiy. X. II. 1832, v. 214.
Babeiuiptera giga<, Exehr. A'- Peinh. Nd.Bidray, af Groeidand, 1857;
LiUjrbory, I. c. 5(), 57 ; Malmyren, Arch. Natury. ISIjl, !J7.
I'terobaLxna Boops (part.), Eschr. K. Dansk. Vi'densk. 1840, 134.
Pterobalwna gigas. Van Beneden, Mem. Acad. Poy. Sci. Brux. 1861,
xxxii. 37, 463 (not chai-acterized).
Female : —
Balicnoptera Boops, Yarrell, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1840, 11.
Balajnoptera teniiirostris. Sweeting, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1840, iv. 342.
Inhab. Xorth Sea.
" A whale was observed floating dead in the Jsorth Sea between
Belgium and Kugland," and towed into the harbour of Ostend on
the 4th of November 1S27. The skeleton was exhibited at Charing
Cross, and is now, 1 believe, in the United States. / / /t
17fi
bal^knopteridj:.
This specimen was 102 feet long, tbe lower jaw 21| feet long,
and the tins 13^ feet long. Vertebrae 54. Eibs 14 . 14. The atlas
(JJuJiar, t. 6. f. 1) : the second cervical vertebra with large lateral
j)rocesses, pierced with a large hole ; the third, fonrth, and fifth
with two lateral processes on each side, which are not formed into
a complete ring as in the second ; the fifth oft'ers a riidiment of a
spinal apophysis. The first rib double-headed, articidated to the
first and second dorsal vertebrte. Bones of the cars {Uubar, t. 5. f. 1 ) ;
OS hyoidcs (t. 5. f. 2); breast-bone (t. 6. f. 4) not pierced, short
and broad, with a broad hinder portion. The vertebral column 37.
Dubar's figm-es represent the second, third, and fourth cervical ver-
tebrae as with a ring, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh with deflexed
upper and straight lower separate lateral processes. Ribs, first (t. 8.
f. 1) with two heads, veiy broad at lower end; second (f. 2) with
rather elongate internal process ; fourteenth (f. 3) quite simple.
Pelvic bones (t. 9. f. 1, 2). Shoidder-blade short and very broad
on the external edge, with a large lobe for the I'idge (t. 1(1). Pectoral
fin and bones (t. 11). Fingers four ; the second and third nearly of
equal length, and longest ; the fourth or outer shorter, longer than
the first or inner.
Fig-, 39.
First rib of Sibbaldius borealis. (From Dubar.)
The upper jaw narrower and shorter than the lower, so as to be
embraced by the lower ; a txift of horny round filaments or long hairs,
united at their roots by a common membrane and divided at the end
into small points, at the tip of the snout. Eyes rather high and
very near the angle of the mouth. Ear-hole near the eye, but a little
further back. Hinder part of the back keeled. Dorsal fin rather
less than three-fourths of the entire length from the end of the nose,
exactly opposite the vent. Skin polished, black above, white beneath.
Length (entire) 25 metres, of mouth 4'8, to pectoral 6-9, to navel
13-7, to front of vagina 18-1 , to front of vent 18-1. Length of pec-
toral fin 3-1, width of pectoral 0-65. The atlas transverse. The
lateral processes thick, elongated, rather above the middle of the
side {DuJxir, t. G. f. 1). The os hyoides broad in the middle and
graduallj- tapering at each end, and with a deep notch in the middle
of the hinder edge (Duhar) (Scharff's Jltjure). Tj^mpauic bone ob-
long, very impcrfccth' figured as the os du rocher (t. 5. f. 1). The
7. SIBBALDltJS. 177
sternum : upper part broad, thrce-lobed, with a linear elongate hinder
lobe {Dnhar, t. ). (In 8charft"s figure it is represented as shield-
like, with four nearly square rounded lobes.) The first rib is tri-
gonal, rather short, curved, and very broad, and with a rather deep
notch at the sternal end (as broad as one-third the length of the
outer edge). (JJubcn; t. 8. f.l (8 feet long).) The second rib slender,
subcyhndi'ical, with a rather long subcylindrical process on the
inside, just below the condyle (Dubai', t. 8. f. 2). The last rib
slender, subcylindrical (Dubai; t. 8. f. 3). The blade-bone with a
large coracoid process and acromion, the former broad, fiat, rather
bent up at the end (Dubar, t. 10). The humerus very short and
thick, not longer than broad. The radius and ulna nearly twice as
long as the humerus, the ulna with a long flat olecranon process.
The fingers 4, slender, tapering ; the second and third longest and
nearlj^ equally long, of 7 joints ; the fourth shorter, of 5 ; the first
shortest, of 4 joints, nearly half the length of the second (Dubar,
1. 11).
Lilljeborg describes the " dorsal fin as very small, situated far be-
hind and placed on a thick prominence " (I. c. p. 57), and, according to
Dubar's measurement, it was three-fourths the length from the nose.
"From the calculations made by M. le Baron Cuvier and the
Professor of the Jardin du Roi, this enormous cetaceous animal must
have lived nine or ten centuries," — H. Mather's account of the Osterul
Whale, 1831, 8vo.
Mr. YarreU (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1810, p. 11) notices a female of
this genus under the name of " Balceiioptera Boops." It was
stranded at Charmouth, Dorsetshire, on Feb. 5, 1840. It had no
warts about the lips ; back black ; underside white ; pupil oval, with-
out any eyelashes. Length 41 feet. Pectoral fin 5^ feet long, base
10|^ feet from tip of nose, and 1^ foot wide. Dorsal small, conical,
11 feet in advance of the tail. Skeleton 40 feet long, head 10 feet.
Vertebrai 60, viz. 7 cei-vical, 15 dorsal, 16 lumbar, 15 caudal, and
with 7 caudal bones. Ribs 14/14 ; the fu'st double-headed, and at-
tached to the first two vertebra; ; each of the other ribs is attached
to a single vertebra, and has a single head. The dorsal vertebrte ex-
ceed the ribs by one. " The subcutaneous layers of fat varied in
thickness from 3 to 5 inches." " In other details the skeleton agreed
with Dewhixrst's description of the ' Ostend Whale.' "
" Head, back, tail, and outside of the pectoral fins black ; inside
of the pectoral fins, throat, breast, and belly beautiful white ; inside
of the under jaw black ; tongue, palate, and the spaces intervening
between the reefs on the beUy pink. The under jaw the widest, and
projecting 9 inches beyond the upper one ; end of both jaws rounded.
The muzzle longer and more attenuated than in Balmia. The spi-
racles longitudinal, Ukc slits or fissures, nearly meeting in front, and
gradually diverging behind to a distance of about 3 inches. Ealeen
bluish black and yellowish white. Female 42 feet long, weighing
25 tons. Blubber varied in thickness from 3 to 5 inches ; yielded
three hogsheads of oil." — Siveetinr/, Mat/. Nat. Hist. 1S40, p. 342.
The accounts in the ' Mag. of Nat. Hist.' and in the ' Proc. Zool.
178
BALSNOPTERID^,
Soc' 1840, p. 11, arc evidently from the same animal, but there are
some discrepancies between them. Mr. Sweeting saj's, breadth
21 feet ; Mr. YarrcU says, girth 21 feet. Mr. Sweeting, total weight
25 tons ; Mr. Yarrell, probable weight between 20 and 25 tons.
Mr. Sweeting, length of skeleton 41, and head 11 feet ; Mr. Yarrell,
40, and head 10 feet. Mr. Sweeting says, " For the discrepancy as
to the number of vertebrae, &c., I am of opinion that this species
has not been described before, and I have proposed for it the name
BaJcnnoptera tenuirostris " (Mag. Nat. Hist. 24th March, 1840, 342).
The skeleton here described was sold, about sixteen years ago
(1859), for five pounds, to Mr. Freane, and it was stated to have
been sent to London as a present to the British Museum, but it has
never been received, and I cannot find any further account of it ;
probably it was sold for manure. B. tenuirostris is the earliest name
given specially to this species, but it cannot be used for a whale
with a broad nose or beak. This is most likely the same as the
" Ostend Whale," or a nearly allied species. The dorsal fin . is
described as small, conical, and three-fourths the length from the
nose.
*** Dorsal fin unknown. First rib elongate, dilated at sternal end.
3. Sibbaldius Schlegelii.
Balsenoptera Physalus, from Java, ScJdegel, Mns, Leyden.
Balaenoptera Schlegelii, Flower, MS.
"Megaptera (from Java)," Van Beneden, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 208.
Balaenoptera longimana, Schlegel, Miis. Letjden.
Sibbaldiis Schlegelii, Gray, Ann. (^- Maq. N. H. 1864, xiv. 352.
Sibbaldius Schlegelii, Floiver, P. Z. S. 1864, 408, 419.
Inhab. Java. Skeleton, Mus. Leyden (young); skull, Mus. Leyden.
Fig. 40.
First rib of Sibbaldius Schlegelii ?, in Mus. Roy. Coll. Surgeons.
There is the first rib of a whale of this genus in the Museum of the
Royal College of Surgeons, which, if it is not this, would seem to in-
dicate a fourth species.' The origin of the specimen is imknown.
/. SlBHALDirs. 179
+1, " V',"" J^^'J'^lf" Museum during the present year (18fi4) has received
the skeleton of a Fin-Whale taken on the north-west coast of the island
ot Java I he hands, from the carpus downwards, the pelvic bones, and
some ot the terminal caudal vertebra3 are wanting, also the lacr^-mals
and inaLars from tlie skull ; in other respects the skeleton is complete.
XNot being yet articulated, the separate bones could be examined
with great lacihty. _ Both epiphyses are anchylosed to the bodies of
tne hrst three cervical vertebra;; the anterior epiphyses only are
united on the fourth and fifth. From this, as far as the ninth caudal
inclusive, they are detached ; on the tenth caudal the hinder, and
on the succeeding ones both epiphyses are firmly united. On the
humerus the upper epiphysis is partly, and the lower one completely,
umted to the shaft, all traces of the original separation of the latter
having disappeared. The upper epiphyses of the radius and uMa
are m the same conthtion; but those at the lower end are separate.
1 he transverse processes of the cervical vcrtebrte show, from the
condition of their terminal surfaces, that they are not quite complete,
ine upper edge of the scapula appears completely ossified in the
mickUe, but must have been cartUaginous towards the two extremities.
Ihese conditions taken together show that the animal was in the
adolescent stage, and had probably attained very nearly its fuU size.
The skull IS 9 8_ long in a straight line; the vertebra;, placed
c ose toge^ther and without their epiphyses, measured 30"; so that,
allowing for the epiphyses, intervertebral spaces, and the end of the
tau, the animal could not have been less than 45 feet long
" The number of vertebra; present is 54 ■ and 3, or probably 4 of
me caudal are wanting, raising the total number to 57 or 58 Of
these, 7 are cervical, 14 dorsal, and about 13 or 14 lumbar; but
the articular surfaces for the anterior chevron bones not bein- weU
marked, I could not be certain where the tail should be considered
to begin. There are fourteen pairs of ribs.
" The skull presents the general chai-acters of the genus SMaldhis.
Ihe only important difterence that I could find between it and the ■
specimen from the coast of Holland is in the foi-m of the orbital
process of the frontal bone, which is narrower at its outer end ' "
approaching more to the form characteristic of Physalus, althouo-h by
no means so narrow as in this. The nasals (fig. 13, e, p. Ill) are Ion-
and narrow, nearly flat on their upper surface, and shghtly shelving
do^-n wards from the midcUe Une. Their anterior border is rathe?
less produced near the middle line than at the sides— the reverse in
this respect to the Zuyder Zee specimen. The tympanic bones are
4 -b long 3 -5 in greatest breadth, and 2"-5 thick. Their fonu is
seen in the annexed woodcut (fig. 47). The lower jaw has a veix
slight cur^■e and a low coronoid process, the highest part of which is
20 trom the hinder end of the bone. It is triangular in form
rounded at the apex, with a base about 4" in breadth, and rism-
about 2\ in height. The principal dimensions of the skull in
inches are given in the foUowing Table, compared with those of
the skulls of the two other specimens of the genus mentioned in this
notice.
n2
180
BAL^NOPTERIB^.
2
Length of skull in a straight line
Breadth of condyles
Breadth of exoccipitals
Breadth of squamosals (greatest breadth of skull)
Lengtli of supraoccipital
Length of articular process of squamosal
Orbital process of frontal, length
Orbital process of frontal, breadth at base
Orbital process of frontal, breadth at outer end
Nasals, length
Nasals, breadth of the two, at posterior end
Nasals, breadth of the two, at anterior end
Length of beak, from middle of cvu-ved border of maxil- "I
lary to the tip of premaxilliry j
Length of maxillary
Projection of premaxillary beyond maxillary
Greatest width of nasal aperture
Breadth of niaxillaries at posterior end
Breadth of maxillaries across orbital processes (foUow- "1
ing the curve) J
Breadth of beak at base (following the curve)
Breadth of beak at middle (following the em've)
Breadth of maxillary at same point
Breadth of premaxillary at same point
Length of lower jaw in a straight line
Height at coronoid process
Height at middle ^
Amount of curve (greatest distance of the inner surface 1
of the jaw from a straight line drawn between the ex- V
tremities) J
116
10^
41
67
29*
22"
22
24^
15
lOi
2"
6
82
90
6
10
11
63
42
22 1
"e^
4
117
14
9*
8^
79
10
26
40
21i
15
13
16
12
Gi
2i
4
53
57
5
6^
9
43
30
16
4
3
78i
9"
n
6
80
9
27
38
21
16
13
15
11
3
4
50
65
3
43
30
15
4
2i
76
9
" The atlas presents the characteristic features of this bone in other
members of the genus in a very marked degree. The transverse
process is particularly deep from above downwards, and much twisted.
The spinal canal is contracted in the middle ; the articular surfaces
for the axis are not confluent at their lower margins, but between
them is a distinct, oval, transversely elongated facet, and another
smaller round one is situated on the upper surface of a pointed
triangular projection from the hinder border of the inferior surface
of the bone, which runs under the body of the axis. There are thus
four distinct articular sxirfaces in connexion with the second vertebra.
The extreme width of the bone is 16|" ; the length of the inferior
sivrfacc of the body 4"-4, including the triangular process, which is
l"-5. The other dimensions are shown in the sketches (figs. 41 & 42).
" The axis (fig. 43) has the usual form of this bone in the Fin-
Whales. The odontoid process is represented by a sHght rounded
elevation, with a depression in the centre ; and besides the two large
lateral articular surfaces for the atlas, there are two small median
facets, one on the lower part of the anterior and one on the inferior
surface, corresponding to those above described in the first vertebra.
7. SIBBALDIUS.
181
The neural arch is high and massive, and the spine well developed.
The lateral processes are large wing-like plates, directed somewhat
backwards, with a regularly oval perforation rather above the middle
of their base. The dimensions are given in the figure, which is
drawn to scale, regardless of perspective.
Fig. 41.
Atlas ; anterior surface.
" The third, fourth, and fifth vertebra) much resemble each other ;
they have rounded oblong bodies, high triangular neural canals,
spines gradually increasing in length, and well-developed upper and
lower transverse processes completelj- united together at the ends,
leaving large oval spaces between them. In the sixth the transverse
processes do not meet by the space of 3 inches ; and I doubt if they
ever would meet in the process of growth, on account of the different
planes of their ends. The upper one is long, with its flat surface
almost vertical ; the lower one, short and broad, with a stout conical
tuberosity projecting forwards and downwards from its base, turns
so completely on itself that its broad terminal end is directed hori-
zontally ; it is, moreover, very nearly complete. The peculiar form
of this process is highly characteristic of all the specimens I have
examined of the genus SilihahUus, though it is best marked in the
one under consideration, being the most mature. It should be men-
tioned that, when the series is placed together, a gradual apjiroach
to its form is seen in the lower processes of the antecedent vertebrae.
The seventh cerN^cal vertebra lias no trace of an inferior transverse
process. The thicknesses of the under surface of the bodies of the
liist five cervical vertebra), and of the first two dorsal (without the
epiphyses), are respectively 1-5, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2, '2-2o, and 2-5 inches.
The width of the first dorsal vertebra across the transverse processes
is exactly the same as that of the last cer^•ical, 23" ; the second is 3"
less. The transverse processes of the posterior dorsal and of the
lumbar vertebra; arc very broad in the antero-posterior direction.
182
BALiENOrTEEIDiE.
and the spines are high. In the second lumbar vertebra, which is
the largest, the extreme width is 40" and the height 29".
Fig. 42. Atlas ; imder smface.
Fig. 43. Axis ; anterior sm-face.
" The ribs generally are slender, the first much shorter, broader,
and flatter than any of the others. The vertebral end of this is
split to the depth of about G" into two flat broad plates, of which
the anterior is slightly the longer ; this brings their articular sur-
faces, when the rib is placed in its natural position (i. e. somewhat
sloping backwards), exactly on a level, and proves that they must
have articulated with the equal transverse processes of the seventh
cervical and first dorsal vertebrae, and not with those of the latter
and the second dorsal vertebra, which is 1^ inch shorter. This rib
is 32\" in length in a straight line, 4^" wide at the middle, and 8"
at the lower end ; in thickness at the middle it is l"-2. Its general
form closely resembles the figure given by Dr. Gray (P. Z. S. 1864,
p. 224) from a specimen in the Museum of the Eoyal College of
Surgeons, but it is rather broader in proportion to the length. The
second, third, and foui-th ribs have large articular heads and only
/. SIIiliALDIUS.
183
Fisr. 4G
Fig. 44. Fifth cervical vertebra ; anterior siu-face.
Tig. 45. Sixth cervical vertebra ; anterior surface.
Fi<r. 4(). The same : inferior surface.
184
BALENOPTEEID^.
slightly produced capitular processes. The second rib is 45" in
length, the tliird 60", the fourth Gl", the fifth G2i", the sixth
61^", the seventh 61^", the ninth 57", the twelfth 51", the thirteenth
49", and the fourteenth 48". They gradually decrease in breadth
from the first. The last is considerably twisted on itself ; it has a
small, flat articular head, but there is no corresponding surface on
the foiu'tecnth dorsal vertebra, which is only shghtly thicker at the
extremity than the succeeding ones. On the thirteenth vertebra
there is a distinct articular surface.
" The sternum (fig. 12, b, p. 110) is small, in the form of an irre-
gular transversely elongated lozenge, the posterior angle being nar-
rower and more produced, and the anterior more rounded, than in
the Zuyder Zee specimen ; so that it approaches more the form seen
in the genus Phi/salus. Its length is 8f, and its breadth 12-|".
" The scapula is low and broad, with a long acromion and well-
developed coracoid process. Its breadth is 40", its height 22f " ;
the acromion 10" long, and 3" in depth ; the coracoid 4" ; the gle-
noid fossa 8 V by 5\". The humerus is 15" long, by 6" in diameter
in the middle of its shaft and 7^" at the lower end. The radius is
24J" long in a straight line, 4"-6 broad above, 3"-7 at the middle,
and 5"-3 at the lower end. The ulna, which is 25" long, including
the olecranon projection, is 7"'5 broad above, 2"'7 at the middle, and
4"'5 at the lower end. The thickness of the radius at the middle is
2"-2; that of the ulna l"-8.
Fig. 47.
Fig. 48.
Fig. 47. Tympanic bone ; half nat. size.
Fig. 48. One of the stylo-hyals.
" The hyoid bone, formed of the completely united basi- and thyro-
hyals, is flatter ajid deeper from before backwards, and the lateral
7. SIBBALDIUS. 185
processes arc smaller and more tapering, than in FJu/salus ; but
otherwise its general form is not dissimilar. Its extreme width in
a straight line is 25" ; its antero-posterior length 10|". The stylo-
hyals (fig. 48) present a remarkable modification in form. Instead
of the usual subcylindrical shape seen in Phi/salus and Balcenoptera,
they are very broad and flat, and much curved, having a convex
rounded border and a concave thin edge, their flat surface having
somewhat the form of a crescent with truncated ends, 15" long by
6" broad. Their greatest thickness at the convex border is about
1|". The ends are not alike, one being narrower and thicker, the
other broader and flatter. The two bones are precisely similar.
" In the present case I have carefully compared the skeletons
(that from Java and those from the European coast) together. I
have even had the advantage of jjlacing many of the bones of the two
in the Lcyden Museum side by side ; and I confess that, allowing
for difference of age, it is difficult to fix upon any characters in
which they decidedly diff'er. The stylo-hyoids in the first, it may
be said, are broader than in the Berlin or Brussels specimens, the
sternum larger and of more definite cross-hke form than in the
Leyden skeleton, the transverse processes of the vertebrae are more
developed and united at their ends than in either of these ; but such
characters are of no value for specific distinction. One, however,
does appear to me of some importance, and that is the form of the
orbital plate of the frontal, so decidedly narrower at the outer end
in the Javan crauiimi than in the three specimens from Europe ;
but it is possible that even here age may cause the diff"erence.
Eschricht has laid great stress upon the little de2)endence that can
be placed upon the proportions of the bones of the head in making
out the specific characters of WTiales. It is rather curious that the
tympanic bones, though agreeing in general form, are actually smaller
in the Java than in the Zuyder Zee skeleton, being less in length by
0"-3, and in breadth by nearly the same amount.
" Moreover, although a comparison of osteological details of the
immature bones of the other specimens with those of the adult Ostend
example was not Hkely to thi'ow much light upon the subject, here
the case is diff'erent ; as far as can be made out from the descriptions
and drawings given by Dubar of the Ostend skeleton, there are
notable diff'erences, as in the form of the atlas, of the first rib, of the
stylo-hyoid, in the statement that the second and three following ribs
have heads reaching the bodies of the vertebrae, and in the statement
that the transverse processes of the third, fourth, and fifth cer^^cal
vertcbrte do not unite to form a comi)lete hole as in the second,
which last, however, would be of greater importance if the figure
did not throw some doubt upon its accuracy.
" A skull of a very young whale, in the Leyden Museum, is of great
interest as having been brought from Java by the late Dr. Rein-
hardt. It is labelled ' Balcnoptera Joiu/imana,' and has in conse-
quence been (]Uoted in some of our most esteemed catalogues as
CN'idencc of the extensive geographical range of that species (Van
Beneden, ' Faunc Littorale de Bclgique,' p. 38, and after him. Gray,
186 BALiENOPTEEID^.
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 208). The cranium is now in an extremely
imperfect condition, the maxillaries, premaxillaries, and nasals being
absent. There is, however, enough to show that it is not a Mega-
ptera, but belongs to the subfamily Balcenopterince, and probably, on
account of the great width of the external part of the orbital process
of the frontal bone, to the genus SibhahUus. The lower jaw is 52"
long, which would indicate an animal of about 18 feet, perhaps a
young individual of the species last described." — Flower, P. Z. S.
1864, 408,
in. Dorsal fin high, erect, compressed, falcate, ahowt two-t?iirds of the
entire !e>i(/thfrom the nose, rectoral moderate, icith 4 short fitif/ers,
of 4 or Q Joints. Veiiebrce 50. Cervical vertebra sometimes auchy-
losed. Neural canal hroad, trif/omd, broader than high. Hibs 11 .11.
Balfeuopteiina, or Beaked Whales.
8, BAL^NOPTERA.
Balsenoptera, Sect. 1 (Balseiioptera), Grai/, Zool. Ereh. Sf Terr. 50.
BaL-enoptera, Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, 89 ; Cat. Ce.tac. B. 31. 1850, 31 ;
P. Z. S. 1864, 226; Ann. Sf Mag. N. H. 1864, xiv. 352; Flower,
P. Z. S. 1864, 393.
Balpenoptera (pars), Lacepede, Ceiac.
Pterobalfena (pars), Eschricht, Nord. Wcdlthiere, 1849, fol.
Balfena (pars), Li)in. ; Mi'iUer, Zool. Dan. ; Illiger, Prodr. 242.
Rorqualus, sp., Dekay ; F. Cuvier, Cetac. 321.
Balfeua minimus, Knox, Cat. Whale, 14.
Head elongate, flattened, throat and chest with deep longitudinal
folds and very dilatile. The dorsal fins compressed, falcate, two-
thii'ds the length of the body from the nose and behind the line
above the orifices of generation. The pectoral fins moderate, one-
eighth the length of the body, one-third the length of the body from
the head, with 4 short fingers of few joints. The humerus short, thick.
The radius nearly twice as long as the humerus. Lower jaw-bone
moderate, with a distinct high conical coronoid process. Vertebrte 50 ;
last very small. The first paii' of ribs undivided near the condyle.
The lateral process of the second cervical vertebra elongate, pierced
at the base ; of the thii'd, fourth, and fifth cervical elongate, slender,
separate ; the lower with an angular bend below. The front ribs
simple, thick, with only a slight swelling on the inner edge near
the condyle. Tympanic bones obovate, short, ventricose.
The lateral process of the second cervical vertebra expanded, broad,
with a large ovate perforation in the middle of its base, the U2)i:)er
and lower margins being broad and of nearly equal width, the upper
being, if anything, rather the broader of the two, very unlike the
lateral process of the same bone in PhysaJus. The neural arch high,
acute, with a rather high subcircular canal for the spinal marrow.
The bod}"- of the atlas vertebra oblong, transverse, with a subcylin-
diieal lateral process produced from the middle of the side.
" Total number of vertebrte 48-50. Eibs 11 pairs. Orbital pro-
cess of frontal almost as broad at the outer end as the base. Nasal
bones rather narrow and elongate, truncated at their anterior ends,
8. BALiENOPTEEA. 187
convex on the upper surface in both directions (fig. 13,/, p. 111).
Kami of lower jaw much curved, and with a high pointed coronoid
process. Cersical vertebrae usuall}- separate ; but this family character
not unfrequently departed from by the union of the second and tliird,
or the third and fourth, by their arches. Neural arches high ; spines
moderately developed. Transverse process of atlas arising from the
middle of the body, elongated, tapering, du-ected outwards and slightly
upwards. Upper and lower transverse processes of axis and succeed-
ing vertebrce, to the sixth inclusive, well developed. Those of the
axis broad, tlat, and in the adult united at their extremity ; those of
the other vertebrae slender, and never united at their extremity,
except occasionally in the sixth and more rarely in the fifth vertebra.
Head of the first rib simple ; capitular processes scarcely developed
upon any of the ribs. Sternum longer than broad, having the form of
an elongated cross (fig. 12, c, p.llO)."— i^Zou'f/-, P. Z. S. 1864, 394.
The lateral processes of the cervical vertebrae are generally free
and tapering at the tip ; but some of them are sometimes united,
forming a ring. Eschricht described those of the fifth and sixth
vertebrae as sometimes united. In the specimen in the Royal CoUege
of Surgeons the lateral processes of the sixth ceiwical vertebra are
united on one side and free on the other.
In all these cases the form of the processes is not altered ; the
end is only elongated and united. The cervical vertebrae are some-
times quite free, as is the case with Hunter's specimen in the Museum
of the Royal College of Surgeons. The second and third vertebrae
are often united by more or less of the surface of the neural arches ;
and this seems to be the normal state. In the specimens from Cro-
mer, lately acquii-ed by tbe Royal CoUege of Surgeons, the third and
foiu-th cervical vertebrae are united by the neiu-al arches, and the
second and third free.
The elongated processes on the end of the front ribs have two
muscles attached to them, one arising from each of the two neigh-
bouring vertebrae. Eschricht, in his essay above cited, figured a
foetus and a new-born specimen, which was 34 inches long, and gave
the anatomy of it, with details of its skeleton (see Eschr. K. D. Vid.
Selsk. lS4f), fig. p. 309). They have a single series of bristles
parallel with the lips (see K. Dansk. Yid. Selsk. xi. t. 1 & 2).
Tj^mpanic bones oblong, swollen, rounded above and below and
at each end. They are figured in situ in the skull by Eschricht
in the ' Danish Transactions,' vol. xii. t. 11. f. 2 f/ in the foetus, t. 9.
f. 2 & 4r/, & t. 10. f. 2[/, in the more adult state.
In the ' Royal Danish Transactions' for 1846, Eschricht gives a
detailed comparison of the bones of the head of a fa-tal specimen
(one 6^ feet) and one 34 feet long (see t. 9-11), and the details of
the skeleton of a foetus 9 inches long (t. 14). The form of the cer-
vical and other vertebrae of the skeleton seems to be nearh* identical
with that of those of the adult animal. The lateral processes of
the second cervical process, for example, are united into a broad
expanded blade, with a perforation near the bodj' of the vertebra,
wliich is so characteristic of the genus.
188 BAL^JfOPTEEID^.
Eschricht figured the cranium of a B. rostrata from a foetus
9 inches long, an older foetus Gi feet long, and an older specimen
31 feet long (t. 9, t. 10, 1. 11, & t. 14), which show how much more
rapidly the rostrum elongates in comparison with the size of the
brain-case, the very unequal manner in which the bones enlarge as
compared with each other, and how they anchylose, especially the
very large size of the tympanic bones in the smallest foetus com-
pared wdth these bones in the older specimen, and how they enlarge
laterally and become more transverse and less oblique as the animal
increases in size. In the foetal state the forearm-bones are slender
and nearly t-nace as long as the humerus ; the longest fingers are
almost as long as the forearm-bones ; the second and third and the
first and fourth fingers are nearly equal in length ; the first finger
has three, the second and third six or seven, and the fourth four
phalanges. — Eschricht, Wallthiere, t, 7. f. d, D.
1. Balaenoptera rostrata. The Pil-e Whale.
Black, beneath reddish white. Pectoral fin white near the base
above.
Bala3na rostrata, Midler, Prodr. ; O. Fahr. Faun. Grcenl. 40 ; Hunter,
Phil. Tram. Ixxvii. t. 20-23, cop. E. M.t.4:; Turton, B. 1 auna, 16 ;
Nilsson, Scand. Fauna, 632.
Korqualus rostratus, Dekai/, Zool. New York Mus. 730, t. 30. f. 1.
Balfena musculus (pars), Flem. B. A. 30 ; Jenyns, 3Ian. 47.
Baltena Boops (pars), Flem. B. A. 31.
Balaenoptera acuto-rostrata, Lacep. Cetac. ; Scoresby, Arct. Reg. i, 485.
1. 13. f. 2.
Balcenoptera acuto-rostrata, Lesson, N. T. B. A. 202.
Balaenoptera microcephala, Brandt, 3ISS.
Balaena minimus borealis, Fjiox, Cat. Whale, 14.
llorqualus minor, Knox, Jardine, Nat. Lib. 142. t. 7 ; Gaimard, Voy.
Islande, Mamm. t. 13 (skuU), t. 14 (skull).
Balaena borealis rostrata, Fischer, Syn. s. 25.
Balaena Boops, Albers, Icon. Anat. 1822, t. 1 ; Catnper, Cetac. 74. t. 11,
12 ; Cat. Coll. Surg. 171. n. 1194, Ifimter's sjjec. ? ; Giesecke, Edinb.
Encyclop.
Balaenoptera Boops, Fin -backed Whale, Neicman, Zoohqist, i. 33, fig. ;
Fleming, B. A. 31 ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 520. fig. p. 521,' from Hunter.
Rorquahis Boops, F. Cuv. Cetac. 321. t. 20.
Balaenoptera Pliysalus, Gray, Zool. E. S,- T. 18.
Vaagehval, Eschricht, K. D. Vidensk. Selsk. xi. 1. 1, 2, and p. 286-299
(fetus and anat.).
Balajnoptera rostrata. Gray, Zool. Ereb. ^- Terror, 50. t. 2 (skull),
t. 1. f. 3 (baleen) ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, 90 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 32; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 227 ; Floicer, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864
(anat.).
Pterobalaena minor, Eschricht, Nord. Wallthiere, 59, 1849 ; Van Beneden,
Mhn. Acad. Roy. Bru.velles, xxxii. 36 ; Couch, Rep. Nat. Hist. Soc.
Penzance, 1851 ; LilJjeborg, I. c. ; Mahngren, Arch. Nattirg. 1864.
Pterobalfena minor et prostrata. Van Beneden, I. c. 463.
Inhab. North Sea. Ascending the mouths of rivers. New York
Bay (2>f^-«7/). Yalognes, France (CrVo^Vo^). Greenland. Norway.
8. BALiENOPTER.V.
189
,Vv''w
^'^<
Stuffed specimen : yoiuig. Thames at Deptford.
Stuffed specimen : very young. Greenland.
* Plates of baleen from a. Thames at Deptford. Figured in
'Zool. Erebus and Terror,' t. 1. f. 3.
Skeleton. South Greenland. From Mr. Brandt's Collection. ^
' f;™ /in I'
Fi
Atlas vertebra of lialanoptcra rostrata.
Extreme \vidth 9 inches; height 91 inches.
^d- i'f-- ^'^
Fiff. 50.
Second and third cervical vertebrae of Bal(pnopter<i fosfrata, united by the
ciniral arch.
Extreme width 12 inches ; height G inches. Articular surface :
width 4 inches.
190 BALiENOPTERIB.T;.
The skull figured in ' Zool. Erelnis and Terror,' t. 2, is 46| inches
long, 28 at the beak, 23 inches wide at the orbit, 15i at the notch,
and 10| in the middle of the nose. The nose of the skull is elon-
gate-triangular, viiih straight, regularly converging sides, not quite
twice as long as the width at the notch. The first cervical vertebra
is rather broader than long. The central hole is half as high again
as broad. The second and thii'd cervical vertebras are united toge-
ther by the upper edge. The second cervical vertebra has a broad,
much-expanded, lateral process, with an oblong central hole near
the body of the vertebra, reaching rather more than half its length.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cervical vertebrae have two (or
upper and lower) lateral processes. The upper process of the third
is the shortest and least developed, and they increase in length to the
sixth. The lower process of the third is the thickest. The fourth
and fifth are rather small ; and in tlie sixth the basal jmrt of the
process is shorter and the upper part much elongated and thinner.
The seventh has only the upper process, which resembles that of the
first dorsal in form, but is smaller.
This species, which is the smallest of the family, scarcely if ever
exceeds 25 or 30 feet in length.
Fig. 51.
Fifth cervical vertebra of lialcenoptera rostrata.
The skeleton of the " young Balcena Boops" (No. 1194, Mus. Coll.
Surg.), which formed part of the Huntcrian collection, and is pro-
bably the skeleton of the B. rostrata described by John Himter (as
the head is about 4 feet long, which agrees with the measurements
of his figure of the animal), belongs to this species. The cervical
vertebrae are all free. The skeleton and baleen are described by
Professor Owen in Cat. Osteol. Coll. Mus. Coll. Surg. ii. 441.
Mr. Knox examined a young Rorqual, 9 feet 11 inches long, 3 feet
from snout to ear, and 4 feet 8 inches in girth at the end of the
folds, which was cast ashore near Queensferry, Firth of Forth, in
1834. He considers it c|uite distinct from the Great Eorqual {B.
8. IJALiENOrTERA.
191
Boops), because it has only 11 dorsal, .30 lumbar, sacral, and caudal
vertebra; ; but he considers it the same as B. rostrata of 0. Fabricius,
Hunter, ami Scorcsby (Edinb. N. Phil. Jourti. 1834, 199). Mr.Knox's
specimen is figured by Jardine under the name of the Lesser Rorqual
(Nat. Lib. vi. t. 7). Schlegcl (Fauna Japon. 24, and Abhandl. 44)
erroneously refers to this figure as a representation of Bcdanoptera
arctica (anfarctica) ; for though the pectoral in the figure is larger
in proportion than it should be for a Balamoptem, it is not of the
shape of the fins of Megaptera ; and the artist has made the tui of
both the animal and skeleton of the larger Korquals too large in
proportion for the other parts of the body, and perhaps the length of
the body is foreshortened.
Fijr. 52.
Tympanic bones of Balanoptera rostrata.
Fis-. 53.
Top of first and sepond ribs of Bahenoptvra rostrata.
192 BAL^NOPTEEID^.
" In the Lcydon Museum there are two skeletons ; the first a very
beautiful and perfect specimen from the same locality as the last-
mentioned skeleton. The baleen is in'situ on both sides of the mouth,
never having been removed. The animal was in the adolescent
stage. The epiphyses of the upper end of the radius and ulna are
united, but that of the head of the humerus is still separable. The
entire length is 23' 2", of which the head occupies 5' 2". The
vertebral formula is C. 7, D, 11, L. 12, C. 17=47 ; but one or more
bones are wanting from the end of the tail. The cervical vertebrae
are all free. The upper and lower transverse processes of the sixth
are united on the right side, but separate on the left. The other
skeleton of the same species is rather larger, but not so complete.
The cervical vertebrae are all free, and none of the transverse pro-
cesses (excepting those of the second) are imited at their ends." —
Flotver, P. Z. S. 1864, 418.
" In the Louvain Museum there are two skeletons, but neither of
them yet articulated. The first is young and not very perfect ; it formed
part of the old anatomical collection of the University. The second
and third cervical vertebrae are anchylosed by their arches ; all the
rest are free ; the transverse processes are not fully developed. The
second is a fine perfect skeleton of an adolescent individual obtained
more recently from the Norway coast. The cervical vertebrae are
all free from each other ; the upper and lower transverse processes
fully developed ; those of the axis and the sixth vertebra united
together on both sides ; the others all separate. A small tubercle
represents the inferior transverse process on both sides of the body
of the seventh vertebra."— i^Zower, P. Z. S. 1864, 409.
" Skeleton of a young individual, in the Louvain Museum, marked
B. minima, and said to belong to a small variety only found among
the Eight Whales of Greenland. The total length is 17' 3" ; but
several vertebrae are wanting from the end of the tail. The skuU is
4' long. There are 7 cervical, 11 dorsal, and 12 lumbar vertebrae,
and 11 pairs of ribs. The cervical vertebrae are all free, and the
upper and lower transverse processes are not united at their ends in
any of them ; but in the axis the union is almost complete. There
is in the same Museum a skull, 3' 8" long, of a younger specimen of
tliis s]}ecios:'— Flotver, P. Z. S. 1864, 418.
The skeleton figured by Albers (Icon. Anat. Comp. t. 1) was taken
at Bremen on the 8th of May, 1669, and is preserved in the Town
Hall of that city. The skull was figured by Camper, Cetac. It is
29 feet long. The scapula is much broader than high, with a large
broad coracoid process. The sternum is slender and cross-shaped,
and is suspended in the place of the pubic bones.
Professor Eschricht observes that " the Greenland TikaguliJc, or
Balana rostrata of 0. Fabricius, may be distinct from the Norwegian
Vaagehval or B. minor " (4th Mem. 157). Our Greenland skuU docs
not appear to differ from that of the Enghsh skeleton.
Specimens have been taken in the Thames at Deptford (Hunter),
skeleton in Mus. Coll. Surg. ; Liverpool, April 1829 (Mag. N. Hist,
ii. 391, 1829) ; Largo, Scotland, 15th May, 1832, 14 feet long (Mag.
8. BAL.BNOPTERA. 193
^;5^'H; -^"^^ ""^ ^°''*^' ''^^^ Queensferry, 1S34 (Kno.v); coast
of Norfolk, 23rd Nov. 1839, 24 feet long (Mag. N. Hist, iii 157)-
Cromer {Ganuy), skeleton in Mus. Coll. Surg.; Thames opposite'
Deptforcl Creek, Oct. 23, 1842 (Illustrated London News, i 388 •
Zoologist, 1842), dceietoB in Eritish Museum; Jutland 183?'
skeleton in Mus. Louvain ; skeleton in Mus. Bremen, head figured by
P. Camper; Bergens, skeleton in Mus. Paris, Charante. Polperro-
caught in a mackerel dril't-net. May 1850. The blubber 2 inches
thick.— C o«f/i. In the specimen described by Dr. Jacob the remains
ot herrings only were detected.— Z)««m Phil. Joxtrn. 1825, 343
Ihis species is well described by John Hunter (Phil. Trans. 'l787J
3/^3 t. 20) from a specimen caught on the Doggerbank. It was
1 / leet long.
Fleming refers this animal to the BaUna trqmuutque rostrum
acutum of hibbald, on which Balceaa Boops is established, which
was 4b feet long (Brit. Anim. 31). Fleming also refers an animal
described and hgured by Mr. Scoresby (Arctic Eegions, i. 485 t 13
t 2), from notes by Mr. James Watson, from the Orkneys, to
Balmia mmcalus (Brit. Anim. 31 ). He quotes Sir Charles Giesecko's
statement '' that B. Boops is a small kind of whale, its length bein"
from 20 to 25 feet ;" and asks, "are we to rely on the size in de-
termining the species, and consider B. rostrata as a distinct species,
hmitcd to 2o feet m length, and represented by the rostrata of
J^abncius and Hunter and the Boops of Giesecke ? Fntui-e observers
may determine the point." (Fleming, Brit. Anim. 32.) The exami-
nation of specimens has determined it in the affirmative.
Dr. Knox, in his account of the dissection of a young Rorqual, or
hhort }\halobone Whale, gives the foUowing as the specific differ-
ences in the siceleton of the greater llorqual and the smaUer, or
rostrata of Fabricius : —
Great Rorqual. Vertebrse G3 : cervical 7, dorsal 13, lumbar
sacral, and caudal 43. '
SmaUer Rorqual. Vertebra 48 : cervical 7, dorsal 11, lumbar 13
sacral and caudal 17.
The position of the fins in the genus is very cUfferent from that
tound m the genus Physalus. 1 first pointed this out in my paper
on British Whales (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1846, xvii. 85), when, misled
by the general behef that there was only one species of Finner Whale
I stated that the body appeared to elongate between the fins as it
arrives at maturity. In the smaU ones (females ?), fi-om 14 to 25 feet
long (these are B. rostrata), the pectoral fins are about one-tliird
and the dorsal two-thirds of the length from the end of the nose •
but in the larger specimens, male and female (these are FhusaU)
the middle of the body appears to lengthen twice as fast as the* other
parts, for in these the pectoral is about one-fourth, and the dorsal
three-fourths the entire length from the end of the nose Thus
one IS obliged to feel one's way in the study of these animals so
(limcult to observe.
Professor Barkow describes the skeleton of a small Whalebone
W hale in the Museum of Breslmi (Das Lebcn der Walle : Breslau
o
194 CATODONTIDJ^.
1862, folio, with five woodcuts). It is 25 feet long-, with 48 ver-
tebrte, and appears to agree in. most particulars with Balcenoptera
rosirata, or Beaked Whale of Hunter. The fore-limb or hand has
Jive short fingers, like the short truncated fin of the Right Whale or
BaJcena, the first having three, the second four, the third five, the
fourth four, and the fifth a single phalange. The middle finger is
longest, the second and fourth nearly equal, a little shorter, the first
shorter stUl, and the fifth rudimentary and very slender (see f. 5
at p. 22). He pi'oposes to call it JPterobcihena nana pentadactyla,
giving the name of P. nana tetradadyla to the Balcena rosirata of
Hunter, P. giganfea Jonri'munm to the Megaptera longhnana, and
P. gigantea mhrocMra or hrevimana to the B. Physalus of Scoresby.
I think this determination requires reconsideration, for I am
doubtful if this specimen is not made- — that is to say, a skeleton of
Balamoptera rosirata with the arm and fingers of a young true Bala;na
or Right Whale appended to it.
Mr. Flower (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 394) observes, " Barkow (Das
Leben der Walle, &c. : Breslau, 1862) has described another species
Tinder the name of Pterobalcena pentadactyla ; but much uncertainty
hangs over the origin and composition of the single skeleton in the
Museum at Breslau, on which it is founded. If genuine, it would
necessitate a considerable modification of both the family and generic
characters."
Section II. DENTICETE.
Teeth well developed m one or hothjaics, rarely deciduous. Palate liiied with
a hard memhrane, without any baleen. Gullet large. Head large or
moderate, 7nore or less comiyressed. Tympanic bones at first separate,
nearly similar in size ; they unite early into a single bone, ivhich is
stmk in and suspended in a cavity in the base of the skull,
Cetacea dentata, Brisson, R. A. 225.
Delphiuidffi, "J. Gray," Tandhwalar, ii7^eJo/T/, Ofversiqt, 1862, p. 3.
Denticete, Gray, Ann. ^- Mar,. N. H. xiv. 1804 ; P. Z. 'S. 1804.
DelpLinoidea, Flouwr, P. Z. 'S. 1804, 389.
Zahnwalle, Eschricht, Nord. Wallthiere, 7.
" Teeth always developed after birth, and generally numerous,
sometimes few and early deciduous. No baleen. Sternum elon-
gated, composed of several pieces placed one behind the other, to
which are attached the ossified cartilages of several pairs of ribs.
The anterior ribs with capitular processes developed, and artic\ilating
with the bodies of the vertebraj, as in other Mammalia. The pos-
terior ribs without head, and only articulating with the transverse
processes. Rami of mandible straight, the two coming in contact
in front bj' a siu'face of variable length, but always constituting a
true symphysis. Upper sm'face of the skuU generally, if not always,
unsymmetrical. Upper end of the maxiUa expanded, and produced
over the orbital process of the frontal bone. Nasal bones rudimentary
and unsymmetrical. Lacrymal bone confluent with the jugal." —
Flower, P. Z. S. 1864, 389.
CATODOMID^. 195
A. Abstnls longUwlinal, paralM or dwcn/imi, covered with a valve, one often
larger and more developed. Pectoral broad, truncate. Fmners 5.
1 h.vseteroidea. ^
Family 3. CATODONTIDiE.
Head large, subcyliiidrical, blunt. Lower jaw narrow. Teeth
large, in the lower jaw only, fitting into pits in the gums of the
upper one. Nostrils separate, one often abortive. The liinder edge
ot the maxillary elevated, forming a concavity on the forehead of
T^ ^r ; Pectoral broad, truncated. Fingers 5. Eye and Hmb
ot left side smaller ; left nostril very large. The lower jaw is early
joined in front into a subcylindi-ical mass ; the branches converge
and nearly straight.
Delphinia Catodonia (pars), Rajin. Anal. Nat. GO, 1815.
Cete Camivom (pars), Lesson, K E^g. Anim. 201
Physetei-ere, Lessoii, N. Mg. Anim. 201.
Zahnwalle (pars), Oken, Lehrb. Naturg. 672, 1815.
Physeterida3 seu Hypodontia, J. Brookes, Cat. Mm. 38, 1828.
Catodon, Artedi, Gen. Piscium, 78. Ichth.
Les Cachalots, Duvernoy, Ann. Set. Nat. 1851, 2.3
Catodontidc-e, Grag, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 44: P. Z & 18G4 231 ■
MncLeag, New Sperm Whale, 1851, 63. ' '
Physeteriens, Geoff. Leqom, Mamm. 1835, 66.
Der Cachalots (Physeter), Schler/d, Abhandl. 24.
Physeteridffi, Oicen, Cat. Osteol.' 3Ius. Coll. Surg. ii. 442.
" Upper surface of massive skull concave for the reception of sper-
maceti. Nostrils enormously disproportionate in size, the left one
the largest. The nasal bones as well as those of the face generally
unsymmetrical and chstorted. Elowhole externally single (in aU')
Branches of the toothed lower jaw united in front by a bony sym-
physis, which is always considerably narrower than the toothless
upper jaw. Teeth of the under jaw conical, hoUow, Hke those of a
crocodile, and fitting into cavities formed in the gum of the UDuer
jaw."— il/«cZern/, 7. c. p. 63. ^^
" The Cachalots or ' Sperm Whales,' Catodontida; of Dr. Gray I
humbly consider to constitute a subfamily rather of DeJphiJdce
especially since the discovery of that verj- remarkable small species'
the Eaphysetes Graii of Mr. W. S. ^YaW'—Bh/th. Mr W S Mac '
Leay discusses this question in his ' History "and Description of a
new Sperm \\liale,' set up by Mr. W. S. Wall.
Synopsis of the Geneba.
I. Ile(ul coinjn-essed, truncated in front. Blowers in front of imner nart
of head. Skidl elongate. Dorsal hump rounded ■' ^^ ^
1. Catodox.
o2
196 CATODONTID^S;.
II. Head depressed. Blower oti back of the forehead. Dorsal Jin coin-
pressed, falcate.
2. Physeteb. Head large, rounded in front. Skull elongate.
3» KoGiA. Head moderate, witli a truncate snout in front. Skull short,
broad.
I. Head compressed, truncated in front, with the nostril in the upper edge of
the trnncatioii. Skull elongate. Dorsal hump rounded.
1. CATODON. Spermaceti Whales.
Head rather compressed in front and truncated, with the blowers
close together on the front of the upper edge, separated from the
head by an indentation. Nose of skull elongate, broad, depressed.
Lower jaw shorter than the upper one, very narrow, cylindi-ical in
front, and the rami united by a symphysis for nearly half its length.
Back with a roundish tubercle in front, over the eyes, called the
*' bunch," and a rounded ridge of fat behind, highest in front over
the genital organs, called the " hump," and continued in a ridge to
the tail. No true dorsal fin. Pectoral broad, truncated. Teeth
conical, often worn down. Males larger than the females.
The atlas is distinct; the other cervical vertebrae are soldered
together.
Catodon, Artedi, Syst. ; Lacep. Cet. ; Rafin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815 ;
Oken, Lehrb. Nat. 678 ; Gray, Zool. E. ^- T. ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 45 ;
P. Z. S. 1863 ; 1864, 231.
Physeter (Catodontes), Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 517.
Physeter, sp., Linti. ; Illiger, Prod. 143, 1811 ; Lesson, N. Bt'g. Anim,
201.
Physeter, Wagler, N. S. Amph. 33; J. Brookes, Cat. Mas. 88;
Rousseau, Mag. Zool. 1856, 257.
Physalus, Lacep. Cet. 219. t. 9, from Anderson, Cachalot, t. 4.
Balreuoptera (Physalus), Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 519.
? Notaphrum, Rajin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815 (no char, nor type).
Cetus (pars), Oken, Lehrb. Naturg. 674.
Fi-. 54.
Catodon macrocephalus. Cuvier, Oss. Foss. t. 24. f. 4.
1. CATODON. 197
Clusius erroneously describes the blowers as placed on the head
near the back, and Artedi and Linnceus adopt this error in their
character of Phijseter mucrocepJialus. Anderson (Iceland, ii. 186. t. 4)
gives a figure of a whale with a truncated head, much resembling
the old figures of the Sperm Whale, with the blower on the hinder
part of the head, like a Phijseter. Bonnaterre established on this
figure his Phijseter cjUndrus ; and Lace'pede forms a genus for it,
which he calls Phjsalus. The Dutch engraving of the animal de-
scribed by Clusius shows this to have been a mistake.
The bunch and hump referred to by Beale and the other whalers
appear first to have been described by T. Hasajus of Bremen, in 1723,
in a dissertation on the ' Le^•iathan of Job and the Whale of Jonas ; '
on " a specimen 70 feet long, -with a very large head, the lower jaw
16 feet long, with 52 pointed teeth, with a boss on the back, and
another near the tail, which resembles a fin." Cuvier, after quoting
this verj- accurate description, observes, " Mais d'apres I'observation
fait sur divers dauphins, cette disposition que personne n'a revue
pourroit avoir etc accidentelle, et alors cet animal n'auroit differe en
rien du Cachalot vulgaire" (Oss. Foss. v. 331). Indeed he wrongly
accuses Bonnaterre of having added a tubercle in his copy of Ander-
son's figure, which is not in the original (Oss. Foss. 333). Anderson,
in the description of tliis animal, says that it has a prominence 4 feet
long and a foot and a half high near its tail, as in his figure. But the
fact was that Cuvier erroneously combined the Sperm Wliale and the
Black-fish (Plu/seter) together ; and he could not otherwise reconcile
how some authors, as Hasaius, Anderson, and Pennant, described the
Sperm 'Whale with a hump, while Sibbald describes the Phijseter,
which Cuvier erroneously considered the same animal, with a dorsal
fin, overlooking at the same time the great difference in the form of
the head, and in the position of the blower of these two very dis-
similar genera (Oss. Foss. 338).
" When the young Cachalot has attained the length of 34 feet, its
teeth are perfectly formed, though not visible until it exceeds
28 iectr— Bennett, P. Z. S. 1836.
" The teeth in the lower jaw (in young specimens 16 feet long) had
not yet come through. Captain Benjamin Chase states that he has
more than once seen teeth of a considerable size in the upper jaw of
the adidt females, though always covered by the gum. The males,
he says, being much larger, are cut up differently, and in such a way
as not to expose the teeth." — Jaclson, Boston ilaj. N. H. v. 140.
" The upper jaw is not altogether toothless, as usually described.
It has on either side a short row of terth, which for the most part
are placcM more interior than the depressions which receive the teeth
of the lower jaw, thoTigh they sometimes also occupy the bottom of
these cavities. Their entire length is 3 inches ; they are curved
backwards and elevated about half an inch abi)ve the soft parts, in
which they are deeply imbedded, having only a slight attachment to
the maxillarj' bone. In two instances I have found their number
to be eight on each side. They exist in both sexes of the Sperm
Whale ; and although \-isible externally only in the adidt, they may
198 CATODONTID^.
be seen in the young animal upon removing the soft parts from the
interior of the jaw." — Bennett, Whalhi(f Voyage, ii. 163 ; Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1836.
" The number of the teeth varies greatly in diiferent individuals,
and does not appear to be influenced by either age, sex, or size.
Amongst many Cachalots I find their variations in number to be as
foUows : — 21 on one side of the jaw, 20 on the opposite ; 23-21,
22-22, 24-25, 22-23, 24-26, 23-24, 22-24, 19-20. Length of
male 60 to 76 feet ; of female, 30 to 35 feet. Foetus, 14 feet long
and 6 feet in girth." — Bennett, I. c. 154.
M. de BlainviUe described what he considered as two varieties,
observed in the lower jaws : — the first, from Cape Horn, has long,
slender, cylindrical, rather acute teeth, and the symphysis to the
twentieth tooth (figured Cuv. Oss. Eoss. v. t. 24. f. 8) : the second
with 25 or 27 blunt and vertical teeth on each side, the symphysis
to the eighteenth tooth. — Ann. Anat. et Phys. ii. 335, 336.
The ear-bones are figured by Camper (Anat. des Cetac. t. 23
& 25) and Cuvier from these figures (Oss. Eoss. v. 376) ; they most
resemble those of the DelpMnidce, but are less elongate and less
bilobed posteriorly. The tympanic bone is small, scroU-like, oblong,
anchylosed to a somewhat similar-shaped tegmen tympani and pars
mastoidea (see Owen, Hist. Brit. Foss. Mamm. j). 526. t. 33. figs. 220
&, 225 ; the figures are of the natural size ; not half the natural size,
as marked). They are from specimens sent by Mr. G. Bennett to the
Koyal College of Surgeons.
The atlas is distinct ; the rest of the cervical vertebrae are anchy-
losed into one piece (Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 346, t. 24. f. 12, 13). Ribs
14/14. Yertebrse 60 (see Cuv. Oss. Foss. I. e. t. 24. f. 15-18).
Blade-bone higher than wide, with a large coracoid (I. c. t. 24. f. 11).
Humerus and cubitus anchylosed, short and thick (t. 24. f. 14). Os
hyoides very wide (Cuv. t. 25. f. 15?),
There is the skuU of a foetus of this animal in the Museum of the
Royal CoUege of Surgeons : the bones are of a very soft structure.
The following are its measurements : —
Length, entire 32 inches.
Length of nose 20
Length of lower jaw 28
Length of symphysis 9'6
Width at notch of nose 12-6
Width of condyles apart 16-6
This foetal skuU is most fuHy and accm-ately described a» showing
the cranial organization of the present genus of Cetaceous animals
by Professor Owen (Cat. Osteol. Series, ii. 442).
The length of the symphysis in the skull of the foetal Cachalot
is three-fom-ths that of the rest of the ramus. In the adult male,
the disproportionate growth of this part of the jaw leads to an
excess of the length of the symphysial part beyond the rest of the
]. CATODON. 199
This skull IS also described and figured by Huxley iu his ' Elera.
Comp. Anat.' 18()4, fig. 118, on page 275.
In the foetal skidl the right pra3maxilla is much larger than the
left, extending far back upon the right frontal, while the left does
not reach the left frontal ; the left nostril, on the other hand, is
much more spacious than the right (see Huxley, Elcm. Comp. Anat.
27G. f. 110(f).
" These huge but timid animals on the approach of a ship or boat
dive into the depths of the ocean or skim along its surface with the
utmost precipitation, and when harpooned they are paralyzed with
atfiight, in which state they will often remain a short period on the
surface of the sea, lying as if they were fainting. When they
recover they show extreme activity in avoiding their foes, and but
rarely turn upon their adversaries ; for although men and boats are
frequently destroyed in those rencontres, they are more the effect
of accident during violent contortions and straggles to escape than
any wilful attack. The)- emit no sound, except a trifling hissing at
the time of the expiration of the spout. They only eject a thick
and dense vapour, and never water, from the spoutholes." — Beale,
3, 5, & 16.
" The male and female differ greatly in size and form. The adult
female is only about one-fifth the size of the adidt male ; but this
is not altogether to be understood as regards length, but of their
general bulk, for the females are longer in proportion to their cir-
cumference than the males, and they are altogether more slender,
which gives them the appearance of lightness and comparative weak-
ness."— Beale, 15.
" The herds or schools of the Sperm Whale are of two kinds :
1st, of females, which are accompanied by their young and one or
two adult males ; and, 2ndly, of the young and half-grown males ; but
the large and full-grown males always go singly in search of food." —
Beale, 20.
" There is little external appearance, beyond the size of the indi-
vidual or the development of its teeth, to distinguish the male from
the female. Whalers are inclined to believe that the convex or
' hatchet-shaped ' snout is characteristic of the male Cachalots, but
I do not think that there is sufficient ground for this conclusion." —
Bennett, 167.
Captain Chase states, " They couple in a horizontal position and
not upon the side ; nor does the female remain supine, but being
close to the surface of the water they occasionally turn, so as alter-
nately to bring the top of the head above the water, e%-idently for
the purpose of breatliing. The Eight ^\Tiale {Bahnia) breeds at
particular seasons, but the Sperm ^Mialo (Cato<Ion) at any season of
the year. He has never seen more than a single young one at a
time about the old female. Has seen a bucketful of thick rich milk
discharged frt)m the mammary gland of a female when cut up, but
has never \vitnessed the young in the act of suckling." — -Jnckson,
Boston JoHi-n. N. 11. v. 141. He figures the stonuich as having three
cavities (/. c. t. 14).
200 CATODONTID.'E.
" Owing to the great projection of the snout beyond the lower jaw,
it may be requisite for this whale to turn on its side or back to seize
its more bulky prej^ When the animal attacks a boat with its
mouth it invariably assumes a reversed posture, can-jdng the lower
jaw above the object it is attempting to bite." — Bennett, I. c. 176 ; see
also Beale, Hist. tSperm Whale, 159, and fig. at 154.
" The ordinary food is the cuttle-fish or squid {Sepia), many kinds
of which are rejected from the stomach of the whale when the latter
is attacked by the boats. It is probable they occasionally indulge
in other food. In 1835 a School Whale rejected from her stomach
a bony fish more than a foot long. Some whalers assert that they
have seen Cachalots throw up rock-cod, and even sharks." — Bennett,
I. c. 176 ; see Beale, 18.
Couch says a young one, 20 feet long, caught at Ropehann, on
the coast of Cornwall, had 300 mackerel in its stomach.
" The habitat of the Spei-m Whale is more peculiarly the central
and fathomless water of the ocean, or the vicinity of the most abrupt
coast. The geographical range of the species (genus?) must be re-
garded as verj'' extensive, since no part of the aqueous globe, except-
ing the Polar seas, would ajjpear to be altogether inimical to their
habits or free from their \dsits. It is, however, in the warmer seas,
within or upon the verge of the tropics, that the Cachalot is sought
with the greatest success, as in those corresponding to the inter-
tropical coasts of Africa, America, Asia, and New Holland, or sur-
rounding the Indian and Polynesian islands, but more especially and
imiformly in the ' line of currents ' which extend from the equator
to almost the seventh degree of north and sovith latitude, both in
the western and eastern hemispheres." — Bennett, 1. c. 182, with map,
showing where they occurred during his voyage. They were ob-
served in the Antarctic Seas as high as lat. 71° 50'. — Boss, Antarctic
Voyage, i. 169, 197.
Mr. Beale says, " From having particularly noticed their external
form, and also their manner and habits in various parts of the world
very distant from each other, yet I was never led to suppose for an
instant from their observance that more than one species" (the
Sperm Whale) " exists. The large full-grown male appears the same
in every part, from New Guinea to Japan, from Japan to the coast
of Peru, from Peru to our own island ; while their females coincide
in every particular, having their young ones among them in the same
order, and appearing similar to all others which I had seen in every
respect, merely differing a little in coloiir or fatness according to
the climate in which they were captured, as we had an opportunity
of observing as they were lying dead by the side of the ship." —
Beale, 12, 13,
But this is merely speaking the language of whalers, and by species
he means, as he does in the other parts of his book, genus. I have
no doubt, from analogj' of other whales, that when we shall have
had the opportunity of accurately comparing the bones and the
various proportions of the parts of the Northern and Southern kinds,
we shall find them distinct. Mr. W. S. MacLeay, in his essay on
1. CATODON. 201
the Southern Whale, has shown that this is the case. Wisliing to
call attention to this subject for future examination, I may observe
that Bcale (N. H. Sperm Whale, 22. f. 1, 14) describes the Southern
Sperm Whale as gre)'. Female one-fifth the size and bulk of the
males, more slender and large in proportion. Young black, skin
thicker. Varies sometimes in being black and grej' mottled.
Quoy gives an engraving of a drawing of a Sperm Whale, which
was given him by an English captain, which is probably the Southern
Whale. He calls it Phijsefer poliiciiphus (and Dcsmoulins renames it
P. (mstraVig), because its back appears to be broken into a series of
humps by cross ridges. In this particular it agrees with the Scrag
AVhale of Dudlej' (on which Bonnatcrre established his Bahena gih-
bosa) ; but it cannot bo that animal, as Dudley says it is a Whalebone
Whale. Quoy's figure differs from Bcale's in being much longer;
but, as Beale observes, when speaking of the figures of the jN'orthem
kind, this is the common fault of aU the drawings of the Sperm
WTiales.
Dr. Jackson observes — " The dorsal fin or hump forms a very
obtuse angle, and is ill-defined, being (in a space 16 feet long) about
10 inches in length and 2 or 3 inches high ;" there being, he further
remarks, " also between it and the caudal two or three quite small
finlets " (Boston Jonrn. N. H. v. 137). These latter are, perhaps,
what are represented as humps in Quoy's figure of C. poli/cifjjhiis.
The figure of the Sperm Whale in Duhamel, Pechcs, iv. t. 15. f. 3, is
good for the form and blower, and has the " taqmt " marked ; but a
fin has been added below, between the vent and tail, in the position
of the anal fins of fishes (I), in t. 9.-f. 1. This author has figured and
described Orca r/ladiator for the Sperm Whale (!).
Bonnaterre's figure (E. M. t. 7. f. 2) of the Grand Cachalot taken
at Andiene, 1784, and copied by Laccpcde, t. 10. f. 1, is not so bad
for form, but has a fin instead of a hump on the back.
The figure of the Spermaceti ^^^lale from the coast of Kent, 1794,
in the Gent. Mag. t. 1, is very inacciu'ate, especially respecting the
tail.
It is to be remarked that all the older writers only describe this
animal as occurring in the Northern seas, and Robertson and Eabri-
cius described it as black wben young, becoming whitish below.
AU the figures, except Anderson's, are, by the unanimous expe-
rience of the whalers, far too long for the thickness ; and Anderson's
scarcely represents the " bunch " sufficiently prominent, and erro-
neously represents the blower on the wrong part of the head.
Sperm A\Tiales are infested with small lice {Larunda Cetl) and
species of barnacles (as Otion Cuvieri), which usually adhere in
clusters to the integument around the jaws. (See Bennett, 7. c. 169 ;
Beale, Hist. Sperm Whale.)
Beale (Hist. Sperm ^^^lale, 8vo, 1839) and Bennett (Narrat.
WhaUng Voyage, 1S40, 8vo, ii. 153) give a long account of the
habits, the mode of catching, ttc. of the South-Sea Sperm Whale.
Colnet, in his ' Voyage,' p. 80. f. 9 (copied by Brandt and Eatze-
bui-g, t. 14. f. 3), gives a very good figure of a Sperm Whale, 15 feet
202 CATODONTID^.
long, from measurements ; with details of tlie manner of flenching
or peeling it. His figure agrees with Beale's in proportions. It was
caught in the North Pacific, near Point Angles, on the coast of
Mexico. This figure escaped Cuvier's researches.
Purchas says the Sperm Whale is found at Bermuda, where it is
called Trumpo, a name which Lacepede applied to the Northern
animal. An anonymous writer in the ' Philosophical Transactions,'
i. 132, and Dudley, describe them as found on the east coast of North
America.
The Japanese distinguish three varieties of this animal, according
to their size. They Hve in herds on the Japanese coast. — Faun.
Japon.
A whalers tooth is highly prized in Fiji, being used in augury by
the priests, and was formerly a sort of currency. — Bensusan, Journ.
Roy. Qeorjr. Soc. 1862, 48.
" The crown jewels of Viti were kept in a wooden box, in charge
of the widow of the late Governor of Namose : first, there was a
necklace of whale's teeth, the first that ever came to the mountain ;
secondly, a largo whale's tooth, highly polished, and carefully wrapped
up in cocoa-nut fibre (whale's teeth are in Fiji what diamonds are
with us) ; thirdly, a cannibal's foot, in the shape of a club, and bear-
ing the name of Strike twice, i. e. fii'st the man and then his flesh."
— Seemann, Journ. Roy. Geogr. Soc. 1862, 62.
1. Catodon macrocephalus. The Northern Sperm Whale.
Black, becoming whitish below.
Trumpo, rhil. Trans, i. 132.
Catodon Trumpo, Gerard, Diet. Sci. Ned, vi. 57; Laccp. Cet. 212.
t. 10. f. 2.
De Balnsna niacrocephala qute binas tantum pinnas laterales liabet,
Sibhald, Phul. 12.
Balajna major in inferiors tantum maxilla dentata macrocephala
bipinnis, Raii Pise. 15.
Cetus bipinnis supra niger, etc., Brisson, Cete, 357.
Catodon fistula in cervice, Artedi, Syn.
Catodon macrocephalus, Lacep. Cet. 1. 10. f. 1 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B.M.
1850, 49 ; Proc. Zool, Soc. 18G3 ; 1864, 231.
Sperm Whale, Anderson, Camhridye Plnl. Ti'ans. ii. 250. t. 12 (view of
animal), 1. 13 (cranium and lower jaw), t. 14 (side view of bead) ;
Jackson, Boston Journ. N. H. v. 137. t. 14 (stomach).
Spennaceti Whale, Dudlei/, Phil. Trans, xxxii. 258 ; Gent. 3fay. 1794,
3.3. 1. 1.
Blunt-bead Cachalot, Robertson, Phil. Trans. Ix. t.
I'hyseter Catodon, O. Fahr. Faun. Grcenl. 44, and Robertson, not Linn. ;
T. Thompson, Mag. N. Hist. 1829, ii. 471. f. 114 (bad),
rhyseter Trumpo, Bonnat. Cetac. t. 8. f. 1, from Robertson, copied
Reichenb. Cetac. t. 4. f. 12 (anat. t. 10) ; Fischer, Syn. Mamtn. 518.
Physeter macrocephalus, Linn. S. N. i. l07 ; O. Fabr. Faun. Grcenl. 41 ;
Shatv, Zool. ii. 497. t. 228 ; Reichenb. Cetac. 4. t. 4. f. 11 ; Schreb.
Savgcth. t. 337 a $ , t. 337 /3 ? ; Gossc, Jamaica, 349; Turton, Fauna,
\Q{ Jenyns, Man. 44; Bell, Brit. Qucul. 506. f. 511.
Cetus macrocephalus, Okcn, Lchrb. Nat. 675.
1. CATODON.
203
Physeter o-ibbosus, Schrob. Sdmjeth. t. 338; Johnston, Pise. 215 t 41
%rhj' ^"I'i'- *• ^2, copied Brandt Sc llatz. Med. Zool. t. 12 'f '20*
ndhKjhh. leldh. t. A 1. f. 3. '
AT'u^^''^/H^''"'^'° ^'''''''°' ^°''<^^ S'^''*- Teignmouth (Gesner, 1532)
A\ hitstable Euy, 1794. Scotland (6VW>«W, Robertson). Greenland
V/-7 '^'** ^«:)-j;°^ England, nine mouths of the year (Dudleu,
riul. Irons. 1. 132), -i \ j>
a. Skull. North Sea.
Length, entire I79 j^ches.
Length of beak 127
Width at notch (37
Width at middle of beak 52 ''
The beak is not quite twice the length of the breadth at the notch
and more than two-thirds the length of the entire head.
This specimen is figured, Cuv. Oss. Poss. v. 6. 24. f. 1-5.
/'. Lower jaw. Indian Seas. Presented by Colonel Cobb.
e. Lower jaw of young.
d. Lower jaw bent and distorted in front.
b. c. d.
_ in. in. in.
Entire length 157 92 51
Length of teeth -groove .... . . 29
Length of symphysis ... . 85 44 21 ^
Teeth on each side 23 21 19^
Width at condyle . . 31
The lower jaw appears to increase in length in front, for in the
older spe^cimeus the symphysis is more, and in tlie younger ones less
than half the entire length of the jaw. '
e, f. Teeth, various.
ij. Section of a tooth.
The Spermaceti A\Tiale frequently comes ashore in Orkney • one
was caught at Hoy, 50 feet long (" Lowe," Plem. B. A. 29)
A male, 52 feet long, with a dorsal fin, was found at Limekilns
in the Forth, m Feb. 1689, and described by Sibbald (Phal. 33 t 1)'
After a hard gale of wind northerly, no less than twelve male
whales, which undoubtedly came out of the Northern Ocean were
towed and dnvcn on shore, all dead and in a high state of putrefac-
tion, exceptmg one ; six were found upon the coast of Kent, two on
the coast of HoUand. One at the Hope Point, in the Pivcr Thames
was the only one seen alive ; he ran aground and smothered himself
in the mud, and was afterwards made a show of in the Greenland
Docks. {Letter from Waldenvick, on the eoast of Suffolk, 7th March
1/88, m Sir Joseph Banks's copy of Phil. Trans, in B. M Hbrarv )
Whitstable, Kent, Feb. 16, 1829. A male, 62 feet long and 16 l^et
high. " It was purchased by Messrs. Enderby and Sturo-e Avho
erected coppers on the beach and coUected the oil. They iirescntcd
the skeleton, which had been prepai-ed by Mr. J. Gould to the
204 CATODONTID^.
Museum of the Zoological Society. The government having put in
a claim to the ' royal fish,' the whole proceeds of it were under
arrest, and the bones are now whitening on the shore." — P. Hunter
and H. Woods, Mag. Nat. Hist. May 1829, ii. 197.
The skeleton of an adidt male, 56 feet long, at Burton Constable
(Turnstall in Holderness, Yorkshire, 1825), was articulated by
Mr. Wallis (see Beale, 73). This specimen was cast on the coast of
Holderness, and claimed hy Mr. Constable as Lord of Holderness, and
sent to Burton Constable (Thomas Thompson, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1829,
ii. 477). The skeleton is 49 feet 7 inches long ; cranium 18 feet
i inch ; lower jaw 16 feet 10 inches. Teeth 24 . 24. Ribs 10 . 10,
nearly circidar ; the first with one, the second, third, fourth, fifth,
sixth, seventh, and eighth mth two articulating surfaces, each arti-
culated to two vertebrse. Cervical vertebrae 2— that is, atlas and
another united ; dorsal, vertebrae 10 ; lumbar and caudal 32 : = 44.
Pelvis two flat bones ; sternum of three bones ; clavicles none ;
blade-bone flat, without any sijine, but with two projecting coracoid
processes near the articulation ; bones of pectoral fins 4 feet 4 inches
long ; carpus of seven loose square bones ; the phalanges five, the
three middle ones each of four and the two outer each of three bones.
The OS hyoides 2\ feet long. — Beale.
This is the skeleton from the coast of Yorkshire described by
Dr. Anderson in Cambridge Phil. Soc. Trans. 1825, ii. 1. 12, 13, 14,
but it is said to be 58| feet long, teeth 24 . 24.
" In July 1835 a whale came alongside of his boat, and sometimes
at no greater distance than a fathom. It was between 30 and 40 feet
long, but he could not well distinguish the hinder part of his body.
The body very thick and solid, with a fin on the tail of an extraordi-
nary shape, appearing like a hump, not high, and almost two fathoms
long, jsvith the upper portion in a waved form as of sejiarate humps,
and tapering behind into the general shape, where the body became
more slender." — Couch, Whale on the Coast of Connvall, 32.
This is probably the whale Mr. Couch in his former list referred
to Physeter poli/cysttis.
Ireland, north and north-west coast {Mohjnecmx, Phil. Trans. 1795,
xix. 508); Youghal (Smith); Dublin, 1766 {Etitty).
Sandy Side Bay, Thirso, August 1863, skeleton presented to the
British Museum ; supposed to have been brought by the Gulf-stream ;
was decayed when discovered.
Duhamel (Peches, iv. t. 15. f. 63) figures a male Cachalot, 48 feet
long, taken near Bayonne. He erroneously represents it as having a
long high fim between the vent and the tail, like the anal fin of fish.
" A true Cachalot was taken in 1856 by the fishermen of St. Na-
zaire, in the Mediterranean, and a considerable portion of its lower
jaw is preserved in the collection of the Marist Fathers, at La Seyne,
near Toulon." — Gervais, Comptes Rendus, 28th Nov. 1864, 876 ; Ann.
6f Mag. JSf. H. 1865, 75.
Skeleton mounted in the Court of the Cabinet of Comparative Ana-
tomy at Paris (Blainville, Ann. Fr. et Etrang. d'Anat. et de Phys.
ii. 326), which is said to have been purchased in London.
1. CATODON. 205
See Dauphm de Berlin, Duham. Puchcs, ii. 1041. t. 10. f. 5, and
Deljili. Bert'mi, Desm. Mamm. 510, 768 ; Fischer, Syn. 509. Is it a
young Fhi/seter ? — Fischer,
M. H. de Blaimille, in his ' Systeme du Rcgne Animal,' ex-
tracted in the ' Annalcs Fr. et Etr. d' Anatomic et de Physiologic,'
ii. p. 235, states that the jaws with teeth in the Paris Museum seem
to show two or three distinct forms. The first, a head, stranded at
Audierne, on the coast of Brittany, in 1784, has the lower line of
the lower jaw in the form of a hoat. Teeth 25 on each side ; 18 to
the symphysis. In two other jaws of this variety, one has 20 and
the other 27 teeth.
The second form has the lower jaw much less curved, nearly
straight, the sjniiphysis reaching to the twentieth tooth. Teeth all
long, straight. It was obtained at Cape Horn by M. Daubre, and is
figured in Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 340. t. 24. f. 8. There is a second jaw
of this variety figured in Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 24. f. 9 (?).
The third form is a jaw intermediate between the two former.
The symphysis ends between the twentieth and twenty-first teeth.
The teeth are 25 on each side.
Camper (Cetac. t. 17, 20-22, from the church of Scherclinge, 1. 18,
19, 27, Mus. Paris) figured the skuU of this whale. He represents
the nose of the skull as nearly twice and a half as long as the width
at the notch.
" Sperm "WTiales were frequently hunted off the shores of the
Antilles. Moreau de St.-Meri, in his ' History and Description of
the old French Colony of St. Domingo,' relates that in his time
(1785, in the months of March, April, and May) as many as twenty-
five vessels from the North American States could be seen off the
coast of Sale Trou, near Jacmel, fishing for the Cachalot WJiale,
and, he adds, for SouJJleurs {Balcenoptera), and that this fishery was
pursued with equal spirit and success within the gulf to the west of
the colony, that is, within the Bight in which I saw the Cachalot
beach. The whalefishers resorted to Turk Island to boil their oil."
— Gosse, Nat. in Jamaica, 353.
Dr. J. B. S. Jackson gives the dissection of a very young Sperm
Whale taken near Boston, U. S., on 29th March 1842, which was
16 feet long ; the hump, which was 9 feet from the tip of the nose,
formed a very obtuse angle, and was ill defined, there being also be-
tween it and the caudal two or three quite small finlets. The outer
surface was everj^where quite black, remarkably smooth, and elastic
like India rubber. — Boston Journ. Nat. Hist. 1845, v. 138. t. 16.
f. 1 (the stomach).
The blowholes are situated on the top of the head, at the vciy
extremity, and rather towards the left side ; they are of the form of
an italic/, as observed by Anderson, Beale, and Jackson. F. Cuvier
says they are semicircular (p. 288), and they are longitudinal, and
not transverse as stated by Hunter.
Roof of the mouth smooth, high-coloured, hoUowed as if to receive
the lower jaw, which is quite narrow in front. — Jackson, 1. c. 140;
Wyman, I. c. t. 14 (stomach).
206
CATOBONTID.^.
Dr. Jackson gives a comparison of the measurements and teeth of
nine lower jaws of the Sperm Whale, taken on the coast of North
America, which he had examined. — Boston Journ. N.H. 1845, v. 152.
1. Length 16| feet. Teeth 25 .24, moveable, rather ii-regular.
2. Length 15^ feet. Teeth 25 . 27, opposite in front, behind
irregular, hinder smallest and worn. Width at condyles 5|.
3. Length 8| feet. Teeth 20 . 20, regulaiij opposite, and very
little worn, the front largest, middle most slender, hinder smallest.
Width at condyles 3f .
4. Length 7f feet. Teeth 26 . 23.
5. Length 5f feet. Teeth 23 . 22, but connected in animal 18
feet long. Width at condyles 2|.
6. Length 5^- feet. Teeth 25 . 24, all pointed, and some hardly
cut the jaw. Cranium 6| feet long ; the petrose portion instead of
being free, as usual in the Cetaceans, is as closely connected with the
base of the skuU as any other bone. Width at condyles 5^.
7. Length 15| feet. Teeth 26 . 25. Width at condyles 5yL-
8. Length 7^ feet. Teeth 24 . 24. Width at condyles 3|.
9. Length 8^ feet. Teeth 23 . 23. Width at condyles 4^.
A very young Spermaceti Whale, taken near New Bedford, Massa-
chusetts, 29th March 1842, weighed 3053 lbs. Entire length 16 feet,
to rudimentary dorsal 9 feet, to anterior fin 4 feet, to vent 10^ feet,
to eye 3^ feet, to angle of mouth 2^ feet. Circumference 9 feet.
Teeth of lower jaw not yet cut.
The young is quite black, remarkably smooth and elastic, like
India rubber ; from a line with the anterior extremity of the head
to the top of the tail 16 feet, to the rudimentary dorsal fin 9 feet, to
the anterior fin about 4 feet, to the vent 10 feet 2 inches, to the eyes
3 feet 2 inches, to the external orifice of ears (which was about the
size of a goose-quill) 3 feet 8 inches, to the angle of the mouth 2 feet
10 inches ; vertical diameter of the head, just in front of the opening
of the mouth, 2 feet 10 inches, of the largest part of the body 3 feet ;
anterior fin 18 inches long and 9 inches wide. The dorsal fin or
hump forms a very obtuse angle, and is ill-defined, being ab.out
10 inches in length and 2 or 3 inches in height ; there beinr/ also
between it and the caudal two or three quite small Jinlets. Span of
tail 1 foot 7 inches, and 4 inches wide midway. Lower jaw to
angle of mouth 1 foot 8 inches ; right eye 1 1 inch long. Circum-
ference of the body 9 feet. — Jackson, Boston Journ. N. H. v. 139.
2. Catodon austraUs. The Australian Sperm Whale.
. Vertebrae 49. Cervical atlas free, rest very thin and anchylosed
together.
Catodon australis, W. S. MacLeay, New S^jerm Whale, set iip by W. S.
Wall, 8vo, 1. 1 (skeleton), 1851.
Sperm Wliale, Bcale.
Inhab. South Seas.
" The head is very thick and blunt in front, and is about one-third
of the whole length of the animal ; at its junction with the body is
1. CATODON.
20';
a large protuberance on the back, called the 'hunch of the nech' ;
immediately behind this, or the shoulders, is the thickest part of the
bodj^ which from this point gradually tapers off to the tail ; but it
does not become much smaller for about another third of the whole
length, when the 'small' or tail commences; and at this point on
the back is a large prominence of a pyramidal form, called the hump,
from which a series of small processes run halfway down the smaU
or tail, constituting what is called the rklfje ; the body then contracts
so much as to become not thicker than a man's body, and terminates
in the flukes or tail. The two flukes constitute a large triangular
fin. The chest and belly are narrower than the broadest part of the
back, and taper off evenly and beautifidly towards the tail, giving a
clear run. The depth of the head and body is in all parts, except
the tail, greater than the width ; the head, viewed in front, presents
a broad, somewhat flattened surface, rounded and contracted above,
considerably expanded on the sides, and gradually contracted below,
so as in some degree to attain a resemblance to the cutwater of a
ship. At the angle formed by the anterior and superior surface on
the left side is placed the single blowhole or nostril, which in the
dead animal is a slit or fissure in the form of an S, extending hori-
zontally. In the right side of the nose and upper surface of the head
is a large, almost triangular-sha]ied cavity, called the case, which is
lined with a beautiful glistening membrane, and covered by a thick
layer of muscular fibres and small tendons running in various direc-
tions, finally united by common integuments. This cavity is for the
purpose of secreting and containing an oily fluid, which is, after
death, converted into a granulated substance of a yellowish colour —
the spermaceti.
Fiff. 55.
Atlin of Caivilon (iiitfialis, '^ilacJjCuy. From the Museum at S3-dncy.
" Beneath the case and nostril, and projecting beyond the lower
jaw, is a thick mass of elastic substance — the junk, which is formed
208 CATODONTID^.
of a dense cellular tissue, strengthened by nuraei'ous strong tendi-
nous fibres, and permeated with very fine oil and spermaceti.
" The mouth extends nearly the whole length of the head ; both
jaws, but especially the lower, are in front contracted to a very narrow
point ; and when the mouth is closed, the lower jaw is received within
a sort of cartilaginous lip or projection of the upper one — but prin-
cipally in front ; for further back at the sides and towards the angles
of the mouth both jaws are furnished with well-developed lips. In
the lower jaw are forty-two large conical teeth; in the upper are no
teeth, but depressions corresponding to and for the reception of the
ends of the teeth in the lower jaw. Sometimes a few rudimentary
teeth may be found in the upper jaw, never projecting beyond the
gum, and upon which those in the lower jaw strike when the mouth
is closed. The tongue is small, white ; the throat capacious, very
unlike the contracted gullet of the Eight A\Tiale. Mouth lined with
a pearly-white membrane, continuous at the lip, which is bordered
with the black external skin. Eyes small, with eyelids, the lower
one most moveable, placed a little behind and above the angle of the
gape, at the widest part of the head. Ears very small, without any
external appendage, a short distance behind the eyes. The swim-
ming-paws or fins are placed behind, not far from the angle of the
mouth ; they are not much used as organs of progression, but as
giving direction and balancing the body in sinking suddenly, and
occasionally in supporting their young.
" The full-grown male of the largest size is about as follows : —
entire length 84 feet ; depth of head 8 or 9 feet ; breadth 5 or 6 feet ;
depth of body seldom exceeds 12 or 14 feet, so that the circumference
rarely exceeds 36 feet ; the fins about 6 feet long, and 3 feet broad ;
the tail or flukes 12 or 14 feet wide."- — Becde.
Vertebrae 49. Cervical 7, the first free, the other six much com-
pressed, and anchylosed together ; dorsal 10, having the vertical
spinous processes inclined backward, and increasing in length from
the fii-st to the last. The ribs 10 . 10 : the first, ninth, and tenth
pairs have only one articulating surface to their proper vertebrae ;
the second, third, and fourth have two articulating surfaces; and
the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth have three. The ribs on the
left side larger in dimension than the corresponding ones on the left.
Sternum triangular, composed of three pairs of bones, the upper
pair larger, oblong, elongate, the second and third pairs smaller, nar-
rower behind (MacLeay, t. 1. f. 2).
Humerus very short and tliick, nearly haK the length of the
scapula ; it expands very much at its carpal end. The radius and
the uhia both constricted in the middle, and of much the same form,
except that the globular olecranon process of the latter gives a
peculiar character to this last by its being very prominent as it
turns towards the thumb. The bones of the carpus not articulated
together, but imbedded in a mass of cartilage. Carpal bones 6 ; five
rounded, irregular, placed in a transverse row, one opposite each
finger ; the sixth thin, laminar, transverse. Metacarpal bones much
compressed, and scarcely to be distinguished from the phalangeal.
1. CATODON. 209
Pelvis composed of three pieces, a middle and two slender ones,
which are articulated one on each side of the former (Wall, 1. 1. f. 4),
the middle bone being composed of two arched pieces.
It is clear from Wall's description of the skeleton of the Sperm
Whale which lives on the coast of New Holland that it is quite
distinct from the Northern one described by Beale and Cuvier.
Mr. Wall says " there were no vestiges of any alveoles in the skull
of a very young Sperm discovered on the beach near Botany (Bay) ; "
he suspects " that Mr. Bennett must have mistaken some kind of
Dolphin for a young Cachalot." Very unlikely, when we consider
that Dr. Bennett was a surgeon on board a whaler.
John Hunter states that there is only a single tube or canal from
the commencement for both nostrils. In some Dolphins there is
said to be a dividing membrane.
Species ivanting further examination.
The Pacific Sperm Whale.
Sperm Whale, Cohiet, Voyage, 80. f. 9 ; Beale, N. H. Sperm Whale,
22. f. 1-14.
Physeter macrocephalus, Bramlt ^ Ratzeburg, Med. Zool. t. 14. f. 3,
from Col net.
Spermaceti Whale, Nunn, Narrat. Favourite, 40, 58 (fig. not good),
175 ; Fauna Japoitica ?
Catodon Colneti, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 52.
Inhab. North Pacific. Japan. South Seas {Nunn). " Equatorial
oceans " (Lesson).
The South African Sperm Whale.
Catodon macrocephalus, A. Smith, African Zool. 127.
Inhab. Mozambique Channel and South-east coast of Africa (A.
Smith).
The Indian Sperm Whale.
Catodon macrocephalus, Blyth, Cat. Mus. A. S. 93.
Inhab. Ocean ; occasionally hunted at the entrance of the Bay of
Bengal, within sight of Ceylon.
Whales visit the Straits of Namoa regularly eveiy May. They
are mostly cows, and are usually accompanied by their calves, some
20 or 30 feet long. Some of the adults attain the length of 70 feet.
At night they make a loud puihng noise resembling the sound pro-
duced by the piston of a steam-engine. At daytime they are seen
putting their long heads ovit of the water and opening their immense
jaws.
Lacepede describes a whale, figured in some CTiinese drawings,
under the name of Phi/seter sulcafxs, in Mem. Mus. iv. 474.
210
CATODONTID^.
The South-Sea Sperm Whale.
Physeter polycvphus, Qnoi/ ii- Gaim. Zool. JJran. Mamm. t. 12, cop.
itcicheiih. Ci'iac. 5. t. 5. f. 13.
Physeter aiistralis asiaticus, Desmoulins, Diet. Class. H. N. ii. 618 ;
Fischer, Si/n. 518, from Quoy.
Catodon polyscj'plius, Lesson, Mamm. 422.
Cachalot, or Sperm Whale, Bennett, ^Vhalimj Voyage, ii. 153, fig.
Inhab. Molucca.
Only described and figured from a drawing by an English sea
captain.
The humps on the hinder part of the back, from which MM. Quoy
and Gaimard name the^ Molucca Sperm Whale, do not appear, by
the account of Dr. Jackson and Mr. Couch, to be a peculiarity of that
animal.
Under the name Physeter ijolycyphus, the Humped Bloiver, Mr.
Couch, in his ' Cornish Fauna,' obseiTes : — " A specimen like the
figure of the above in Gaimard, ran itself on shore in pursuit of
small fish several j^ears since ; another was seen and minutely de-
scribed to me by an intelligent fisherman ; but it would appear that
the number of humps on the back is variable. It is probably the
Bcdcena monstrosa, Euysch, Theat. Anim. i. t. 41." — Couch, Cornish
Fauna, 9. It is curious that the same form should be observed in
the Northern and Southern oceans.
" The Si^ermaceti Whale is not uncommon in the latitudes of New
Zealand, and often falls a prey to the whale ships which cmise in
the open sea ; but it does not approach the shallow coast or inlets,
as its habits are diflerent from those of the Black Whale. One
driven on shore at Te-awa-iti gave about 2 tuns of oQ." — Dieffenbach,
New Zealand, i. 42.
n. Headdejn'essed, broad, rounded iti front. Blower on the hack of the
forehead. Dorsalfn cotnpressed, falcate.
2. PHYSETER.
"Head rounded, very large, in the adult about one-fourth the entire
length of animal, oblong, rather compressed ; eyes small, on the sides
behind the blower, convex above; upper jaw longest; the blowers
on the middle of the top of the head, separate, covered with one flap ;
pectoral fin moderate, triangular ? ; dorsal fin high, falcate ; teeth
conical, compressed ; the male organ under the firout edge of the
dorsal, and the vent nearly under its hinder edge." — Sihbald.
Physeter, sp., Linn.; Artedi; Illiger, Prodr. 14.3, 1811; Gratf, Zool.
E. Sf T. ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 5-3 ; P. Z. S. 1863 ; 1864, 234. '
Physeter, Rajin. Anal. Nat. 1815, 60.
Tursio, Fleming, Phil. Zool. 211, 1822 (P. microps).
Cetus (Ruckenfinne), Oken, Lehrh. Nat. 676.
? Orthodon, Rajin. Anal. Nut. 60, 1815 (no char, nor tj'pe).
Physeteres, Lacep. ; F. Cur. D. S. N. lix. 318.
We only know this genus by the description and figure of Sibbald.
2. rnrsETEK. 211
According to Sibbcold they produce spermaceti. Cuvier, in his
* History and Examination of the Synonyma of the Cachalots or
Sperm Whales ' (Oss. Foss. v. 328-338), regards the description of
this animal given by Sibbald as merely a redescription of the Sperm
Whale, and finds great faalt mth Artedi, Bonnaterre, and others
for having considered them as separate ; and he regards the second,
blunt-toothed specimen as eitlier a Dclphinus fjlobiceps or a D. Tursio
which had lost its upper teeth ; this error is important, as it \itiate8
many of his subsequent observations. To have come to these con-
clusions he must have overlooked Sibbald's figure and ample details
of the first, and the figure of the teeth of the second, or they woidd
have at once shown him his error. That he did so is certain ; for
when he comes to Schreber's reduced copy of Sibbald's figures of
Baliena microcephala (p. 337), he says Schrcber does not indicate its
origin ; but on this copy of Sibbald's figure, which he before regarded
as a Sperm Whale, he observes, that '* from the form of its lower jaw
it most resembles a large dolphin which had lost its upper teeth."
Thus, whUe Cuvier was reducing tlie numerous species of Sperm
Whales that had been made by Bonnaterre, Lacepede, and other
compiling French authors, to a single species, he has inadvertently
confounded with it the verj- distinct genus of Elack-fish, or Physeter
of Artedi, which has a very differently fonned head, the top of the
head being flattened, with the blowers on the hinder part of its
crown, and with a distinct dorsal fin, particulars all well described
by Sibbald, a most accurate observer and conscientious recorder, and
not badly represented by Bayer.
Mr. BeU observes, — *' After careful examination of the various ac-
coimts whicli have from time to time been given of whales belonging
to this family, called Spermaceti Whales, I have found it necessary
to adopt an opinion in some measiu'e at variance with those of most
previous writers, with regard to the genera and species to which all
those accounts and details are to be refen'cd. The conclusion to
which I have been led. is, first, that the High-finned Cachalot is
specifically but not generically distinct from the common one, and
that therefore the genus Catodon is to be abolished, and the name
Physeter retained for both species ; and, secondly, that all the other
species which have been distinguished by various naturalists have
been founded upon trifling variations or upon vague and insufficient
datii." — Brit. Quad. .507. Thus, though Mr. Bell differs from Cuner
in regarding them as distinct species, yet ho overlooked Sibbald's
figm-es, for he says there is no figure of the High-finnecl Cachalot in
existence, and keeps it in the genus Phi/seter, which he characterizes
as having the " head enormously large, tnmcated in front," which is
quite unlike the depressed rounded head of the High-finned Cachalot ;
and he also adopts the mistaken description of the dorsal fin.
Eschiicht seems to believe that Sibbald described a Killer, or Orca
(jladialor, under the above name, but I liave never heard of an Orca
52 feet long.
Some parts of Sibbald's description, and his reference to Johnston's
figure, might lead to this error ; but his figures, wliich exactly agree
r 2
/^.
A^.,-' - ■'.'- ' -
.-r
\// . 7^
212 CATODONTID^.
in proportion ■with his description, though not referred to in the
text, at once set this at rest, the divawing being yL of the natural
size, that is to say, 6 feet to an inch ; and he observes that his
animal is longer and more slender than WiUughby's figure of the
Spei-m Whale.
Sibbald describes the comparatively small triangular dorsal to be
erect like a " mizen mast," which Artedi and Linnaeus translate
pinna altissima, and cause Shaw to call it the High-finned Cachalot.
Dr. Fleming by mistake calls this species the Spermaceti Whale
(Brit. An. 38) ; and he refers to P. mucrocepTialus (Linn.) as the true
Sperm Whale figured by Eobertson. Sibbald, in speaking of another
specimen, says, " spinam dorso loiigam," as correctly quoted by
Artedi and Linnseus, but used by them in 02)position to the altissima
of their other species.
J. Bayer (Act. Nat. Cm-. 1733, 111. 1. t. 1) gives a rather fanciful
but vezy recognizable figure of a male specimen of this genus, which
was thrown ashore at Nice, on the 10th of Nov. 1736, where it is
called Mul<ir. He compared it with Clusius's description of the
Sperm Whale which was stranded on the coast of Holland, and ob-
serves that it has a dorsal fin, very small pectorals, and other cha-
racters not noticed by Clusius ; and he says it agi-ees in aU points
with the whale noticed by Eay (Syn. Pise. 14), which is extracted
from Sibbald as above quoted.
F. Cuvier, overlooking the reference to Clusius and Ray, and the
characters, speaks thus of Bayer's figure, "EUe est en effet d'un
Cachalot ; mais eUe le rend de la maniere la moinsfidele." — Cetac. 267.
Duhamel (Peches, iv. t. 9. f. 2) figured a whale from the " River
Gabon " in Guinea, with teeth in the lower jaw, a dorsal on the
hinder part of the back, and the blowers in the crown, as in this
genus ; but the jaws are equal, and the mouth bent up at the angles
to the eyes. He says it is called Grampus by the English. This
figure is evidently only a copy of the Baleine franche (Duhamel, ix.
t. 1. f. 2), with teeth in the place of the exserted baleen, and has a
dorsal fin added.
There is an etching, by Van den Velde, of a " Pot Walwesk op
Noortwijek op Zee, 28 Dec. 1614," which I think represents this
species.
Beale (History of Sperm '^Tiale, 11) observes, " Others of the
whale tribe have dorsal fins whale they possess the cylindrical jaw
(like the Sperm Whale), as the Blach-fisJi, but yet spout from the
forehead or top of the head, and do not produce spermaceti. It is
doubtful if this is not derived from Sibbald, for it can scarcely refer
to the Glohiocephalus macrorhynchus, which, according to Bennett,
Nunn, and others, is called the Black-fish by South- Sea whalers.
1. Physeter Tursio. The Blacl--fish.
Black. Teeth 11 to 22 on each side, conical, compressed. Head
nearly one-fourth, pectoral fin one-thirteenth the entire length ; the
length 50 to 60 feet.
2. PHYSETF.R. 213
Physeter Tursio, Artecli, Syii. ; Linn. S. N. i. 107 ; Grai/, Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 56 ; P. Z. S. 1803 ; 1864, 234.
Physeter ?, Schlegel, Dieren, 90. t. 19.
Delphinua Orca, Eschricht.
1. De BaliBna macrocepliala qure tertiain in dorso pinnam sive spinani
habet et denies in maxilla inferiores arcuatos faleiformes. — Sibhald,
Phal. t. 1. f. A, B, C ; hence
Balfena major inferiore tantum maxilla dentata dentibus arcuatis fal-
cifoi-mibus pinnam s. spinam in dorso habet. — Raii Pisces, 15.
Cetus tripinnis dentibus arcuatis falciformibus, Brisson, R. A. 229.
Physeter microps, Artedi, Syn. ; Linn. S. N. i. 107 ; Schreber, Sdugeth.
t. 339 ; Anderson, Iceland, 248, fig. from Sibbald; Turton, B. F. 17 ;
Fleming, B. A. 38 ; Jenyns, Man. 45 ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 512.
Physeter macrocephalus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 331, 334.
Tursio microps, Fleming, Phil. Zool. 211.
2. BaliBna macrocephala tripinna quae in mandibula inferiore denies
habet minus inflexos et in planum desinentes. — Sibbald, Phal. t. 2.
f. 1, 2, 4, 5 (teeth) ; Raii Pi^c. 16.
Cetus tripinnis dentibus in planum desinentibus, Brisson, R. A. 230.
Delphinus globiceps ? or D. Grampus ?, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 331, 334.
3. Mular, Bayer, Act. Nat. Cur. 111. t. 1, male; hence
Physeter Mular, Bonnat. Get. 17; J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 18, 1828 (a
stuffed foetus high-finned ! ! !).
Physeter Orthodon, Lacep. Cet. 236, from Anderson, 246.
Delphinus Bayeri, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii. ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 224, from
Bayer.
Inhab. North Sea. Scotland (Sibhald), female 1687, male 1689.
Nice (Bager)?
Sibbald observes that " the superior part of the body was swelled
to a prodigious size. In length it was 52 or 53 feet, its height
12 feet, its girth above 32 feet. Its head was so large that it was
(the tail being removed) half the length of the whole body. In form
it was oblong-round, somewhat compressed at the upper part ; in-
ferior part of rostrum beyond lower jaw 2^ feet, the superior part
nearly 5. Lower jaw 10 feet long. The extreme part of the ros-
trum was distant 12 feet from the eyes, which were very small for
the size of the head, about the size of those of the haddock. A little
above the middle of the rostrum is a lobe, which is called the • lum,'
with two entrances covered with one operculum, called the ' flap.'
The size of the cranium may be estimated by the fact that four men
were seen inside it at one time, extracting the brain, which con-
tained several cells or alveoli, like those which bees keep their honey
in, and in these were round masses of a white substance, which,
upon examination, were proved to be sperm. Some of this substance
was also found externally on the head, in some parts to the thickness
of 2 feet. In the superior jaw were 42 alveoli, hollowed out for
receiving the teeth of the lower jaw ; they were of a cartilaginous
nature. In the inferior mandible there were 42 teeth, 21 on each
side, all of the same form, which was like that of a sickle, round
and a little compressed, thicker and more arched in the middle, and
gradually becoming thinner, terminating superiorly in an acute cone
turning inwards ; inforiorly it becomes thinner, and terminates in a
more slender root, which is narrower in the middle. Of these teeth
214 CATOBONTID.Ti.
those in the middle of the jaw are larger and heavier, those external
are smaller. One of the larger, 9 inches long, weighed 18| oz., and
at the thickest end was of the same length as breadth. The smallest
tooth which I got was 7 inches long and 5 in girth. The osseous
part of these teeth projected 3 inches beyond the gums, was like
polished ivory, smooth and white ; the fang of each tooth was pro-
vided with a large ca^ity, which was so constructed that in the
larger teeth there was a cavity 3 inches deep. It had two lateral
fins each about 4 feet long, and besides these a long fin on the back.
Colour of skin black. The throat was observed to be larger than
usual in whales. Only one stomach was found."
The male and female seen by Sibbald have been di\'ided into two
species, according to the more or less truncated state of the teeth.
Mr. WaU thinks the skeleton at Burton Constable must belong to
this genus, but the nostrils were at the end of the snout (see
Anderson, 257).
" A male with acute falciform teeth is described by Sibbald as found
at Limekilns in the Forth, in February 1689. It was 52 feet long.
The upper jaw projected 2^ feet beyond the lower. Lower jaw
10 feet long, and narrower than the upper towards the extremity.
From the snout to the eye 12 feet. In the lower jaw were 42 teeth,
21 on each side, curved and ending in acute points, the largest of
which was 9 inches long, and the least 7 inches ; these projected
§ inches above the gums, and contained a large cavity at the root.
Swimmers 4 feet long, tail 9 feet broad. Sibbald also mentions a
female with flat-tipped teeth, which came ashore in Orkney in 1687.
The head was 8 or 9 feet high, the blowhole in front. The tusks
were very little bent, and nearly solid externally, or with only a
lateral slit or a small cavity. Some of the teeth were 4 inches long
(figures 1-11). The dorsal fin was erect, like a mizen mast ; it
yielded good spei'maeeti." — Fleming, B. A. 38.
Mr. Lowe states that this species frequently comes ashore in
Orkney. One was caught at Hoy, 50 feet long. — Lowe, Orhiey, 160 ;
Fleming, B. A. 39.
Mr. Barclay, of Zetland, states that " the Physeter Tursio, or
High-finned Cachalot, is fi'equentlj^ seen on these coasts in summer,
and is easily distinguished by the long perpendicular fin on its back "
(BeU, Brit. Quad. 513).
Mr. William Thompson, of Belfast, published a sketch of the fin of
this whale as said to be seen by Captain Thomas Walker of Kelmore,
Wexford (see Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1846, xviii. 310, fig.). " There
were either five or seven of them, two much larger than the rest,
and apparently 25 feet long. When I first saw it I thought it was a
■cot (small flat-bottomed boat) at anchor, her tarred sail made up to
the mast ; more then rose, and they crossed in a long file the bows of
my boat. They were not more than 3 or 4 yards from me, and the
back fin appeared 10 or 12 feet high, and had either before or behind
a roimd white spot on the back ; all the rest of the body was black,
like a porpoise. I did not see the head or tail. They went steadily,
not rolling like a porpoise."
3. KOGIA. 215
Mr. Couch thinks he has seen this whale " on the coast of Corn-
waU. It also occurred in May ISoO. The fin was not less than
/ teot high." He further observes, " This species is supposed to be
the whale sometimes seen on the Cornish coast sailing rapidh^ alono-
at a uiuform elevation in the water, vrith its slender but elevated lin
above the surfiice white. The body is lineated helow.''— Couch
Corn. Fawm, 7. '
In the Catalogue of the Mu.seum of the Royal College of Sur"-eons
the truncated whale's-teeth are called " the teeth of the Hio-h-finn-d
Cachalot, P. Tur,;o ? " p. 171, n. 1189-1194. And the smaU jaws
ot the feperm Whale are caUed " the Lesser Cachalot (PJu/seter Cnto-
don, Linn.)."
See also Physeter suhatus (Laccp. Mem. Mus. iv. 47-5), fi-om a
Japanese drawing, with the dorsal fin over the pectoral and the iaws
grooved. •'
The Black-fish, or Bahena microcephalm of Sibbald, the PTimeter
micro^>s, ^^■hlch I thought formerly might be the Ardluh of 0 Fabri-
cms, but wluch Esehricht after much consideration feels assured is
the female Delphinus Orca, has entirely escaped the research of
Jischncht and all other writers on the Whales of the North Seas.
The greatest desideratum of zoology is the power of examinino-
some specimens of the genus Ph>,seter, or Black-fish as it is called
by the whalers. There is not a bone, nor even a fragment of a bone
nor any part that can be proved to have belonged to a specimen of
this gigantic animal to be seen in any museum in Europe This is
the more remarkable as the animal grows to the length of more than
1, if^'.x'iu*^,'^ mentioned under the name of the Black-fish in almost
aU the W haling \ oyages ; and two specimens of it were examined
by Sibbald, having occui-red on the coast of Scotland. The only
account which we have of the animal, on which zoologists can i)lace
any reliance is that fm-nished by Sibbald in his littic tractate on
Scotch \\Tiales.
J^^^ J^"^^'^'^' ■niinoribus in inferiore maxilla tanfmn dentafis (Sibb.
Phal. 24), on which Linnaeus established Phi/sefer Catodon, and
Fleming the Catodon Sibhaldii, is evidently a Belufja.
3. KOGIA.
Head moderately short, very broad, rounded behind and sub-
tctrangular in front, where the base is broad, and the snout trun-
cated, slightly reflcxcd and niarginated at the extremity. The blow-
hole single, externally large, .situated at the base of the foreliead
near the middle of the head. Snout turned up at tlie margin.
Pectoral fin broad, truncated, with 5 fingi-rs, first and fifth shortest,
second longest, third and fourtli gradually shorter. Dorsal fin tri-
angular; front edge rather convex, at an angle of 45° ; hinder edge
concave, perpendicular. Caudal tnangular, terminal edge sinuat«I.
Skull broad, triangular; beak short, I)road, fiat above; hinder
part very broad, semicircular, and surrounded by a bony ridge formed
by the maxillaries. This sperm-cavitj- is longitudinally divided by a
210
CATOBONTID^,
bony ridge near the occiput. The lower jaw wide at the condyles,
having the branches in front united by a short narrow symphysis.
Teeth: none in the upper jaw; 13.13 in the lower jaw, conical,
curved.
Physeter, sp., Blainv. Ann. Atiat. et Phys. ii. 335 ; Lesson, N. Reg.
Anim. 201.
Kogia, Gray, Zool. Erehus Sf Terror, 22; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 18.
Euphysetes, MacLeay ( Wall), Hist. New Sperm Whale, 1851, 50, 63, t. 2.
Fig'. 56.
Skull and lower jaw of Kogia breviceps. From De Blainville.
" The most important character of the genus Euphysetes is the
heavy ridge of bone that longitudinally divides the spermaceti-cavity
into two unequal parts. There has been nothing like this structure
hitherto described among the Cetacea" ("Wall, I. c. 47). This cha-
racter at once separates it from the skuU of the foetal Catodon, with
which some zoologists have been inclined to confound it.
3. KOGIA. 217
" Instead of the perpendicular and semicircular wall as in Catodon
being formed by the maxillary and doubled on the occiput, forming
the back of a great cavity on the summit of the head, we see a cavity,
although it is completely formed at the back by the raaxillaries,
divided as it were into two unequal parts by a lidge of bone, which
is twisted towards the right side of the head." — Wall, I.e. 39.
1. Kogia breviceps. The Short-headed Whale.
Skull broad and high, the frontal crest distinct, and the nasal pit
deep, rather like that of the Cachalot. Nose short and pointed,
rapidly tapering, only 1 inch longer than the breadth of the occipital
bone. The lower jaw is very wide apart at the condyles, bent
sharply inwards, and united in front by a moderate symphysis, and
very narrow but rounded at the end. Teeth 14 or 15, narrow,
slejider, conical, acute, and rather arched inwardly.
Physeter breviceps, Blainv. Ann. Anat. et Phys. 1838, ii. 335. pi. x.
(skull) ; Lesson, N. R^g. Anhn. 201.
Kogia breviceps, Gray, Zool. JErebus ^- Terror, 22.
Tnhab. Cape of Good Hope (Mus. Paris).
Described from a single skull in the Paris Museum. Length of
the skull 14 inches 6 lines. Lower jaw 13 inches, separation at the
condyles 12 inches, symphysis about two-ninths of the length of the
lower jaw. Beak the length of the width at the notch.
" Tete osseuse est extremement large et fort elevee (figs. 3 & 4),
ay ant les crctcs frontales tres remontdes et par conse'quent les fosses
nasales fort profondcs, un peu comme dans les Cachalots, et se ter-
minant tres rapidcmcnt par des maxillaires tres courts et pointus, en
sorte que la longueur totale est a peine d'un pouce superieure a la lon-
gueur occipitale. Lamachoire inferieure (figs. 1, 2) a necessairement
une forme analogue, c'est a dire que tres larges entre les condyles,
les deux branches se rapprochent presque aussitot, comme dans un
soufflet, pour former une symphyse assez longue et une extremite
etroite, mais arrondie a sa teiinination. II me parait a peu pres
certain qu'il n'y avait pas de dents a la machoire superieure ; quant
a I'inferieure, elle en avait 14 ou 15 de chaque cote, dont toutes ne
sont pas restccs ; cinq seulement du cote gauche, quatre a droite,
etaient encore dans leurs alveoles : quclqucs autrcs y ont ete re-
placees : eUes sont etroites, greles, coniqucs, aigues, un peu arquees
en dedans, et longues de 6 ou 8 lignes (fig. 5, dc grandeur naturelle).
" Longueur de la machoire inferieure 13 pouccs, ccartement dc ses
condyles 12 pouccs. Longueur du crane 14 pouces et demi.
" Une autre particularitc qu'ofire ce crane consiste dans imc inc-
galite telle des fosses nasales que la droite est presque a Tetat rudi-
mcntaire, etant vingt fois peut-etre plus petite que Tautre." —
De Blainville, tom. cit. p. 337.
218 CATOBONTID^.
2. Kogia Grayii,
Beak of skull much truncated and blunt, shorter than broad (that
is, as 14 to 8) at the occipital bone, and shorter than it is wide (that
is, as 7 to 9) at the notch. Teeth j^^=2G.
Eupliysetes Gra'S'ii, W. S. MacLeay, ( Wall) Hist. Neiv Sperm Whale,
1851, 8vo, p. 37. t. 2 (skeleton).
Inhab. Australia.
" Head short and very broad, with a low snout, a convex forehead,
at the base of which was a large single blou'hole, placed at about the
middle of the head (aperture circular ? or lunate ?) ; the snout turned
up with a margin like that of a pig ; roof of the mouth with a series
of sockets on each side for receiving the teeth of the under jaw ;
under jaw very thin, narrow, subcylindrical, with hollow conical
teeth inserted somewhat horizontally, with the points slightly curved
upwards, and worn at the tips ; the ej'es low down, in front of a
very weak pectoral fin. Dorsal fin like that of a Dolphin ;. the front
edge rather convex and inclined backward at an angle of 45° ; the
hinder edge more perpencUcular and concave ; it was about 3| inches
high, 6 inches long at the base. The caudal fin triangular, hinder
edge sinuated, with a small deep central emargination and acute
tips. The length was 9 feet, and the tail 2 feet wide.
" The skeleton (with the cartilages) is about 8| feet long. The
skull is 16| inches long, and not symmetrical.
" There is the same want of sjTumetry, the same distortion of the
bones, and the same concavity of the upper surface of the head,
foiTued by the enormous development of the base of the maxillaries,
and the same convexity of the roof of the mouth, as are found in the
genus Catodon, and there are some anomalies that render the forma-
tion more divergent from that of the Dolphins in the last-named
genus. Owing to the great breadth of the vomer, the snout forms
from the notches an almost equilateral triangle, with a short, blunt
emarginate point instead of the long and sharp one of the genus
Catodon. The intermaxillaries barely pass beyond the point of the
maxillaries, but, as in the Sperm Whale, the right intermaxillary
mounts nearly to the occiput, high above the right nostril, which is,
as it were, almost carved out of it. Instead of a perpendicular and
semicircular wall formed by the maxillaries, and doubled by the
occipital, forming the back of the great ca\dty on the summit of the
head, as in Catodon, in this genus the cavitj', although it is completely
formed at the back by the maxillaries, divides as it were into two
unequal parts by a ridge of bone, which is twisted towards the left
side of the head : this prominent, thick, and sinuated central ridge is
formed by the base of the left maxillary and the base of the right
intermaxUlary, which both meet at the summit of the head. The
right intermaxillary does not join the occipital, but is separated from
it by a thin edge of the right maxillarj', so that the occipital is
doubled in front by the base of the maxillaries above. The left
intermaxillary is much shorter than the right one, and mounts no
higher than the wall of the left nostril, which it partly forms ; the
3. KOGIA. 219
great width of the left nostril distorts these hones. The vomer, with
the side of the intermaxillarios, forms a broad hollow canal.
" The nostrils are in the middle of the upper surface of the head,
not perhaps so obliquely as in the genus Catodon, but they are of a
much more unequal size, one being more than ten times the size of
the other, throwing the nasal bones quite out of theii- place. The
right nasal bone is a very small triangle, at the base of the ethmoid,
which forms, with tlie right intermaxillary, the wall of the small
right nostril, and it forms the lower edge of the dividing ridge, and
terminates abruptly and jierpendicularly above the base of the vomer.
The left nasal bone is more than 2 inches long, and somewhat paral-
lelogram in shape with the left intermaxillary. The left maxillai'v
and the ethmoid together form the wall of the very large left nostril.
" The two massive maxilhie touch each other behind where they are
doubled by the occipital, and leave no part of the frontal visible.
"' The front;d is a heavj- quadrilateral bone with concave sides, one
of which forms the top of the orbit. A part of the maxilla comes
near to the front angle of the orbit, and its posterior wall is formed
by part of the zygomatic apophysis of the temporal ; it docs not join
the postorbital apophysis of the frontal, but leaves it open. The
lower part of the orbit has its front side formed of a short, thick,
triangular jugal. The fosso-temporalis is pear-shaped.
" The roof of the mouth is convex, showing only two small points
of the intermaxillaries, one on each side of the line of the vomer,
and formed almost entirely of the under side of the enormous maxil-
laries. These each have a linear groove rimning from the front of
the snout for the pits for the teeth of the lower jaw. The palatines
are small, quadrilateral, the pterygoid very large.
" The lower jaw is slight and fragile, with scarcely any condyles.
The broad branch nearly as thin as paper, with the side deflexed
inwards. The s3-mphysis is short compared with that in Catodon,
and boat-shaped and keeled. Teeth 13 . 13, projecting horizontally
^nd curved upwards ; they have single roots.
" The OS hyoides like that of Catodon, but the lateral pieces are
more rounded, and the anterior apophyses of the middle piece are
deficient. The styloidean pieces are subcylindrical, thicker at each
extremity.
" The larger portion of the labyrinth of the ear-bones has six points,
and the other portion, which is spherical in Catodon, is in this genus
oval, as in Dolphins. The tympanum resembles the shell of the
genus Comts, with a wide longitudinal mouth ; in other respects the
ear resembles that of Catodon more than Ddj^Jtinus.
" Vertebrae 52 -, the seven cervical all confluent and soldered to-
gether, so as to be very difficult to distinguish one from the other.
The atlas and axis are marked out, and have blunt, conical, transverse
apophyses. The lower apophyses are evanescent ; the thii-d and foiu-th
are thick, each marked with a short, conical, superior apophysis,
distinguished by four lateral holes ; the vestiges of the fifth, sixth,
and seventh are as thin as paper, and soldered. Dorsal vertebrae 14,
lumbar 9, caudal 21, thirteen with chevron bones attached, and eight
220 platanistidjE.
terminal. The ribs are tlattish and somewhat angular, 14 . 14 : the
first rib is broad and flat, and has but one articulating surface to
the transverse process of the first dorsal vertebra ; the seven follow-
ing pairs have each two articulating surfaces for each consecutive
two of the first seven vertebrae ; the next five pairs have only one
articulating surface for each rib. The ribs more or less arched. The
sternum composed of three pairs of bones, like Catodon australis? ;
the middle pair united ?
" The pectoral fin weak. Scapula thin, flat, smooth, with a thin
triangular acromion on the outer crest, and a thick, more solid cora-
coid apophysis on the inner ridge in the shape of a parallelogram.
The humerus compressed, concave behind, with a waved front edge.
Ulna distinct, like the radius, both nearly alike, only the ulna is
rather the thicker.
" The carpal bones 7, viz. two linear transverse bones, and five of
a flat, round, irregular shape ; a small hexagonal one, which is
placed between one of the transverse bones and the metacarpal of
the thumb. The transverse carpal is subtiiangular, and placed at
the end of the radius. The other thin transverse bone is trapezoidal,
and between the base of the uJna and the two outer carpals. The
fore-finger has two large flat carpal bones between the comer of the
radius and the metacarpal of the fore-finger. The phalanges appear
gradually to diminish towards the points of the digits. The thumb
has two, the index finger six, the fourth finger four, and the little
finger two (or perhaps three) phalanges.
" The ^ivis is composed of five bones, the middle ones quadran-
gular, each longer than broad ; the outer ones are broad, subquad-
rangular, thickest in the middle of their inner side, where it is
articulated to the former."
This work, I am informed by Dr. Krefl't of Sydney, was entirely
written by that eminent zoologist and entomologist Mr. W. Sharpe
MacLeay. It is only to be regretted that he did not publish it under
his own name.
" The inhabitants of the island of Selvi, one of the Timor group,
are such expert fishermen, that they constantly take the species of
whale called BlacJc/lsh, which are often 20 feet long, and which
afford oil inferior only to the Spermaceti, having the same substance
in the head as the Sperm Whale. They do not boil the blubber, but
expose it to the sun in an inclined situation, with a ditch for the
bottom, into which the oil drains." — Moore, Notes on the Indian
Archipelago, quoted hy Blyth.
FamUy 4. PLATANISTIDiE.
Head small, with a long produced beak ; forehead arched. Blower
linear, nearly parallel, in a line over the eyes. Pectoral broad,
truncated ; fingers 5. Dorsal fin none. Back keeled. Skull with the
sides of the maxiUa elevated, forming a vaulted cavity over the
1. PLATANISTA. 221
forehead. Teeth in both jaws at first subcylindrical, becoming com-
pressed.
Platanistidw, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863.
Delphinidse Platanistina, Gray, Zool. E. ^- T. 45, 1846 ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 61 & 136.
1. PLATANISTA.
Head convex ; beak compressed, curved up at the end. Teeth at
first subcylindrical, at length compressed. Dorsal none. Back keeled
in the place of the fin, and obliquely truncate behind. Pectoral fan-
shaped, truncated. Blowhole single, longitudinal. Fingers 5, four
subequal, outer shortest. Scapula with a large acromion process,
and without any ridge. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 22. figs. 8, 9, 10.
Platanista, Pliny ; " Cuvier, 1829, '^ fide Lesson, Tab. P^y. Ani7n. 198 ; fr^^-^^~p /J99'l
Wagler, N. S. Amph. 35, 1830; Gray, Illust. Lid. Zool.; Zool. E. '/jt^i:^^ ^'^ ■"
4- r. 45 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863. ^ _ A^^^^t^Jfejfei^rM^l^^^^-^
Platanistina, Gray, Zool. Ereb. ^ Terr, (misprint). ' /A^92^
Susu, Lesson, CEuvr. Buffon, i. 215, 1828 ; Tab. Reg. Anim. 198. -^ — — '
Delphinorbynchus, sp.. Lesson.
Delphinus, sp., Lebeck.
The eyes extraordinarily small in diameter, only 1^ line. It may
be called a Blind Whale, for the perforations for the optic nerve in
the skudl are only rudimentary. The ear situated considerably above
the eye. The spiracle is a simple longitudinal fissure, measuring
1 inch 9 1 lines, its anterior end exactly in a vertical line above the
eye ; it is a perfectly straight longitudinal slit, without the faint
double curve of an S attributed to it by Lebeck and Eoxburgh.
Female sexual organs about 2 inches long, showing nothing remark-
able in form, nor in the furrows in which the papillae are situated.
The tongue exceedingly short, adnate in its whole circumference,
and reaching only as far as the point where the jaw contracts itself
into a narrow rostrum. The body enveloped in a thick layer of
fat, measuring 1| inch in thickness. Colour of the back dark lead-
grey ; under the belly somewhat lighter, though not much. —
Eschricht, Ann. <Sf Macj. N. H. 1852, 284.
Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 307) describes the skeleton of this genus,
and figures some of the bones.
Professor Owen describes the skull and teeth of an old and yoiing
specimen (Cat. Osteol. CoU. Mus. Coll. Siirg. ii. 449). Professor
llcinhardt has described its general anatomy (Dan. Vet. Selsk. for
1S51) ; a translation of the paper, by Dr. Wallich, appeared in the
Ann. tt Mag. Nat. Hist, for March and April 1852. It was from a
young specimen caught in a fish-net and sent to Denmark in spirits.
M. Itousseau gives some observations on the anatomy (Mag. Zool.
1856, 204) ; and I gave some observations on the change in the
form of the jaws and teeth during the growth of the animal, in the
Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1862.
Professor Owen observes, *' In the length of the mandibular sym-
physis the PlataniMa resembles the Phijsctrr ; in the broad converging
222 PLATANISTID^.
maxillary crests it resembles the Hyperoodon ; in the expanse of the
temporal fossa), the strength of the zygomatic arches, the shortness
of the malars, and the smallness of the orbits, it is peculiar among
the true Cetacea. Contrary to the rule in the Delphinidce, the
anterior teeth retain their prehensile structure, while the posterior
ones soon have their summits worn down to their broad bases. The
implanted base of the tooth is remarkably expanded in the antero-
posterior direction, and its outer surface is augmented by longitu-
dinal folds like those of the teeth of Sauroid fishes, but weaker than
in them. Sometimes the posterior teeth are implanted by two short
fangs, which is a still more exceptional character in the existing
carnivorous Cetacea " (p. 449).
The form of the crest of the skull is modified according to the age.
In the head of a young specimen in the Anat. Mus. Univ. Edin.,
Knox Cat. n. 105, the reflexed portion of the maxillary bones is only
partially developed ; their inner sides are cellular, and radiately
ridged with a ragged edge.
In the skuU of a half-grown specimen in the Royal College of
Surgeons the crest is rather produced in front ; the uj^per part of
the front edge is suddenly raised behind, compressed, and forms a
sort of ovate crest.
In the skuE of an adult the crest is regularly arched, and the
upper part of the front edge is obliquely trimcated, as represented in
Cuvior, tom. cit. xxii, f. 8, and in Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1852, t. 5 & 6.
" From the minuteness of its eyes, the Snsu is ob\iously adapted
for turbid rather than clear water, and it has never been observed
out to sea." — Blyth.
Mr. Elyth observes, " I have heretofore been under the impression
that the specimen presented [to the Museum of the Asiatic Society]
by M. Duvaucel was of the male sex, but I find it otherwise, and
certain discrepancies of proportion which I had suspected to indicate
sexual diversity may yet prove to be of specific importance. I
have never obtained a male of this animal. So far as can be judged
from apparently well-stiifFed specimens, that of M. Duvaucel is of
a more slender form, with a longer rostrum, unlike any that I have
seen from the river Hougiy. Entire length 6 feet to point of tail-
flukes, and 1 foot 5| inches from gape to tip of rostrum. Length of
Calcutta female 7 feet, with rostrum 13| inches from gape. The
two skulls presented by Dr. Wallich show a similar disparity." — Cat.
Mus. Asiat. Soc. 92.
In the young specimens the jaws are rather swoUen, and oblong
near the front end. The teeth are cylindrical ; the hinder ones thick,
short, and far apart. Those in the front half of the jaws are very
long, subcylindrical, slightly arched, transversely compressed at the
base, that is, more or less flattened on the front and hinder sides by
the interlocking of the teeth of the opposite jaws.
In the older specimens the jaws are compressed at the end ; the
teeth are conical, compressed laterally on each side, longitudinal as
regards the length of the jaw ; the base is broad, rugulose, and
more or less worn away at the upper hinder edge ; the hinder ones
1. I'LATANISTA. O»>o
are rather distant, the front rather longer than the others. In the
middle-age specimens, as that figured by Homo (Phil. Trans. ISIh!
t. I J, t. -0), tlio roots of the teeth are compressed and hollow but
1.1 the more aged animal they are much lengthened, solid, st'roni
1. Platanista Gangetica. The Svsu.
Blackish-red colour, rather paler beneath.
searches, vii. 1/0. t. o, 1811 ; Desni. Mamm. ,513 ; Fischer Sun 'iOa ■
oc/ilrffr/, Ahhandl. 28. i. o lu ,
Delphinorlnnchus Gangeticus, imow, ilf««. 40G (from lifel
Pla^am,^a Uan-^etica, Gray, Illust. Ind. Zool. t. ) zZ T&. T 45 •
Cat Mamm. B.M. ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 18.50, 137 ; >. CW CHac'^2 ■
Blake, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bern,. I860, 449- Bldh T?2^ ^f<}c/oJ,
12; Asiatic Besearehes,xii. Append xxvixvXmU.J" ••"'• ^''•
11. 1851 ; A>m. ^- Mag. N. H. 1852, 1(51. t. 46. "^ "'•
t-riit^^^^r^^r"™^'"- ^'^^- ^- ^«^- -• 1-^3 (from
Platanista, Lesson.
Susu, ffi-^uv. ^^^o«, i. 215. t. 3. f 3, 1828
Platanista, />//«. Hist. Nat. ix. eh. 15
^'iiy '^^ ^''"°'' ^"'■'■''■^ ^*^- ^'''- ^- '• 22- i- 8, 10 (from spec.
(t. Stuffed specimen. India. Ganges.
b. Stuffed specimen : younger. India, Ganges.
lS;e, Esq '"' '''"''"^- ^"^^^- ^"^'^"t^d by Gifson V
are pregnant. I he embryo before birth is 14 or 15 inches Ion-
" There are three stuffed specimens (an adult male, a youno- and old
femde) and two skulls (male and female) in the Museum of the
Asiatic Society of Calcutta, and a fine scries of skcleto,?. t Ih.
Museum of the Calcutta Medical ColIege."_i?7v/7! '^^'^'*«"' ^^ ^^^
" The >'Si(^n abounds in the river Houglv • it "is extrempK- .1,-ffl u
to procure, at least in the ncinity of dalnt^lTZti:^^^^^
taken the captors saw off the rostrum '—B7,/th
-In wluvt I believe to be the skull of an ad.dt male the svm
Physis ot the lower jaw measures 17 inches, in the adidt female onty
224 PLATANISTID^.
12 inches ; the rostrum heing thus 5 inches longer in the former." —
Bhjth.
" The Susu ascends very high up the rivers, if not quite to the foot
of the mountains. Hardwicke's drawing was ' made from a living
specimen 1000 miles above Calcutta.' Major Tyler has seen them
forty miles up the Jumna, and also at Rajghal Mundi in the Dehra
Dhoon. In the Indus and Sutlej near Ludiana, but these were
doubtless the species (Platanista Indi) proper to the Indus and its
tributaries.
" The Gangetic Susu is common throughout the vaUey of Assam, in
the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. I have been assured that no
such animal exists in the Irawadi and other Burmese waters. It is
migratory, as it occurs towards the Gangetic outlet only in the cold
season, as remarked by Dr. Cantor ; but at what particular season it
is observed in the upper provinces I have been unable to ascertain."
— Blyth.
" There are 28 or 29 teeth in each side of each jaw. They do not
alternate in a quite regular manner. The length and form of the
teeth vary much, though not by sudden transitions. The anterior
are of considerable length, as much as 9 lines, pointed, and so com-
pressed and curved that they have an anterior and posterior surface,
the anterior margin convex and the posterior concave ; towards the
middle of the jaw they gradually become shorter and cone-shaped,
so that the 19th lower and the 21st upper pair only project above
the gum like little knobs 1 line high with broad bases : in proportion
as they become shorter they recede from each other." — Reinhardt,
Ann. J- Mag. N. H. 1852, 174.
"Anteriorly, the lower teeth are seen to embrace as it were the
upper jaw, leaving a deep furrow on the outer side of the opposed
gum. Midway in the jaws the apices of the teeth meet the corre-
sponding gum close to the outside of their own teeth," — See Illust.
Ind. Zool. t.
Professor Reinhardt says, " the figure in the ' Indian Zoology ' is
most imsuccessfid," yet his translator fairly states that it is from
" a living specimen," while Eschricht only saw " a young specimen
that had been preserved in spirits !" — Ann. Sf Mag. N. H. 1852,
167 & note,
2. Platanista Indi. The Indus Susu.
Platanista Indi, Blyth, Rep. Asiat. Soc. 13 ; Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng.
xxviii. 493 ; Cat. Mas. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 92.
Platanista Gangetica, var. minor, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mm. Coll. Surg.
449. no. 2481.
Inhab. Indus, Dr. David Wallich (Mus. CoU. Surg.), Sir Alexander
Burns, Major Tytler.
'■ The skull from the Indus, presented by Sir A. Burns, is of a con-
spicuously new species. The maxillary crests are wanting in this
specimen. The skull is larger and much more robust than that of
P. Oangetica, with the same number of teeth, which are more than
tM'ice as short, being much ground down bv attiition. Length of the
1. PLATANISTA. 225
skull 20^ inches. Greatest width at zygomata 9|- inches. Depth of
the two jaws with teeth in situ, measured in the middle of their
height, 8^ inches (in F. Gangetica barely \\ inch). Length of sym-
physis of lower jaw 11 inches. Depth of zygomatic arch 2\ inches.
"A coloured figure, probably the identical individual that furnished
the skull above described, occurs among the Burns' drawings. The
rostrum is represented as short in proportion to the length of the
animal, and the neck to be more contracted than in the Gangetic
species, which may be an error of the draughtsman. Colour also
much paler, the lower parts dull albescent, abruptly defined in a
line from the gape to the tail-flukes. Evidently a female. The male
should have a longer rostrum. Length 7 feet by l^ in depth.
Dorsal rudimentarj- as in P. Gangetica^ — Dlyth.
See Keinhardt's paper in * Ann. Nat. Hist.' 1852, pp. 162, 279, &
291, where the Susu of the Indus is referred to as a peculiar species.
—Bhjth.
The skuU brought from the Indus by Dr. David WaUich, in the
Museum of the Royal CoUego of Surgeons, n. 2481, named P. Gan-
getica, var. minor, is of " smaller size, the total length not exceeding
12 inches, and the anterior teeth being much longer and more
slender and acute. These differences may depend on the immaturity
of the indi\'idual, but all the parts of the occiput have coalesced,
and none of the sutural unions manifest any mark of immaturity.
There are 21 teeth on the left side of the upper jaw, and 19 teeth
on the right side, but the alveolar grooves extend further back,
indicating the former existence of teeth or germs of teeth which
have been lost. There are 20 teeth on each side of the lower jaw,
behind which is a short extent of an empty alveolar groove. The
teeth are placed close together; the anterior ones in the lower jaw
are an inch in length, slender, and sharp-pointed, with the points
slightly incurved and projecting outside those of the upper jaw ;
but the chief parts of the crowns of both the upper and under teeth
fit into the interspaces of those of the opposite jaw when the mouth
is closed. The teeth progressively diminish in length, without de-
crease of basal breadth, as they are placed further back.'" — Owen, I. c.
pp. 448 <fe 449.
They have lately received a second skull like the preceding at the
College Museum, of a rather larger size.
This skull is very unlike the Platanista Indi of Elyth, as he de-
scribes the teeth of that animal as twice as short as those of the
Gangetic Susu and much ground down. May it be the very young
state of it ?
226 iNiiD^.
B. Kostrils united into a single transverse or crescent-shaped blower. Head
moderate, more or less beaked. Teeth in both Jaws, often deciduous.
The 2)ectoralJin lanceolate, taper in ff.
FamUy 5. INIID^.
The head beaked ; beak bristly. Teeth in both jaws, conical,
rugulose, crown of the hinder ones with an internal process. Back
without any fin, keeled behind. Pectoral fin large, lanceolate.
Skull : maxiUary bones simple, expanded over the orbits. Jaws
compressed. Symphysis of the lower jaw elongate. FluviatUe.
Iniada3,^G;-rtii/, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, :May.
■fijjf- Delphimdae Iniana, Grai/, Zool. Erebus &■ Terror, 45 ; Cat. Cet. B. M.
'■^ 1850,60,135. . ,_ 0 7 rc^ vr
1. INIA.
Head rounded, convex. Nose produced, nearly cylindrical, taper-
ing, hairy. Blowers oblique, nearly above the pectoral fin. Ear-
hole distinct. Teeth numerous, rugose, grooved, permanent ; the
front hooked ; the hinder, close at the base, with a large rounded
tubercle on the inner side. Dorsal fin none, but the back is keeled,
ovate, and subtriangular behind. Body compressed behind. Pec-
toral fin large. The skiill depressed, with the nose tmce as long as
the brain-cavity, compi-essed, with a groove along each side. Tem-
poral cavity very large, edged above by a strong crest ; the orbital
hole very short, roundish. Muzzle of the young hairy.
Inia, VOrbigny, Ann. Sci. Nat. ; Nouv. Ann. du Mtis. viii. Ill, 1834 ;
Institute, 1834, 246.
Delphinus, sp., Desm,
Delphinorhynchus, sp., F. Cuvier.
1. Inia Geoffroyii. The Inia.
Pale blue, reddish beneath ; fins and tail olive. Some reddish,
others blacker. Teeth -f|— ff.
Delphinus Geoffi'oyii, Desm. Mamm. 512.
Delphinus GeofFroyensis, Blainv. ; Desm. N. Diet. H. N. ix. 151 ;
Gervais, Castelnau, Voy. Mamm. 89 ; Comptes Hoidus, 1856, 806 ;
Ann. Nat. Hist. xvii. 521 ; Arch. Nature/. 1857, 27 ; Gray, Ann. i^
May. N. H. 1856, xviii. 157.
" Delphinus a bee mince," Cuvier, R. A. i. 278 ?
Delphinorhynchus frontatus, F. Cuv. Cetac. 121.
Delphinorliynchus Geoffrojai, Lesson, Man. 405.
Delphinus Inia, Schleyel, Abhandl. 24.
Delphinus Amazonicus, Martins, R. Schomburgk, Reisen in Brit.
Guiana, iii. 786.
Inia Boliviensis, Z)' Orbir/ny, N. Ann. Mus. iii. t. 22. f. 3, cop. F. Cuv.
Cetac. 166. t. 10*, t. 11 ; Gerv. in D'Orb. Voy. Amer. Merid. 50.
t. 22 (animal and skull); Gray, Ann. 8f Maq. N. H. 1856, xviii. 157;
Gervais, Ann. Sf Mag. N. H. 1856, xviii. 52 ; Itistitufe, 1856, 806.
BufFeo der Missionaires, Castelnau, Hist, du Voy. dans VAinir. du Sud,
iv. 459 ; Arch. Nnturg. 1853, 24.
1. iNiA. 227
Inhab. Upper Peru or Bolivia, River Moxos. Brazils, Upper
Amazons (Bates). Called Bouto.
a, h. Skull of Bouto from Ega, from Mr. Bates : — -^^
Length of skull 21^
Length of beak 13
Length of teeth-line, upper jaw 12|
Length of teeth-line, lower jaw 11
Length of lower jaw 17|
Length of symphysis of lower jaw 8^
Width of skuU 10
Width in front of orbital notch 6
Width at beak 3
Teeth ^-|f . The hinder eight or nine teeth only have a distinct
internal heel ; the succeeding ones gradiially assume the usual conical
form, but all the teeth are more or less rugulose.
The skull in the Paris Museum, from D'Orbigny, has a prominent
tubercle behind the blowholes ; eyebrows convex and rugose on the
top ; beak with a slight groove on each side above ; lower jaw with
scarcely any ridge on the sides ; the symphysis long, occupying more
than half the length of the lower jaw ; teeth large, regular, hinder
ones with a rounded, regular tubercle on the inner side.
in.
Length of skuU 19
Length of beak 12
Length of symphysis 9
Length of teeth-line 11
The Delpliimis macrogenms (Fischer, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 312.
t. 23. f. 4, 5, 9-11) appears to belong to this tribe.
The following are the measurements of D'Orbigny's specimen,
from Bolivia, as given by M. F. Cuvier : —
met. cent.
Length, entire 2 4
Leugth of muzzle 0 23
Length to eye 0 34
Length to blower 0 40
Length to ears 0 43
Length to pectoral fin 0 52
Length to dorsal fin 1 30
Length of pectoral 0 42
Breadth of pectoral 0 18
Breadth of caudal 0 .50
Height of dorsal 0 9
Circumference of thickest part 1 4
Belplunus Geoffroi/ii was described from a specimen procured by
the French from the Lisbon Museum during their occupation of that
town, which tlie Portuguese most probiibly received from the Brazils.
I have examined the specimen, and it has the teeth of hua. It is
covered with paint. It has no dorsal ; and it shows the teeth suffi-
q2
228 DELPHINID^.
ciently to exhibit their rugose state, and the large and peculiar
tiibcrcle on the inner side of tlie hinder ones, which is characteristic
of this genus, and which was observed by M. Desmarest, who de-
scribes them as " coniques, obtuses, avec une sorte de collet infe-
rieurement, et entre leur svirface est rugueuse."
M. Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 278) describes the Lisbon specimen under
the name of D. frontatus, but his character for that species is taken
from a skull of the genus Steno, instead of from the teeth in the
specimen from Lisbon ; he also observes that it is not impossible that
the Masouen blanc oi Duhamel (Peches, ii. 1. 10. f. 4), received from
Canada, may not be a bad representation of the animal. Hence M. de
Blainville's idea of the Canadian habitat. The Masouen blanc of
Canada is certainly a Belw/a, very erroneously represented.
M. F. Cuvier, in his ' Cetacea,' p. 121, describes this specimen
under the name of D. frontatus.
The Bouto is found near Ega. "The animal is very large, and
wholly of a pinkish flesh-colour. I have seen them rear themselves
entirely above the surface of the water when the sexes are sporting
in shoaly bays. They go in pairs, rolling together. There are black
dolphins of a larger species, but I do not know if a variety or a
separate species. They also roll in pairs, and are abundant towards
the delta of the Amazons. I cannot say whether the flesh-coloured,
species is found in the delta. One fact only I can mention, I have
never seen a black and a pink dolphin together in pairs. They are
always either black or ^vak.'"— Bates, 17 Feb. 1856 ; Ann. Sf Mag.
N. H. 1856, xviii. 158.
This animal inhabits " the upper parts and the branches of the
great river Amazons, to the Indians living on the borders of which
it is a creature of no small value. It was described by D'Orbigny
as the type of a new genus under the name of Ima BoUviensis, by
which it has since been generally known ; but it appears to have
heen previously described by Spix and Martins under the name of
Delphinus Amazonicus ; while, according to M. Paul Gervais, it is
identical with the D. Geoffrensis of De Blainville, who, however,
supposed that his specimen came from Canada." — Comptes Rendus,
April 58, 1856, 806; Ann. ^ Mag. N. H. xyii. 522.
FamUy 6. DELPHINID^.
Head beaked ; beak bald, or with only a few whiskers. Nostril
united into a transverse blower on crown of head. Teeth in the
whole length of the edge of both jaws, simple, cylindrical, conical,
smooth. Dorsal fin falcate, rarely wanting. Pack rounded. Tail
compressed, keeled. The pectoi'al fin moderate, ovate, on the upper
part of the sides of the chest ; fingers 4 or 5, short, each formed of
four or five joints. 8kull beaked ; the maxillary bones simple, ex-
panded out or shelving over the orbits. Intormaxillaiy bones
moderate, only partly covering the maxilla. The breast-bone elon-
gate, formed of three portions, with the first three pairs of ribs on
DELPniNIDJE. 229
the sides at nearly equal distances, the liinder ribs closer together at
the hinder end.
Diodonea et Delphina (pars), Raji». Anal. Nat. 1815, GO.
Cete, Carnivora (pars), Lesson, N. Reg. Anim. 197.
Ilydraula, CIt. Bonap. Rk/. Anim.
Delphinusidefe, Lesson, N. Rig. Anim. 197.
Delphinus, Li)m.; Illiger, Prodi: 14.3, 1811.
Delpliimis et Mouodoii, Ciw. Tab. Elem. 1798.
Delpliinidie (pars),6V«y [Uelphinid.-c, sect. Delphinina et Phocenina],
Ann. Phil. 1828; Sjiic. Zool. i. 1828; Cut. Mamm. B. M, 104; Zool.
Erebus >5(- Terror ; Cut. Cetacea B. M. ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 18G4, 235 ;
Ann. ^- Mag. N. H. 18G3.
Delphinidae et Monodoutidse, Gray, L. Med. Rep. xv. 310, 1821.
Cete (pars), Illiger.
Delphiuidffi, Delphiniua et Mouodontina, Selgs-Longchamps, 1842.
T.es Cetacds piscivores et les Narwals, F. Cm. D. S. N. 1829.
Zahnwale (pars), Okeii, Lehrb. Naturg. G72, 1815.
Delpbinidffi sen Mastrogastora, J. Brookes, Cat. Mm. 39, 1828.
Trachynichidfe sen .Macro Jmitea, /. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40, 1828.
- Delnhiniers. GcoiF. Lecons Mamnud Ift:^'^ «ft
^ty^/UwM./ L^(y/7gi^i^ A-JOJ^^^U^.X &^ft^y^7^
DELPniNID-S. 229
the sides at nearly equal distances, the hinder ribs closer together at
the hinder end.
Diodonea et Delphina (pars), Rafin. Anal. Nat. 1815, 60.
Cete, Carnivora (pars), Lesson, N. Hiff. Anim. 197.
Hydraula, Ch. Bonap. Reg. Anim.
Delpbinusidea}, Lesson, N. Rcy. Anim. 197.
Delphinus, Linn.; llliger, Prodr. 143, 1811.
Delphiims et Mouodon, Cue. Tab. Elem. 1798.
Delpliinidie (pavs),6rV'«y [Delphiuidte, sect. Delphinina et Phocenina],
Ann. Phil. 1828; Sp'ic. Zool. i. 1828; Cat. Mamtn. B. M, 104; Zool.
Erebus 8,- Terror ; Cat. Cetacea B. M. ; Proc. Zool. Sac. 1864, 235 ;
Ann. ^- Mag. N. H. 1863.
Delphinidae et Monodontidse, Gray, L. Med. Rep. xv. 310, 1821.
Cote (pars), llliger.
Delphmidie, Delphinina et Monodontina, Selgs-Longcha?nps, 1842.
Les Cotact?s piscivores et les Narwals, F. Cm. U. i>. N. 1829.
Zahuwale (pars), Oken, Lelirb. Naturg. 672, 1815.
Delpliinidaj seu Mastrogastera, J. Brookes, Cat. Mm. 39, 1828.
Trachjaiichidaj seu Macrodontea, J. Brookes, Cat. Mtis. 40, 1828.
Uelphiniers, Geoff. Legons Mammal. 1835, 66.
This family is easily known from the Toothed Whales or Catodon-
tiihe by the smaller and more proportionate head; and in those
species which have lost their upper teeth at an early age, by there
being no regular series of pits in the gum of the upper jaw for the
reception of the teeth of the lower one ; and also by the upper part
of the skull not being deeply concave, and surrounded on the sides
and behind by a high ridge.
These animals when fii-st born are large compared with the size of
the parents ; according to Dr. Knox, the foetus of the porpoise is half
the length, that is, one-foui'th the size of the parent, before it is bom
(Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. ii. 208) ; and they appear to attain their full
size very rapidly, which may account for the very slight difference
to be observed in the size of the skull, and the great uniformity in
the number, and in the space which the series of teeth occupy upon
the edge of the jaws in the different specimens of the same species.
Hunter thought the exact number of teeth in any species was un-
certain : observing the teeth in the middle of each scries were the
largest and the most firmly fixed, he states his belief that " the jaAVs
increase posteriori}* and decay at the symphysis, and while the growth
is going on, there is a constant succession of new teeth, by which
means the new-formed teeth are proportioned to the jaw."' — Phil.
Trans. 17S8, 398. Dr. Flemiiig, from the examination of the jaws
of two porpoises of different ages, thinks " tlie jaws lengthen at the
symphysis and at the base;" and that "the new teeth formed at
these places are the smallest, and that there is no absorption." —
Phil. Zool. ii. 208. This may be the case with the specimens before
they arrive at their fidl size ; but no skidl of tliis kind has fallen
under my observation : and as far as my experience will cany me, the
numbers, size, and disposition of the tcetli furnish the most import-
ant characters for the determination of the species and the definition
of genera. M. F. Cuvier's remarks (Cetac. 103, 104) on the teeth as
230
DELPHINID^.
the characters of genera are not consistent with my observations, for
they appear quite as characteristic of the different genera as those
of other orders of Mammalia, though they do not present so many
different forms. At the same time, it is true that compilers like
Lesson, who appear not to have examined a single skull, have made
many genera, founded on very slight characters, and brought together
species that have very little relation to each other.
Por the purpose uf more distinctly defining the species, it has been
found necessary to divide them into several groups, so as to arrange
them ill what appears to be a more natural series, and circumscribe
the genera.
Synopsis or the Geneea.
A. Head more or less beaked; beak of the sktdl sJender, as long as or longer
than the brain-cavity; triangle in front of blowers Jiat. Tlie lateral
wings of the maxilla expanded, horizontal. Bottle-noses,
* Beak of skull coinpressed. Symjihysis of Ivwerjaw elongate.
Dorsal Jin distinct,
1. PoNTOPOBiA. Beak of skull high, compressed. Symphysis of lower
jaw very long.
2. Steno. Beak of skull rather compressed, higher than broad. Sym-
physis of lower jaw long.
** Beak of skull more or less depressed. Symphysis of lower ja^o moderate.
3. DELPHiNrs. Dorsal distinct, medial. Beak of skull elongate. Tri-
angle short, rather depressed, convex above. Crown convex.
4. TuESio. Dorsal distinct, medial. Beak of skull short, depressed.
Triangle elongate. Crown convex.
5. LAGENOBHYNCHrs. Dorsal distinct. Beak of skull depressed, ex-
panded. Crown shelving in front.
6. Delphinapterus. Dorsal none.
B. Head rounded in front, scarcely beaked; beak of the skull depressed,
broad, scarcely so long as the brain-cavity,
* Lateral icings of the maxilla horizontal, produced over the orbits.
Dorsal distinct. Teeth conical.
7. Obca. Triangle in front of blowers flat or concave. Teeth large,
acute, permanent. Intermaxillaries moderately wide. Pectoral
broad, short.
8. Pseudorca. Triangleinfront of the blowers flat. Teeth large, acute,
permanent. Intermaxillaries moderately wide. Pectoral small,
ovate.
9. Geampus. Triangleinfront of blowers swollen, convex. Upper teeth
early deciduous. Intermaxillaries broad.
** Lateral icings of the maxilla shelving doicn over the orbit. Triangle
in front of the blower convex.
t Teeth permanent, compressed, sharp-edged.
10. Pnoc^NA. Dorsal fin distinct
11. Neomeris. Dorsal fin none.
1. PONXOPORIA. 231
tt Teeth early deciduous, conical. Dorsal none.
12. Beluga Teeth in both jaws, early deciduous. Male without any
norn-liko tooth. -^
13. MoNODON. Teeth very early deciduous. Male with a proiectino-
spiral tusk in the upper jaw. °
A. mad more or less beaked: beak of the skull slender, as long as or lonqer
than the brain-cavity. The lateral xvinys of the maxilla cvpanded,
honzonta. Trmmjle m front of the blowers fiat or concave. Delphi-
nuia. iJottle-uoses.
* ^"^l^ f '^"•' *^"^ f'^'^'-''" ^^'"'^ ^^'^ brain-case, compressed. Si/mph/sis of
the lower jaw elongate. Dorsal fin distinct. J x J J
1. PONXOPORIA.
Head with a very long, slender beak. Elowhole transverse, on the
crown. Dorsal fin high, _falcatG, central ; pectoral fins rather elon- /^
gate, sublimate. SkuTTl^SiniSish ; beak very long, compressed, with ^^^O/^^
a strong groove on each side above ; side of the maxiUa rather ele- "^
vated; the edges form a ridge on the side of the upper surface of
the bram-cavity; eyebrow with a long cylindi-ical crest; lower iaw
compressed with a deep groove on each side ; symphysis very long.
Teeth small, subcylmdrieal, smooth, rather hooked, acute.
^*ractoS' ^^'■'''''*'' -^'^'■*- '^"y- ^"'^'- ^^'''<^- 31- t. 23 (not cha- l8UJ
1. PontoporiaBlainvillii. The Pontoporia.
SkuU, with the tubercles behind the blowholes, broad sKo-htlv
convex; eyebrows with a strong, longitudinal crest; uiper%nd
lower jaw with a deep, weU-defined ridge on each side. Teeth ^l
small, conical, hooked, smooth ; symphysis more than half the length
01 the lower jaw. °
Delphinus Blainvillii, Freminville, Mm. Paris
3S!x£,'isr '"''''^' ^'^' '''■' ""'"■ ^'^^- ^*-- 18^'
D. (Stenodelphis) BlainviUei, Gervais ^- D'Orb. Voy. Amer Merid
Mamm. 31. t. 23 (skull) ; Reichb. Cetac. 128. 70. t 24 T78
cftac'p Af'm^'' '^''"^' ^''"^' ^' ^' ^" ^- *• ^'^ ^'^'"^^'' <^«'-
Inhab. Monte Video. Skull, Miis. Paris {M. Freniinville).
M. Fromin^^Uo described the Dolphin belonging to the skull as
white, with a black dorsal band, and 4 foot long.
Length of skull 22 g'
Length of beak g y
Length of S}-mphysis 5 9
Length of teeth-line ' 5 4
M. d'Orbigny believes the dolphin he observed near the mouth of
232 DELPHINID^.
the La Plata, of which the following is a description, is probably the
same as /S<«*Of?e7/)7u's Blainvilhi; it is figured Voy. Amer. Merid.
t. 23. The skiill of this animal was not examined nor preserved.
It was blackish, pale beneath, with a white streak along each side
from behind the blower, where it is broadest and gradually becoming
narrower behind, not quite reaching to the tail.
According to Desmarest, Freminville saw a dolphin on the coast
of Brazil which was 15 feet long, with a very convex forehead ;
ashy, with a white streak on eacJi side of the head, on the back,
throat, and belly.
2. STENO.
Head convex. Forehead convex. Beak moderate, tapering. Body
elongate, fusiform. Pectoral fin moderate, ovate, falcate. Dorsal
falcate, in the middle of the back. SkuU round, subglobular. Fore-
head erect. Beak elongate, compressed, higher than broad, tapering
in front, convex above. Triangle elongate, deej), produced rather
beyond the teeth-line. Palate convex, not grooved on the side.
Lower jaw elongate, compressed in front ; symphysis elongate, about
one-fourth the length.
Steuo, Grmj, Zool. Erebm 8f Terror, 43, 1847 ; Cat Cetac. B. M. 1850,
127 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 236.
This genus is at once known from Layenorhipichtis and DelpMnus
by the length, compression, and tapering form of the beak of the
skuU.
The foetus of Steno ftiscus is very peculiar for the elongated taper-
ing head ; the pectoral fins are rather large, strongly falcate ; the
dorsal rather beyond the middle of the back. Its tongue is flat on
the top, and nearly as broad as the space between the sides of the
jaws ; it is entire on the edges of the sides, and slightly dilated in
front, crenulated on the edge, and with a larger flat lobe in the
middle of the tip. (See ' Zool. Erebus and Terror,' t. 26. f. 1, a, h, c.)
a. Beak separated from the forehead by a cross groove.
b. Beak scarcely separated from the forehead.
a. Beak separated frmn the forehead by a cross groove.
1. Steno Malayanus. The Malay Dolphin.
Grey-ash above and below. Nose of skull about three-fifths of the
entire length. Teeth |f .
Delphinus Malayanus, Lesson, Vot/. Coq. t. 9. f. 5 ; Jfist. Cetac. 152 ;
Schlegel, Abh. i. t. 1, 2. f. 2, t. 4. f. 3 (skull and teeth).
D. Capensis, Rapp, Cetac. t. 2. f, 1 (not Gray nor Cuv.).
D. Rappii, Reichb. Cetac. iii. 48. t. 18. f. 5, 7.
D. plumbeus, Cuv. R. A. i. 288 ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 151 ; Mamtn. Lithog,
t. ; Pucheran, Rev. 8,- Maq. Zool. 1856, 145.
Stono Malayanus, Gray, Zool. Ereb.Sf Terror,'^; Cat. Cetac. B.M. 127.
Inhab. Indian Ocean.
2. 8TEN0. 233
ft. in.
Length of animal, entire 5 11
Length of pectoral 1 1
Width of tail 1 11
There is a skull in the Paris Museum marked " D. plambeus, Mala-
bar, Dussumier." It measures as follows : Length 22 inches, beak
13|, teeth-line 12, width at notch 4^, symphysis of the lower jaw 5|
inches ; teeth j| | - ij ^ , large ; beak elongated, higher than wide, com-
pressed in front; triangle extending rather before the teeth-lines.
In the Anatomical Museum of the Jardin des Plantes is a skull of
a foetal specimen of this species, from Malabar, which is 12 inches
long, with the beak 8i inches long, and 2| in. wide at the notch. The
symphysis of the lower jaw is 2\ inches long. The bones are not
united. The upper teeth are 36 ; they are as large as those of the
adult skull, and all enclosed in a cartilage and very close together.
From this skull it is evident that these animals are born with the fiUl
number of teeth, which only elongate as they gradually develope.
2. Steno roseiventris.
Greyish black above, under half rosy white ; orbit, streak from eye
to the pectoral, and pectoral fin dusky. Beak elongate, slender.
Beak of skull very long, half as long again as the brain-cavity.
Teeth A^-f|.
Delphinus roseiventris, Pucfieran, Voy, Dumont d' UrviUe, t. 22. f. 2,
t. 23. f. 3, 4 (skull).
Inhab. Molucca.
The skull of a Dauphin d, ventre roux from Molucca, in the Paris
Museum, has the nose very slender, attenuated. Palatal bone and
intermaxiUaries distinctly seen below ; intermaxillaries very convex,
dense ; lower jaw very compressed in front ; palate flat, rather con-
vex on each side behind, very spongy.
3. Steno frontatus. The Fronted Dolphin.
Nose of skiill about three-fifths of its entire length, three times as
long as its width at the notch, rather compressed, rounded in front.
Lower jaw subangular and bent up at the end, united about one-third
of its length. Teeth f x~M' often rather rugose.
Skin rough, back greyish black, belly dirty white. Female 9 feet
long. — Dr. DicHe.
Delphinus frontatus, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 21. f. 7, 8, t. 22. f. 8; li. A.
i. 288 ; Grcn/, List Mamm. B. M. 105 ; Owm, Cat. Osteal. Coll. Mm.
Coll. Snrg. i'i. 4.53.
D. Reinwardtii, Schlegel, Abh. i. 21. t. 2. f. 3, 4, t. 4. f. 7 (skull and
teeth).
Steno frontatus, Gray, 7ah,1. Erehm ii,- Terror, 43 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 128 ; Bhjth, Cat. Mas. Asiatic Sac. Bengal, 01.
Inhab. Indian Ocean. Bay of Bengal {Capt. Leivis, 1846). Hod
Sea {J. Owen, Esq., 1844). Pacific.
234 DELPHINID^.
a. Part of the upper jaw, teeth large.
b. Bones of the ear. India. Presented by General Hardwicke.
c. d, e. Three skulls.
Dimensions of skull (No. 1) in the British Museum ; No. 2, of skuU
of female in Dr. Dickie's Collection : —
No. 1. No. 2.
in. lin. in. lin.
Length, entire 20 6 22 0
Length of nose 12 0 13 5
Length of teeth-line 10 0 11 0
Width at notch 3 10
Width at orbit 7 9 7 9
Width of middle of beak 2 0 2 0
Length of lower jaw 17 0 18 0
Length of symphysis 5 6 6 0
Var. 1. Lower jaw rather straighter below and rather wider be-
hind ; teeth |-|-.
Var. 2. Nose much compressed on the side and depressed above,
rather larger, rather more than three times as long as wide at the
notch ; teeth |-|.
Var. 3. Tooth-series rather longer, 10" 6'" ; teeth |^ ; lower jaw
like Var. 1.
Dr. Dickie's skull has teeth |^ ; the two front of lower jaw are
small, and separated from the rest. A foetus extracted from the
womb of Dr. Dickie's specimen had the tail convex at the end and
emarginate.
D. Geoffroyi, Desm., which is the type of the genus Inia, has been
confounded with this species.
There are two skulls in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Cal-
cutta, one of an animal taken near the Nicobar Islands, the other
from the Red Sea. — Blyth, Eep. I.e. 11.
4. Steno compressus. The Narrow-beaked Dolphin.
Nose of skull much compressed, attenuated at the tip, three-fifths
the entire length, three times and a half as long as its width at the
notch. Teeth conical, acute, |^. Head narrow, and rather com-
pressed at the orbit.
Delphinus compressus, Gray, Cat. Manun. B. M.
Steno compressus, Zool. Urebus Sf Terror, 43. t. 27 (skidl) ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 129.
Inhab. ?
a. SkuU. The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and
Terror,' pi. 27.
b, c. Two skuUs.
d. SkuU. South Sea. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the
Lords of the Admiralty.
2. 8TEN0. 235
in.
Length, entire 20j
Length of nose 13
Length of lower jaw 17
Length of symphysis 6|
Width of notch 3|
Width at orbit 6|
The skulls of this species are easUy known from the former by
being much more slender and more attenuated in front, and by the
head, though longer, being 2| inches naiTower over the orbit ; lower
jaw nearly straight below, imited for more than one-thii-d its length.
It may be the same as D. rostratus, but the teeth are more
numerous ; and Cuvier's figure, which he thought might be Breda's
species, certainly much better represents a common Indian species
than this.
In one of the skulls the nose is rather shorter and more depressed.
5. Steno attenuatus. TJie Slender-heahed Dolphin.
Nose of skuU three-fifths the entire length, once and a half the
length of the skuU, twice and three-fourths the length of the width
of the notch, slender, tapering in front ; intermaxillaries forming a
long triangular part of the front of the palate ; vomer elongate, in
middle of palate. Teeth Ao,
Delphmus attenuatus, Gray, List Mamm. B. M. 105.
Steno attenuatus, Gray, Zool. Ereh. ^- Terror, 43. t. 28 (skull) ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 130 ; BJyth, Cat. 3Ius. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 92 ;
Asiatic Researches, xii. App. xxvii. ?
Inhab. Cape Horn, Sea west of Cape of Good Hope and Bay of
Bengal (Bhjfh). Mus. CoU. Surg. Edinb.
fl. SkuU. Presented by Mrs. Ince.
b. SkuU. The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and
Terror,' pi. 28.
c. SkuU. 9° N. lat. Presented by A. Pearson, Esq.
Measurement of the three skulls in the British Museum : —
fl. b. c.
in. lin. in. lin. in. lin.
Length, entire 15 9 16 6 15 6
Length of nose 8 9 10 0 9 3
Length of lower jaw 13 3 .... 13 0
Breadth of temples 60 65 61
Breadth of notch 33 33 3 6
Breadth of midcUe of beak ..16 17 18
Breadth of intermaxiUaries 0 1 0 1 0 1
Delphinus pseiulodelphis, Wicgm. Schreb. t. 358 (skuU) ; Eeichb.
Cetac. Anat. t. 18. Teeth ff or ^. " SkuU in Mus. Leydcn so
named has the form of D. Mahn/nmts, but beak shorter, and teeth
shorter and thinner, very like those of D. Delphis. Palate not
grooved. Symphysis of lower jaw rather long.'' May be the same
236 DKLPHIUID^.
as the Steno attenuatus, but the Museum copy of Schreber does not
contain the plate referred to.
There is a skull in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta
which seems to be that of Steno attenuatus, being probably that
mentioned as " a Dolphin foimd near the Isle of France " (Asiatic
Researches, xii. App. xxvii.). Lower jaw 14 inches. Teeth ^.
And another lower jaw, " from the high seas," with series of 38
teeth, presented by Mr. C. Harvey (Joum. As. Soc. s. 737). Also
two skulls, toothless, wanting the lower jaw, with series of 39 teeth-
sockets. Length 15 and Ib^ inches. AU these would appear to be
the same. — Dlytli, V. c.
A left ramus of the lower jaw with series of 43 teeth, in the
same museum, is vertically much deeper at the symphysis, and un-
doubtedly appertains to a distinct species. — Blyth.
Captain Jethro Fairweather presented to the Museum of the
Asiatic Society of Calcutta a skull of a small but not young Steno,
which seems to be St. attenuatus, Gray. It was procured not far
from the Sand-heads, out of an innumerable herd of them, " as far
as the eye could reach in aU directions," and was of a palish lead-
colour. Not therefore, however, the DelpMnvs Malayanus, var. plum-
heus, which is a much larger species common in the bay. Teeth
39 . 40 T>1 j7
4nTy— %<'^-
Major R. C. Tyler has also sent to the same museum a skuU taken
west of the Cape of Good Hope, which agrees, or very nearly so,
with the two heads minus the teeth, and the lower jaw, mentioned
before. — Blyth.
6. Steno? brevimanns.
Blackish, rather paler below.
Delphinus brevimanns (D. a petit pectoral), Piicheran, Voy. Dumont
(fVrville, t. 21. f. 2, t. 23. f . 7 & 8 (skull).
Delphinus ? microbrachium, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B, M. 1850, 119, from
Piicheran.
The skull named DaujjJiin a petit pectoral in the Paris Museum
has the palate flat, rather convex behind. Triangle extended rather
in front of the teeth-Kne. Teeth l^. Nose narrowed in front,
three-fifths the length, and twice and three-fourths the length of the
breadth at the notch. Lower jaw slender in front. Nasal rather
high and convex. It may be a Steno.
Inhab. Banda, Singapore.
7. Steno Tncuxi.
Dark blackish or fuscous. Nose of the skull depressed at the base,
convex and attenuated at the tip, rather (one-fifteenth) longer than
the length of the head, nearly three times as long as the width at
the notch. Frontal triangle elongate, continued considerably iu
front of the line of the notch. Teeth ^^, slender, conical. Lower
1
'1; ^^^^ .....u^
2. gTENo. 237
jaw rather slender and slightly bent up at the tips. Symphysis
rather keeled beneath in front.
Steno Tucuxi, Gray, Ann. S( Mag. N. H. 1857, xviii. 158.
Inhab. The upper parts of the Amazons River, near Santarem
(^Bates). Called Tucu.vi.
The males are larger. It does not roll over like the Boulco, but
comes to the surface to breathe.
Male. Female.
in. lin. in. lin.
Length of the skull 13 0 12 0
Length of the beak 7 3 6 6
Length of teeth-line 6 0 5 9
Length of lower jaw 10 3 9 6
Length of symphysis 2 0 1 3
Width of skull 6 0 5 6
Width of beak at notch 2 6 2 3
Width of forehead over notch 4 9 4 6
8. Steno ? fluviatilis.
Above blackish, a broad band from the eye to the pectoral, and
the pectoral fin black. Lower jaw and beneath rosy white, the
white bent up so as to form a broad white lobe behind the orbit over
the pectoral. Teeth If or |-| on each side. Dorsal fin moderate,
falcate.
Delphiniis fluviatilis, Gervais <§• Delille, BulL de la Soc. Agric. de
PHerault, 1853, 148; Gervais, in Casteln. Voy. Mamm. 92. t. 19.
f. 2 ; Hist. Mamm. ii. 522.
Bufteo negro, Missionaries of Upper Amazons.
Bole preto of the Brazilians, in Casteln. Hist, du Voy. dans TAmer.
du :Sud, iv'. 460, v. 3.3.
Inhab. Upper part of the River Amazons, near Peru. Probably
the same as the former.
An imperfect skin with the ends of the beak of the skidl in the
Paris Mnscum. The palate of the beak is flat, without any lateral
grooves. The teeth are small, acute, and, like those of DeJphinus
Delphis, without any internal lobe.
9. Steno ? pallidas.
Teeth fi or f§. Pale yellowish white above, beneath white. .^/.y
Dorsal fin very low. . tlta.^
Delphinus pallidus, Gervais, Acad. iSrt. Mmitp. 1855 ; Casteln. Vor/. U a lU da
Mamm. 94. t. 19. f. 1 ; Ann. if Mag. N. H. xvii. 521 ; Bates, Tra- ' l^^Qy^C^
vels in Brazil. i / r i '
Bufleo bianco, Missionaries of Upper Amazons, Casteln. Hist, du Voy. iV/.t <-/•/"• ^''^
dans I'Amer. du SmI, iv. 400. F ' i if
Inhab. River Amazons. May be the same as-jS. TtteitA^T- '/ ,, , ' '
238 UELPHINID^.
10. Steno ? coronatus.
Black ; forehead with two concentric yellow circles. Beak very
long. Teeth #A. Dorsal fin very minute.
Delphinus coronatus, Freminville, Nov. Bull. Soc. Phil. iii. 56, 78. t. 1.
f. 2,«, B; Desm. Mamm. 512; Grmj, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 132.
DelpliinorhjTichus coronatus, Lesson, Man. 405; Fischer, Sun. Mamm.
505.
Inhab. Spitzbergen !
" Beak slender, the upper jaw longest. Black, with two yeUow
concentric circles on the convexity of the forehead. The upper jaw
with 15 teeth on each side, the lower with 24, all very acute. The
dorsal fin haLf-crescent-shaped, nearer the tail than the head. The
caudal crescent-shaped. The pectoral of a moderate size. Length
36 feet. The skuU not known.
" Inhab. Sjjitzbergen, 1806, near lat. 74°. Found in numerous
troops (Freminville). It is singular that no other authors have
spoken of it." — Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 278.
"b. Beak scarcely separated from the forehead."
11. Steno? rostratus. The Beaked Dolphin.
"Forehead gradually shelving to the beak" {Guv.). The skull
with the nose as long as the brain-ca\'ity. Teeth f-f-|-|, rather
large. Black, lower lip and body beneath rosy white, not separated
by distinct lines, lower part of the sides black-spotted.
Delphinus rostratus, Cuv. Ann. Mm. xix. 9 ; B. A. i. 289 ; F. Ciiv.
Mamm. Lith. t. ; Cetac. 156. t. 10. f. 2 ; Schkgel, Dieren van
Nederland, 85. t. 11 (not Shaw).
Dauphin de Breda, Cuv. Oss. Foss. 278, 296. v. 400. t. 21. f. 7, 8.
Delphinus Bredanensis, " Cuv." ; Fischer, Syn. 505, from Cuvier, Oss.
Foss.
Delpliinus oxp-hjTichus, Jardine, Nat. Lib. t. 27, cop. from F. Cuv.
Delphinus planiceps, Breda, Verh. Nederl. Hist. 1829, 236. t. 1, 2 ;
Schlegel, Ahhandl. t. 4. f. 8 (teeth).
Steno ? rostratus, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, 43 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 131 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 236.
Inhab. North Sea. Holland {Breda). Brest {D'' Orhigny).
" M. Blainville, who observed a skull of this species in the museum
of Mr. J. Sowerby, says it had 22 teeth in each jaw, and the sym-
physis two-thirds the entire length" (Desm. Diet. H. N. ix. 160).
If this is not a mistake for one-third, it will at once separate it from
the other Stenos, and connect it with Pontoporia, but the figure of
the skull in Cuvier and Schlegel resembles that of the genus Steno.
The skulls named D. 7-osfratus in the Paris Museum are verj' like
the Museum specimens of Steno frontatus. The nose is compressed
in front. Teeth l^-fy- Length, entire, 21|- inches; nose 12J-;
symphysis of lower jaw b\ ; width at preorbital notch 4 inches.
I have not been able to find the skuU of this animal, which was
in Mr. Sowerby's Museum in Mead Place, Lambeth.
3. DELPHINUS. 239
12. Steno fuscus. The Cuban Steno.
Black above and below (in spirits). Head conical, gradually taper-
ing into a rather long nose, without any separating groove, with five
black whiskers on each side. Teeth ?
Steno fuscus, Grai/, Zool. Erch. Sf Terr. t. 26. f. 1 (foetus and tongue) ;
Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 131.
Inhab. Cuba (IF. S. MacLemj, Esq.).
a. Foetus in spirit ; not in good state. Presented by "W. S. Mac-
Leay, Esq.
** Beak of the skull longer than the brain-case, more or less depressed.
Symphi/sis of the lower Jaw moderate.
3. DELPHINUS.
Head longly beaked. Forehead rounded. Nose produced, bald.
Dorsal fin falcate, in the middle of the back. Skull with the hinder
wings of maxilla horizontal, sometimes thickened on the edge over
the orbit. Nose elongate, light, much longer than the head, tapeiing,
depressed in front, broader than high, convex, roundish above, and
shghtlj' concave in front of the blowers, nearly parallel on the sides
and rounded in front. Teeth ^ to |-2-, small, conical, extending the
greater part of the length of the jaw.
Delphinus, Gray, Spic. ZooCi. 1828; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 105;
P. Z. S. 1863 ; 1864, 236; Zool. JSreb. (§• Terr. 36, 1847; Wagler,
K S. Amph. 35.
Delphinus (pars), Linti. ; Uliyer, 143, 1811.
Most maritime persons call these animals Bottle-noses, Bottle-
heads, Flounder-heads, sometimes adding Whale to the name. They
generally confine the name of Dolphin (most used by landsmen) to
the Scomberoid fish {Coryphami), which changes colour in dying.
In the British Museum there is a foetus, apparently belonging to
the Delphinus Delphis, figured in the 'Zoology of the Erebus and
Terror,' t. 26, with its tongue in detail ; it formed part of the collec-
tion of Sir Hans Sloane. It differs from the foetus of Lagenorhi/nchus
ncutus in the nose being more produced (nearly one-third the length
of the distance from the end of the nose to the eye) ; it has seven
black rigid bristles on each side ; the two front, rather the largest,
are on the side of the upper part of the nose, the five hinder forming
a descending line nearly parallel to the groove which separates the
beak. The tongue is convex on the sides, ■with a rather narrow fiat
space on the hinder part, separated from the under sides by a sharp
entire edge ; the front is rather dilated, sharp-edged, and obscurely
crenated.
a. Skull round. Trianf/le not rrarhinf/ to the teeth-line. Palate confejr,
with a vvnj rnnravc line on the hinder part of each side. Beak twice as
lonf/ a.'i the head. Teeth j|^. No. 1.
b. Skull romuli.th. Triangle just to the teeth-line. Palate with a deep
groore on each side and a high central ridge behind.
240 DELPHINID^.
• Beak of skull twice as long as the brain-cavity. Teeth ||-f J. No. 2.
•* Beak 7nnderate, once and a half the leyigth of the brain-cainty. Teeth
iforfa. No. 3.
C. Skull flattened behind. Triangle to the teeth-line. Palate flat, not grooved
on the side. No. 4.
a. Skidl round. Triangle not reacJiing to the teeth-line. Palate convex, with
a very concave litie on the hinder part of each side. Beak twice as long
as head. Teeth |^.
1. Delphinns microps. The Small-headed Dolphin.
Skull small, subglobular. Palate convex. Nose very long, slender,
twice as long as the length of the brain-cavity, nearly four times as
long as broad at the notch ; intermaxillaries convex above, with a
broad cavity between them in front, rather contracted in front of the
blowers. Teeth ^|. Maxillaries very spongy. The triangle in front
of the blowers short, not nearly reaching to the line of the hinder
tooth. Palate with a prominent ridge extending along its hinder
two-thirds.
Delphinus microps, Gray, Zool, Erebus ^ Terror, 42. t. 25 (skull) ;
Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 126.
Inhab. Coast of Brazils {Dr. Dicki^. Near mouth of Kio de la
Plata, Mus. Buenos Ayres {Burmeist^.
a. Skull ? From the Haslar Hospital. The specimen figured
in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,' tab. 25. p. 42.
h. Skull, larger ; the skull behind the frontal longer, slightly com-
pressed. Teeth if on each side. Length, entire, 18 inches ;
tooth-line 10|, beak 12, lower jaw 15| ; width at orbit 6|, at
notch 3, middle of beak 1|.
This skull chiefly differs from the type skuU of D. microps in the
back of the skull being much less convex, and in its being of a rather
larger size : can this depend on the sex of the specimen ?
Dimensions of five skulls, in inches: the 1st is in the Norwich
Museum ; the 2nd, in the British Museum ; the 3rd, in the Museum
of the Koyal College of Surgeons ; the 4th, in Dr. Dickie's collection ;
the 5th, in the Edinburgh College, n. 164.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
in. in. in. in. in.
Length, entire 17| 15^ 15 18 in|
Length of nose ^ 11 10^
Length of teeth-line . . 8 8|
Length of lower jaw 14| 13 12^
Width at notch 2^^ 2| 4 3
Width at orbits . . 5| 6
Width of middle of beak .... 2\ 2-^ 1| 2^
Width of intermaxillaries .... 8 9 . . 2
Var. 1. Skull in Mus. Coll. Surg. Edin. n. 164. Barclay Collec-
tion. Head smaller, and the nose rather shorter, only once and three-
3. DELPHINCS. 241
fourths the length of the brain-cavity, hut quite as long as compared
with the width of the notch. Length, entire, 16^ inches, of beak
10|- inches ; width at notch 3 inches ; triangle to the teeth-line
rugose. Nose-groove open in front. Teeth j-g-, small, curved.
This skull resembles Schlegcl's figure of the skull of D. longirostns
in general form, but the beak is rather more slender, and the orbits
more obliquely truncated in front.
b. Skidl roundish. Triangle just to the teeth-line. Palate toith a deep groove
on each side atul a high central ridge behind.
• Beak of skull twice as long as tlie brain-cavity. Teeth ||— ff.
2. Delphinus longirostris. The Cape Dolphin.
Black. Dorsal fin large, high. Teeth f f-f§. Nose three-fifths
the entire length. SkuU nearly thrice and a half the length of its
breadth at the notch.
Delphis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 237.
Delpliinus longirostris, Gray, Spic. Zool. 1 ; Brookes, Cat. Mits. 39,
1828; Cuv. R. A. i. 288, h-om. Dussumier, MSS.\ Schlegel, Ahhandl.
t. 1, 2, & 4. f. 1, from skull of Brookes; Faun. Japon. t. 24; Grai/,
List Mamm. B. M. 105 ; Zod. Ereb. 8; Terr. 42; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
18o0, 25 ; Puclieran, Rev. 8f Mag. Zool. 1856, 315.
Delphinus Capensis, Gray, Spic. Zool. ii. t. 2. f. 1 ; not Cuv. nor Raj)j).
Inhab. Southern Ocean. Cape of Good Hope (Gray). Japan and
Ceylon {Schlcffel). Malabar {DiLssuniier),
a. Stuffed specimen. Cape of Good Hope. Presented by the Trustees
of the Royal College of Surgeons. The specimen figured and
described in ' Spic. Zool.' and ' Zool. Erebus and Terror.'
in.
Length, entire 81
Length of beak 7
Length to angle of mouth 13
Length to blowers 7^
Length to dorsal fin 38
Length to pectoral fin 21
Length of dorsal 12
Length of pectoral 13
Breadth of pectoral 5
Breadth of tail 26
Circumference 42
The figure in the ' Fauna Japonica ' is from a drawing by a
Japanese artist, made under Mr. Burger's direction.
The skull named D.'lonr/irostris in the Pans Museum (n. 4), from
Malabar, brought by M. Dussumicr, 1827, has the palate with a deep
groove on each side of a central ridge in the hinder half, slightly-
keeled behind near the blower ; beak long, tapering ; nasal convex,
rounded. Teeth 4f , small, slightly curved ; triangle exactly to the
teeth-line.
342- DELPHINIDJE.
in. lin.
Skull : Length 2 0
Length of beak 13 9
Width at notch 3 2
Width of middle of beak 1 7
* * Bvak moderate, once and a half the lemjth of the brain-cavity.
Teeth if-M-
3. Delphinus Delphis. The Dolpliin.
Black, sides grey, beneath white ; the dorsal moderate. Teeth ||
(i|, Schlegel) . Nose of skuU half as long again as the length of the
brain-cavaty.
Delphinus vulgaris, Lacep. Cet. 250. t. 14 (skull).
Delphinus antiquorum, Ray, Wilhi(/hh. Pise. t. A 1. f. 1.
Delphinus Delphis, Linn. S. N. i. 108 ; Himtei; Phil. Trans. 1787, .373,
618; Bonmit. Cet. 20. t. 10. f. 2; Schreb. Stiuyeth. t. .343; Desm.
Mamm. 514 ; F. Cm: Cet. 123 ; Mam. Lith. t. ; Jurdine's Whales,
t. 23, cop. Pell's Brit. Qmd. 463. tig-. ; Sehlegel, Abhandl. i. 20. t. 4.
f. 2 (teeth) ; Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 275, 303. t. 21. f. 9, 10 ; Grai/,
Zool. Ereb. S, Terror, 40. t. 26 (tongue and fcetus) ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 120; P. Z. S. 1864, 237 ; Sehlegel, Dieren, 82. t. 10; Turton,
B. Fauna, 17; Jeni/ns, 3Ian. 40; Fleming, B. A. 35; Bell, Brit.
Quad. 463. tig. ; Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, 591 ; Malmgren, Arch.
Natnrg. 1864, 88.
Delphinus, Pliny, H. N. ix. c. 7, 8 ; Bellon, Aquat. 7. fig. ; Rondel.
Pise. 459. fig. ; Aldrov. Pise. 704. fig. ; Willughb. Pise. 28. t. A 1.
f. 1 ; Klein, Ilisc. Pise. ii. 24. t. 3. f. a.
Dolphin, SJiaia, Zool. ii. 507. t. 229; Borlase, Conmali, 264. t, 27. f. 1.
Dauphin ordinaire, Cuv. R. A. i. 278.
An.\t. Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. t. 21. f. 9, 10; Laeep. t. 14; Yolkmann,
Anat. Anim. Tab. 1831, t. 9. f. 2, 3, 4 (skull) ; Sjjir, Cephalog. t. 8.
f, 8 (skull) ; Rai)p, Cetac. t. 1 (skeleton).
Inhab. North Sea. Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean,
a. h, c. Stuffed specimens. English coast. Presented by Messrs, J.
and C. Grove.
? a. Skull, large.
b. Skull, smaller. Australia. Presented by A. Cunningham, Esq.
c. Skull, St. Helena. Presented by A. Pearson, Esq.
d. Skull. Presented by J. J. Bennett, Esq., F.R.S,
e-p. Twelve skulls.
q. Skeleton, English coast.
The most prominent difference between the specimens is in the
■width of the upper jaw in front of the notch, just over the com-
mencement of the teeth-series ; but there does not occur any other
character in connexion with it. There is also a slight difference in
the form of the palate : in a, the central ridge is narrow and rounded
above behind ; in 6 it is broad, flat, sharp-edged, and very deeply
concave on the sides, under the edges, but the different specimens
vary in this particular. In d and g, the hinder part of the palate,
DELPHIXUS.
243
near the entrance of the inner iiostiils, is sharply keeled ; and in a
the two ridges are rounded.
I am by no means certain that, with a larger series of skulls in a
perfect condition, and with the animals they belonged to, it might
not result that there are more than one species amongst these
skulls.
In aU these skulls the intermaxillarics arc seen below, fomiing a
slender, elongated, triangular space in the front of the palate, and in
some the vomer is also more or less seen in the middle of the palate ;
but the absence or presence of this bone in the palate is of very
little consequence, as a character, in this Idud.
Measurements of different skulls in the British Museum,
particular locaUties are unknown.
The
Delphinua
Delphis.
h
c
d
e
f
I
i
k
I
Length,
Length of
Breadth
entire.
nose.
at notch.
in. lin.
in. lin.
in. lin.
19 0
12 0
3 10
18 0
11 4
3 10
18 3
11 3
3 8
17 0
10 0
3 4
17 0
10 6
3 6
17 "b
li" b
3""'5
17 0
10 6
3 9
18 0
11 G
3 8
17 6
10 G
3 G
16 6
10 3
3 6
17 6
11 G
3 7
18 0
11 0
3 n
Breadth at the Length of nose ijf^mber
commencement as compared to Lf t-ggi-j,
width at notch, i
in. lin.
2 9
2 9
2 3
2 2
2 9
i*
45
43
f
4o
4«
4G
3
45
O.I
46
3
50
3
48
f
46
48
3
43
Cu^ier (Oss. Foss. v. 303) described the cervical vertebrae as fused
into a single piece, yet in Anat. Comp. i. 105 he states that in the
Dolphins the atlas and axis only are united, the other cervical ver-
tebra; remaining separate, though extremely thin. Lesson (Get.
p. 22G) describes the first six as quite thin in the D. Delpliis, and
the last as somewhat thick. Dr. Jackson, who points out these
discrepancies, described the dolphin he examined as ha\ing the first
and second cei-vicals scarcely moveable upon each other, and the other
five smaller and rather more moveable. — Bost. Journ. N. If. v. 155.
The vertebrae are thiis enumerated : —
1. Ciwier, Anat. Comp. i. 103 14 dorsal, 52 posterior.
2. Ctivier, 0.s.«. Foss. v. 303 l:j „ 47 „
3. Lc-ison, CVt.220 1.$ „ 52 „
4. Jardine, Cetacen 12 „ 52 „
5. ? Jackson, Bost. Journ. N. II. v. 154 .... 14 „ 55 „
Dr. Jackson gives the following description of an American speci-
men : —
" Dusky black on the back, white on the belly, and lead-coloured
on the sides ; a dusky line from 1 to 2 inches in width commenced
a little above the C5"e and passing along the sides was lost in the
e2
244 DELPHINID.E.
lead-colour within 18 or 20 inches of the tail, and another much less
distinct ran parallel to this. Length 7| feet. Forehead convex,
divided from the snout by a furrow. Fcetus 38 inches ; back dark
bluish grey ; belly nearly salmon colour ; no longitudinal stripes as
in the mother, but some very indistinct broad transverse stripes were
seen towards the back. Teeth had not yet appeared. Cervical ver-
tebrae 7, dorsal 14, posterior to these 55 ; the first and second cer-
vicals large and scarcely moveable upon each other, the other five
were much smaller and rather more moveable."
Dolphin, Jackson, Bost. Journ. N. H. v. 153, 1845.
Inhab. Atlantic Ocean, North America.
" Whales, diifering in no appreciable respect from the common
dolphin of the British coast, came round us in the high seas of every
region of the globe during the voyage. It is widely open to question
whether the dolphins of so many distinct climates are not also dis-
tinct species, but as long as we are to be guided by general resem-
blance and are deficient in opportunities of comparing individuals,
we must be content to regard them as identical. The contents of
the stomach were fish, cuttle-fish, or shrimps. The food contained
in the first compartment of the stomach had seldom undergone any
change, in the second its digestion had advanced, while in the third
and fourth cavities it was reduced to a weU-assimilated pulp." —
Bennett, Whaling Voyage, 238.
Professor Rapp (Cetac. t. 4) has described and figured the skeleton.
The scapula with a broad dilated coracoid process, and a broad
dilatation on the front edge of the condyle. Fingers 5, short ; the
fourth longest ; the third rather short, the fifth shorter ; the first
very short, shorter than the second. The spinal processes of the
dorsal vertebrae with a distinct subbasal anterior process ; the caudal
vertebrae with a similar process on the hinder part of the spinal pro-
cess ; but the greater part of the lumbar vertebrae are without them ;
the lateral process of the lumbar vertebrae slender.
The skeleton is also described by Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 303), and
some bones figured (t. 24) ; and by Professor Owen (Cat. Osteol. Series
Mus. Coil. Surg. p. 451. n. 2489).
Dr. Jackson gives an accoimt of a dissection of a foetal dolphin
taken at Lynn, United States ; it was 38 inches long, and the mother
7i feet.
Sometimes seen in the fishmongers' shops in London, having been
brought to BiUingsgate for sale ; but their particular habitat is not
to be procured, or if one is obtained it is not to be depended on with
any confidence, as the animal has generally passed through more th;in
one dealer's hands. There are three specimens in the British Museum,
procured at Billingsgate, presented by Messrs. J. & C. Grove.
Mr. Couch says, " They come on the Cornish coast in considerable
numbers, more especially when the pilchards and mackerel abound ;
and not unfrequently are taken in the drift-nets, in the meshes of
which they become entangled by the teeth. In the month of Sep-
tember 1845, eight or ten in a day were brought on shore in Mount's
Bay for many days in succession." — Cornish Whales, p. 39.
3. DELPHINUS. 245
According to 0. Fabricius, it is not uncommon as far north as
Greenland.
M. Uervais states that the species is stationary on the coast of the
Mediterranean. — Comptes liendus, 28 Nov. 1864, 876 ; Ann. ^Mag.
N. H. 1865, 76.
Consult also DeJphinus Delphis, A. Smith, African Zoology, 125,
from the west coast of Africa.
4. Delphinus marg^atus.
Above black, paler on the head and sides to the middle of the
genital region ; throat, chest, and abdomen white ; edge of the jaws
blackish, end black, with a dark band just below the edge of the
white on the side, which is rather wider near the vent, with two streaks
from the eye to the base of the pectoral, and a streak on the under
side bent down behind the base of the pectoral. Beak slender.
Teeth j|^, larger than those of D. Delphis.
Delphinus marginatus, Duvernoif, in Pucheran, Rev. ^- Mag. de Zool.
1856, 346. t. 25 ; Desmared, Eticy. cFHist. Nat. Mamm. v. 284. t. 29.
f. 1 ; Arch. Katw-g. 1857, 26.
Inhab. Dieppe : two specimens in Mus. Paris.
See also
a. Delphinus Algeriensis, Zoc/ic, iiey. Sf Mag. Zool. 1860, t. 22. f. 1 ; Arch.
Naturg. 1861, 113.
Beak thick. Sides with a narrow streak from the eyes to the tail,
curved down over the end of the pectoral. Teeth ^ ' ^^.
Inhab. Mediterranean ; coast of Algiers.
h. Delphinus Mediterraneus, Loche, Rev. 4- Mag. Zool. 1860, 475. t. 22.
f. 2 ; Arch. Naturg. 1861, 113.
Beak slender. Sides with a streak from the eyes nearly to the
tail, which is curved down nearly over the base of the pectoral fin.
41.41
41. a9"
Inhab. Mediterranean.
'l^'^^t^ 41.39
5. Delphinus Janira. The Janira.
Skull roundish ; nose depressed, half as long again as the head •,
triangle rather in front of the tooth-line ; intermaxillaries very con-
vex behind, with a wide groove between, above in front ; palate
with ver)- wide, deep grooves on each side, extending two-thirds of
the length, centre ridge flattened in the middle, the intermaxillaries
forming a long triangle in front. Teeth H-
Delphinapteru.'* Peronii, Mus. Bristol Institution.
Delphiiui.-* Janira, Grag, Zool. E. ^- T. 41. t. 23 (skull) ; Cat. Cvtac.
B. M. 1850, 123.
Inhab. Newfoundland. Skull. Presented to the Bristol Institu-
tion by G. Thornc, Esq.
240 DELPHINID.!;.
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 17 10
Length of head 6 1
Length of nose 11 9
Length of lower jaw 12 6
Width at orbit 7 8
Width at notch 4 3
Width at middle of beak 2 5
This skull differs from that of D. Delphis of the Atlantic in the
beak being much shorter and narrower.
6. Delphinus Novae Zealandise. The New Zealand Dolphin.
Teeth ^'^. Body elongated, rounded in front. Nose cylindrical,
rather flattened above. Black-brown, edge of the upper jaw and
beneath dull white, a yellow band from the eye along the side to
below the dorsal ; tail slate-colour ; pectoral and dorsal dull white,
the latter dark-edged. SkuU ?
Delphinus Novae Zealandiae, Quoy et Gaim. Toy. Astrol, 49. t. 28 ;
Gray, Zool. E. ^ T. 41 ; Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 123.
Inhab. New Zealand, near Cape Gable, and Bay of Talago.
a. Skull, from Antarctic Expedition. Length 14 inches, of nose
8 inches, lower jaw 12 inches, width in middle of beak 1 inch
9 lines. Is very like figure of skuU of D. Janira.
h. Skeleton. Antarctic Seas. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by
the Lords of the Admiralty.
Form elongate, rounded in front, with a cylindrical beak, flattened
above and pointed. The lower jaw projects beyond the upper. The
forehead is gradually rounded, and forms on the middle of the beak
a well-marked prominent ridge. The sides are well rounded. The
lobes of the tail are flattened, with a compressed keel between their
base and the dorsal fin. The dorsal large, triang-ular, rounded at the
tip ; the caudal is small, nicked, and cordate in the middle ; the pec-
toral moderate, falciform. Above black-bi'own, like polished leather ;
the beUy, and the edge of the upper jaw and the whole of the lower
dull white. A broad yellow band commences at the eye, narrows
on the sides, and encls below the dorsal. The tail slate-colour.
The pectorals are lead-white, like the middle of the dorsal, with
black edges. A black line from the upper part of the head, enlarging,
and enclosing the eye, which is bordered above and below with a
white line. The eye large, black. The lower jaw with small rings
of pores, and the body with small plates of regularly twisted white
strice. Teeth small and pointed, ^.^=180.
Length 5 feet 10 inches, circumference 2 feet 11 inches, length
from muzzle to blower 1 foot 1 inch, to eye 1 foot, to dorsal 2 feet
y| inches, to base of pectoral 1 foot 5 inches, of hips 10^ inches, from
middle of dorsal to tail 2 feet 5 inches, from vent to caudal 1 foot
1 inch, length of pectoral 9 inches.
3. DELPHINUB. 247
Tlic following is probably the same : —
Dauphin a bande fauve, Voy. Pole Sud, t. 21. f. 1, t. 23. f. 1, 2 (not
described).
Skull (in the figure) rather suddenly contracted behind; nose seven-
elevenths of the entire length of the skull, and twice and three-fourths
the breadth at the notch ; intermaxillaries convex. Teeth Ai. SkuU
so named in Mus. Paris has a deep groove on each side the palate,
and the triangle to the teeth-line,
Inhab. Van Diemen's Land.
7. Delphinus albimanus.
Snout, head, back, tail, and dorsal fin blue -black ; belly and pec-
toral fin white ; sides pale tawny ; eyes small, brown, and surrounded
with a black ring, which joins the black of the snout ; body between
the dorsal fin and tail very much compressed. Teeth ^r^-
Delphinus albimanus, Peale, Zool. Exj)!. Expcd. Mamm. 33 (ed. 1, 18-18);
Camn, U. S. Ej^pl. Exped. Mmnm. 29. t. 6. f. 1.
Inhab. Coast of Chili.
" Total length 6 feet 6 inches, snout 5| inches ; dorsal fin, mea-
sured along the front edge, 9| inches ; tail 6 inches long, 4 inches
wide ; from the end of the snout to the eye 12 inches ; body 6 inches ;
above the tail, when most compressed, 1 1 inch wide ; circumference
in front of dorsal fin 40^ inches. Weight estimated to be 150
pounds.
" The specimen was a female. Its uterus contained a single foetus,
which was a male, of a reddish flesh-colour, and about 9 inches long.
The stomach contained fragments of cephalopod mollusca only. It
was harpooned from the bows of the U. S. ship ' Peacock,' on the
coast of Chili, latitude 27° IG' S., and longitude 75° 30' W., on the
12th of June."
" This species was captured by the Expedition on the coast of Chili.
Its locality therefore is widely different from that of the species of
which we have cited the name provisionally and inquiringly as a
synonym, and Avhich, as its name implies, is from the coast of New
Zealand. We are, however, inclined to suspect that they are identical,
on grounds which will be ai)parent on comjiarison of our plate with
that in the Zoological Atlas of the ' Voyage of the Astrolabe,' Mam-
miferes, pi. 28. figs. 1 & 2, or in 8chreber's Siiugcthiere, pi. 357. The
small circular openings on the throat of I). Nova' Zclandkv, repre-
sented in the plate of the ' \oy. Astrolabe,' just cited, and par-
ticularly in fig. 2, and called "pores," by Messrs. (iuoy and Gaimard,
we regard as very probably the work of a parasitic animal infesting
it. The fact that tliese orifices are placed with entire irregularity is,
in our opinion, fatal to the supposition that they are a character of
the animal. Their absence in the present species is probably a con-
sideration of no moment in the (lucstion of identity. The dentition
of the two species is stated by their describers as exactly the same."
248
DELPHIMID^.
8. Delphinus Forsteri. Forsters Doljilim.
Greenish brown or rust- coloured, beneath Avhite ; a small white
spot on the disk of the dorsal and pectoral hu. Teeth -iA=:176,
acute, erect, conical, incur\-ed. Skull — — ?
Delphinus Delphis, Forster, Descript. Aniin. 280; Icon. ined. Brit.
Mu^. t. 31.
Delphinus Forsteri, Grai/, Zool. Ereh. l^- Terror, 42. t. 24 (from Forster) ;
Cat. Cetac. £. M. 1850, 124.
Inhab. Pacific Ocean, between New Caledonia and Norfolk Island
(^Forster, 1774).
" Body straight, round, thickest behind ; the pectoral fin tapering
at both ends ; head rounded, shelving in front, beaked ; beak straight,
pointed, cyliudrical, depressed, attenuated and blunt at the tip ; upper
jaw shorter, both blunt, toothed ; eyes small, lateral, oblong, nearly
in the middle of the side, near the gape of the mouth ; a small hole
(the ears) above and behind the eyes ; blower single, between the
eyes in crown, lunate ; a linear abdominal slit a little behind and
beneath the dorsal fin, the fi'ont part the vulva, the hinder the vent ;
teats 2, one on each side the vulva, with a nipple the size of a pea ;
tail compressed on the sides, keeled above and below, and attenuated
towards the tip ; pectoral fin lanceolate, scarcely as long as the beak ;
dorsal fin in the middle of the back, nearly three-sided, falcate
behind, as long as the beak ; tail horizontal, two-lobed, each lobe
oblong, lateral, subfalcate.
" Gregarious, swimming very rapidly around the ships and boats.
" Length 6 feet from nose to tail." — Forster.
This species resembles, in the distribution of its colouring, the
Dmiphin a hande fauve (Voy. Pole Sud), but the band on the side is
whitish, not fulvous.
i
9. Delphinus Sao. The Sao.
Skull : beak elongate, shelving on the sides, with central cartilage
near half its length in front ; triangle to the teeth-line ; teeth
|-3_5^, small, cylindrical, hooked ; palate flat in front, with a broad
groove extending nearly half its length behind ; intermaxillaries and
palatine distinct, former broad in front; lower jaw slender, shelving,
and flat-sided in front. Length 17 inches, teeth-hne 8| inches, beak
10| inches, width at notch 3-j^.
Delphinus Sao, Grai/, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 125.
Inhab. Madagascar (Dussumier, 1838). SkuU, Mus. Paris.
10. Delphinus Frithii.
Delphinus Frithii, Blyth, Rep. Asiatic Soc, Calcutta, 12 ; Journ.
A. S. B. xxviii. 192 ; Cat. Mm. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, 91.
Inhab. "Procured during a voyage from England to India"
{R. W. G. Frith, Esq., Jonrn. Asiatic Soc. xvi. 386).
Skull in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, presented
by Mr. Frith, and probably an undescribed species, with a general
3. DELPniNUS.
249
Tesoniblance to that of Delph'tnus Delphls. The intermaxillaries,
united as far as the middle of the rostrum, are vaulted, so that the
section of their united middle portion forms a complete semicircle,
arising abruptly from the maxillaries, and being there only as broad
as the exposed portion of each maxillary: probably a distinctive
specific character. Teeth
52.55
50 . 50*
11. Delphinus pemiger.
Delpliinus pemiger, Elliot, Journ. Asicdic Soc. xvii. 250, xxviii. 491 ;
Blyth, Rvp.Asiat. Soc. Cttlcutta, 11; Cat. Mus. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 91.
Tectli largo.
Inhab. Bay of Bengal.
A stuffed specimen of this small Cetal is in the Museum of the
Asiatic Society, Calcutta. Presented by the Hon. "Walter Elliot of
the Madras Civil Service, 1848.
" This species is distinct from any of those described by Dr. Gray,
and having the teeth proportionally large." — BhjtTi.
C. Skull flattened behind, Triamjle to the teeth- line. Palate flat, not grooved
on the side. Clymene.
12. Delphinus Clymene.
OL^Y^syOy^
C(
3. DELPniNus. 249
TesoniUance to that of Deljihhuts Delphls. The intermaxillarics,
united as far as the middle of the rostrum, are vaulted, so that the
section of their united middle portion forms a complete semicircle,
arising abruptly from the maxillaries, and being there only as broad
as the exposed portion of each maxillary : probably a distinctive
specific character.
11. Selphinns pemiger.
Delphinus pemiger, Elliot, Journ. Asiatic Soc. xvii. 250, xxviii. 491 ;
Bhjth, Rep. Asiut. Soc. Calcutta, 11; Cat. 3Ius. Asiat. Sue. Bengal, 91.
Teeth large.
Inhab. Bay of Bengal.
A stuffed specimen of this small Cetal is in the Museum of the
Asiatic Society, Calcutta. Presented by the Hon. Walter Elliot of
the iladras Civil Service, 1848.
" This species is distinct from any of those described by Dr. Gray,
and having the teeth proportionally large." — Bhjth.
C. Skull flattened behind. TrianffU to the teeth-line. Palate flat, not grooved
on the side. Clymene.
12. Delphinus Clymene.
Skidl rather depressed, the hinder part slightly convex ; nose
rather depressed, shelving on the sides ; intermaxillaries convex,
■with an elongated groove between them in front, three-fifths the
entire length, twice and a half the length of the wddth at the notch ;
the triangular impression in front of the blower rather elongate,
produced a little beyond the line of the hinder tooth, rugose in
front, with oblique grooves on each side. Teeth Ag., small, slightly
incurved, acute, six in an inch.
Clymene, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 237.
Delphinus Clvmene, Grag, Cat. Osteol. Spec. £.31. 35: Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 115.
Delphinus Metis (No. 2), Grag, Zoul. Urdus t^- Terror, 39 (not No. 1,
nor figm-e).
Inhab. ?
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 15 7
Length of head 6 3
Length of nose . 9 4
Length of teeth -Une 7 4
Width of temple 6 10
Width at nosti-il 3 7
Width at middle of beak 2 2
Width of intermaxillaries .... 1 0
This species is like the D. Dori.i in size, but the skull behind the
frontal ridgo is much flatter and gradually shelving to the foramen
magnum, and the beak is more depressed.
250 DELPniNIDJE.
Var. In the Museum of the Bristol Institution there is an imper-
fect skull, apparently of this species, which differs in the nose being
about three-quarters of an inch shorter, and rather narrower. It has
36 teeth in the upper jaw.
in. lin.
Skull : Length of nose 8 7
Width at notch 3 8
"Width at middle of nose 2 0
A lower jaw is fitted to it, which has no teeth and a short gonyx,
but it is doubtful if it belongs to the same animal ; its length is 12|
inches, symphysis Ig inch.
A second skull in the same collection is very similar, and has
M teeth.
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 15 0
Length of nose 9 0
Width at notch 3 4
Width at middle of nose 110
This skull only diflPers from the former in the lower jaw being
slenderer and united by a longer symphysis in front. Lower jaw
1 2^ inches long ; symphysis 2 inches.
These are probably indications of two other species. The hinder
part of the skull of the latter is also rather more convex than the
same part in D. Plierma.
In the description of this species in the * Zoology of the Erebus and
Terror,' D. Metis is mentioned in three places instead of D. Dons.
13. Delphinus Styx. The Styx.
Skull roundish, flattened behind ; nose depressed, convex in the
middle, shelving on each side, longer than the head, five-ninths the
entire length, nearly twice and a half as long as the width at the
notch ; the triangular impression just to the line of the hindermost
teeth. Teeth ^, slender, subcyHndrical, acute, about five in an inch ;
palate nearly flat ; lower jaw rather produced and roiinded in front.
Delphinus Styx, Gray, Zool. E. 8f T. 40. t. 21 (skuU) ; Cut. Cetac.
B.M. 1850, 117.
Inhab. W. Africa {Capt. W. T. W. Oiven, B.N.).
Skull in Mus. United Service Institution : — . ,.
Length, entire 18 0
Length of nose 10 3
Length of lower jaw 14 9
Width at the notch 4 6
Width at the orbit 8 6
Teeth ||
This species is very like D. Euphrosyne, but is somewhat smaller
and the beak rather shorter ; it may prove to be only a variety.
3. DELrniNus. 251
14. Delphinus Tethyos.
Delpliinus Tcthvos, Gcrvais, Bull. Soc. Hermtlt, 185:3, 140. t. 1. f. 14
(skull) ; Bull. Sue. Philom. Extr. Proc. Verb. 1853, 23 ; L'Lisiitute,
1853, xxi. no. 1001. 85 ; Bull. Sci. Nat. 1853, xx. 289.
Orca Tethyos, Gerard, Cat. Osteol. Mamm. B. M. 155.
Inhab. ilcditeiTanean ; Department of Herault (Gervais).
T\yo specimens of Deljihinus Tetliyos have been taken, one at the
mouth of the Orb Herault in 1852, and the other in the vicinity of
Port Vendres, Pyrenees Oricntales, of which the skull is in the col-
lection of Dr. Pinchenat (Gervais, Comptes Eendus, 28th Nov. 1864,
87(5 ; Ann. & Mag. N. 11. 1865, 76). The groove on the side of the
palate does not exist in D. Tethyos.
15. Delphinus Euphros3m.e. Tlie Eujihrosrjne.
SkuU round, flattened beliLnd ; nose broad and tapering in front,
depressed, flat at the base, shelving on the sides and rounded in the
middle above, about half as long again as the head, or three-fifths
the entire length, and twice and a half the length of the -width at
the notch. Teeth AA^ slender, elongate, shghtly curved, acute. The
iutermaxillarics are convex and rounded above, with a wide groove
between them for half their length in front.
Delphinus Euphrosyne, Gray, Cat. Ost. Spec. B. M. 147 ; Zool. Ereb.
Sf Terror, 40. t. 22 (skull) ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 117; Nilsson,
Skand. Fauna, i. 595.
Delpliinus Styx (pars), Gray, Cat. Osteol. Spec. B. 31. 38.
Delphinus Ilolbollii, Eschricht, Naturf. mot i Kcipenh. 1847, fide Nil^sm.
Delphinus Delphis, Cat. Mus. Coll. Surg. 161. n. 1117,
Inhab. North Sea. Coast of England. South Atlantic. Near
mouth of Eio de la Plata, Mus. Buenos Ayres {Burmeister).
Skull, ilus. Norwich : — jj^ ^ya
Length, entire 18 6
Length of head . 7 4
Length of nose 11 3
Length of lower jaw 16 0
Length of temple 9 6
Width at notch 4 6
AVidth at middle of beak 2 4
Width at temples 8 3
a. SkuU, imperfect behind. Specimen figured in ' Zool. Ei'cbus and j^
Terror,' t. ined. - i' y'^ ^""-^-j-ip
This skull only differs from the one at Norwich in being rather V"^/^
smaller in all its dimensions. . ,.
in. Im.
Length, entire 17 (!
Length of nose 10 3
Length of lower jaAV 14 3
Width at notch 4 3
Width at orbit 7 6
Teeth 44-44
fM
252 DELPnixiD^.
This and the former species are very like D. Ch/mene, but are
broader and more depressed ; the intermaxillaries are more convex,
especially behind, and form a regular defined front edge to the
triangle, which is rough in front, and marked with obUque cross
grooves, while in D. Ch/mene the triangle is furnished with an
acute, raised margin on each side in front.
A skull in Mus. Coll. Surgeons {Delphinus Delphis, Cat. Mus. Coll.
Surg. 161. n. 1117), with the palate convex, not grooved on the
side ; intermaxillary and vomer forming part of the palate ; teeth ^ ;
obtained from the Leverian Museum in 18U6, may be another
variety.
in. lin.
Skull : length, entire 16 0
Length of nose 10 0
Length of lower jaw 13 3
Width at notch 3 6
Professor Nilsson thinks that D. Doris (Gray), D. pseudocMiMs
(Schlcgel, Abhandl. i. 22), and D. duhius (Cuvier, Mus. Paris), all
probably belong to this species. — Skand. Fauna, i. 598.
There is a skull from the Bay of Bengal in the Museum at Cal-
cutta, which Mr. Blyth has named DelpMnus Eurynome, Gray (Blyth,
Cat. Mus. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 90). Inhab. Bay of Bengal.
Professor Burmeister informs me that he has a skull of this species,
in the Museum of Buenos Ayres, taken at the mouth of the Bio de
la Plata. I think it very probable that when the skulls from India,
the North Sea, and La Plata are compared, they may prove to be
distinct ; or there may be some confusion in the habitats.
16. Delphinus Alope. The Alope.
Skull moderate ; beak elongate, depressed, once and three-quarters
the length of the brain-cavity, rather more than three times the
width at the notch ; intermaxillaries convex, rounded, with a very
narrow cavity between them ; maxillaries spongy, shelving ; triangle
elongate, reaching just beyond the tooth-line, rugose. Teeth very
slender, ^ ; palate rather convex ; lower jaw slender ; gonyx keeled,
short.
Delphinus Alope, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, t. ined. ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 118.
Hab. ?
fl. SkuU ? Mr. Warwick's Collection.
Skidl: length, entire, 16| inches; of nose, 10| inches; skuU,
6 inches ; width at orbit, 6 inches ; at notch, 3| inches ; at middle
of beak, 2 inches.
17. Delphinus fulvifasciatus.
Blackish ; side of back fulvous ; throat and beneath white ; beak,
orbit, streak from angle of mouth to pectoral fin, and pectoral fin
3. DELrniNus, 253
blackish. Beak of skull more than half as long again as the brain-
ca^'ity. Teeth 1[^.
Delpliinus fulvifascirttu.s, Pticheran, Voy. Dumont (FUrville, Mamm.
t. 21. f. 1, t. 2.3. f. 1, 2 (skull).
Inhab. Van Diemen's Land.
18. Lelphinus dubius.
Beak of skull depressed, like D. Ddphis, but rather shorter ; the
teeth small and sharp, |^, thin, pointed.
Delphinus dubius, Cuv. R. A. i. 288 ; F. Cur. Mamm. Lith. t. ;
Cetac. 154 ; Ann. Mus. xix. 14 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 110.
I found three skulls under this name in the Paris Museum.
1. " D. dubius, Cuv. n. 10," (Mus. Paris.)
Skull : length (in inches and lines) 15-3, of beak 10-0, width at
notch 2-9, at middle of beak 1'7 ; teeth ^4 or A|^ ; palate flat, rather
convex ; lower jaw flat, obliquely in front and keeled in front beneath.
2. "D. dubius, Cuv. n. 2." (Mus. Paris.)
Skull : length 16-6, of beak 10-U, of teeth-line 8-6, width at notch
3-8, at middle of beak l"7g ; teeth f^ or ^-^ , small, hooked ; palate
flat, rather convex ; beak tapering in front, reflexed before the notch ;
intermaxiUaries rather convex; triangle extending rather in front
of the teeth-line, rugose in front.
3. " D. dubius, Cuv. n. 7." (Mus. Paris.)
Skull, from the Cape de Verd: length 16-0, of beak 9-4, of teeth-
line 7*6, width at notch 3-7|, at middle of beak 1-4 ; teeth f-i-ij-^ ;
triangle scarcely extended in front of the teeth-line ; palate tlat ;
lower jaw oblique, compressed and flat on the sides, rather turned up
at the tip ; intermaxiUaries convex behind ; nose tapering in front.
This last is perhaps D. frontalis (Dussum. Cuv. It. A. i. 288 ;
Pucheran, Bev. & Mag. Zool. 1856, 449).
" Black, belly white, with a lead-coloured band from angle of
mouth to pectoral.
" Inhab. Cape Verd."
M. Pucheran observes, from the examination of the bones, that
he believes that D. frontalis differs more from D. dubius than from
D. fnenatus. In the skulls of all the three specimens tlie palate is
flat ; but in D. frontalis the beak is longer than in D. dubius, and the
anterior groove of the intermaxiUaries is more open and more ])ro-
mineut. The skidl of D. fnvnatus resembles that of B. dubius in
the length of the beak. (See I. c. pp. 4-59, 4(50.)
Delphinus dubius. — This skull differs from that of D. Delplris, as
Cuvuer has observed, b}- the appearance of the vomer in a longitu-
dinal space on the palate between the maxillaries and preniaxiUaries.
The palatal pronjinence formed l)y the palatine bone is broader and
shorter, and the grooves on each side are shallower and much
254
DELPHINIBiE.
sliorter, not extending forward beyond the last four alveoli. The
cranium is more convex behind, especially in the vertebral direction,
than in the D. Delphis, and the supraoccii^ital ridge bends forsvards
towards the rudimental nasal bones. Alveoli in number 2494 :
§^=160; in number 2495 : ?Hrl= 102." (202?)
40 . 40 ' oO . oO ^ ^
Delphinus plumheus. — The adult specimen of D. pJumheus, figured
by F. Cuvier (Mamm. Lithog.), is in the Paris Museum. M. Puche-
ran describes it at length.
M. Pucheran (Eev. & Mag. de Zoologie, 1856, pp. 1 48 & 315) gives
some additional particulars of the specimen received from M. Dus-
suniier in the Paris Museum, on which this species was originally
described, and corrects some part of the description of M. F. Cuvier.
He describes it thus: — ^^ Delphinus plumheus, Duss. Adidte. Taille
grande ; couleui" de cors gris plombe ; extremite et dessous de la
machou'e inferiem'e blanchatre ; nageoii-e dorsale peu elevee mais
allougee ; nageoix-e, pectoral et caudal bien etalees ot bien developpes ;
formule dentaire 39 ^-^.-^^ 3- ; jeune bord de la machoire superieure et
dessous du corps jusqu'a la moitie de la queue de couleur blanchatre.
" Hab. Cote de Malabar."
The Delphinus ptlumheus, although very common on the Malabar
coast and Penang, and rather heavy in its movements, is rarely cap-
tured, except by chance in fishing-stakes. It is called Pammpuan
Laid by the Malays of the Peninsula.
" The stomach of a single young specimen observed contained
remains of small fish, apparently Clupea and Gliiphisodon ccelestimis,
Cuvier." — Cantor, Malay Mammalia, Journ. Asiat. Soc. xv.
19. Delphinus lateralis.
Delphinus lateralis, J. Peale, U. S. Expl. Exjied. 3.5 (t. 8. f. 1. iued.) ;
Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 133.
Snout smaU ; body thick, but much compressed behind the dorsal ;
light purpUsh grey beneath, while a dark lateral line edged with
spots separates the colours of the upper and under parts of the body ;
a separate line, paler in colour, branches from the lateral line
opposite the pectoral fin and passes downwards and backwards ;
another connects the eye and pectoral fin ; fins and snout black.
Teeth ||, 11=164. Length 90 inches.
Inhab. Pacific Ocean, lat. 13° 58' N., long. 161° 22' W.
4. TURSIO.
Head shortly beaked ; forehead convex. Nose short, bald. Dorsal
fin falcate, near the middle of the back. SkuU vrith the hinder wing
of the maxiUa horizontal, somewhat thickened over the orbit edge.
Nose of skull moderate, scarcely produced, depressed, scarcely or
not so long as the brain-cavity. Triangle on hinder part of the
beak, elongate, produced before the teeth-line. Teeth fi to f^,
4. TT7RSI0. 255
small, conical, extending the greater part of the length of the jaws.
Palate flat.
(jraiiipus, sp., Graji, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828.
Delpliinus § a (Tiirsio), Grai/, Zool. Ereb. df Ten: 3G, 1817; Cat. Cetac,
li. M. 105, ISrjO ; P. Z. S. 1803 ; 18G4, 236.
Cephalorliyiichus, F. Cuvier, Cetac.
Delphinus § Cephalorliyiichus, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. lOG.
Tursiops, Gervais, 3Iamm. 323.
I. Beak short. Rostrum of sI'kU expanded over the orbits, thick, conical,
convex above, half as long as the head.
a. Bostram of skull slender, subcijlindrical. Nos. 1, 2.
b. Rostrum of skull rather thick, conical, evenly tapering. Nos. 3, 4.
c. Rostrum of skull rather thick, and rather swollen on the sides. 5, 6, 7, 8.
II. Beak short. Rostrum of skull very broad, half as long as the head,
shelving on the side. Skull shelving over the orbits. Eutrope.
III. Beak scarcely produced. Rostrum of skull rather depressed, scarcely
longer than the brain-cavity, convex. Skull expanded over the orbit,
leeth, 2 4 3 0^'
I. Beak short. Rostrum of skull thick, conical, convex above, half as long as
the head. TiU'sio.
Tui-sio, Gray, Zool. Ereb. t^ Terr. 37 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 109.
Cetus, sp., Brisson.
a. Rostrum of skull slender, subcylindrical. Teeth ff-j|.
1. Tursio Doris. The Doris.
Skull roundish ; rostrum depressed, four-sevenths of the entire
length, and twice and one-third the length of the width at the notch,
concave behind, rounded on the sides, convex in the middle of the
central ridge, flattened in front ; intermaxillaries convex, especially in
the middle of their length, with a groove between them in front ; an
irregular impression in front of the blower, rather elongate, extend-
ing a little before the line of the hinder teeth. Teeth |4 or ^, slender,
conical, incurved, acute ; lower jaw slender, very obliquely tinmcated ;
palate rather convex in front, tapering, shortly grooved behind.
Delphinus Doris, Gray, Cat. Osteal. B. M. 3G ; Zool. Erebus 4' Terror,
39. t. 20 (skull) ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 114.
Inhab. ?
a. Skull ? The speoimeu figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus
and Terror,' t.L^O. .^^ j.^
Skull : Length, entire 17 4
Length of head 7 3
Length of nose 10 1
Length of teeth-line 9 2
"Width at temples 7 9
"Width at noNtiils 4 4
Width at middle of beak 2 4
Width at intermaxillaries 1 1
256 DELPHINID^E.
h. Skull. From Haslar Hospital. .
c. SkuU.
This species, in the slenderness and length of the beak and number
of teeth, forms the passage between this and the next section.
In the Ipswich Museum there is a skull of a species allied to this,
if not the same. The beak is twice and a half as long as wide at the
notch; intermaxillaries convex, solid, with an elongate lanceolate
space in front ; triangle elongated, about one-third before the end of
the tooth-line, mgulose; lower jaw slender in front, slightly trun-
cated ; back of the head convex, rounded ; palate flat, rather concave
in the middle of the front part. Teeth |^.
in. lin.
Length, entire 16 0
Length of lower jaw 13 3
Length of beak 9 3
Width at notch 3 6
Width at orbits 7 9
2. Tursio frsenatus. The Bridled Dolphin.
Blackish, paler on the sides, the belly white, end of tail black
beneath ; head black ; sides ashy, with a dark band fi-om the angle
of the mouth under the eye.
Delphinus frenatus, JP. Cuv. Mamm. Lith. t. ; Cetac. 158. t. 1. from
^ussumier's description and drawing; Pucheran, Rev. Sf Mag. Zool.
1856, 449; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 115.
Inhab. Cape de Yerd.
Skull in the Paris Museum, from Cape de Verd, sent by Dus-
sumier. Length 18 inches, of beak 8-3, width at notch 3'.5, of
middle of beak 1-11. Teeth |^, rather larger than in D. duhius ;
palate smooth ; intennaxillaries large, expanded ; nasal convex be-
neath ; triangle rather extended in front of the teeth-line, rugose,
and rather more so than in D. duhius. There is a second skull marked
D. frenatns, No. 2 ; width at notch 3-7 ; teeth |-| or ||^ ; palate
flat ; nasal very convex, especially behind ; triangle extending rather
in front of the teeth-line, very rugose; jaws rather strongly reflexed
in front of the notch.
b. nostrum of skull rather thick, conical, evenly tapering.
3. Tursio Metis. The Metis.
Skull globular ; back of blower tubercular; rostrum thick, conical,
regularly tapering, upper part convex, longer than the head and more
than twice as long as the width at the notch ; intermaxillaries con-
vex, more than half the width at the beak. Teeth |^, conical, acute,
curved.
Delphinus Metis, Gray, Cat. Osteal. B. M. .36 ; 7,ool. Erebus 8f Terror,
.38. t. 18 (skull) ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 113.
Inhab. ?
4. TURsio. 257
a. Skull. The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and
Terror.' - ,.
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 21 0
Length of nose 11 9
Length of lower jaw 17 0
Breadth at orbit 9 6
Breadth at notch 5 0
Breadth at middle of beak 3 0
This skull is like that of D. Euphrosyne, but differs in the nose
being rather shorter compared with the length of the head, more
tapering, and the teeth rather larger. It differs from Delph'mus
Tursio's in the nose being much shorter and more conical and acute.
4. Tursio Cjrniodoce. The Cymodoce.
Skull roundish ; rostrum broad, rounded above, broad at the base,
gradually tapering in front and convex on the sides, one-twelfth
longer than the head — or more than half the entire length, and more
than twice as long as the width at the notch ; the triangular impres-
sion in front of the blowers elongate, extended beyond the line of the
hinder teeth. Teeth |-|, moderate, conical, slightly incurved, acute,
more than three in one inch ; lower jaw regiilarly converging,
straight on the sides, the front obliquely truncated, and the gonyx
slightly produced.
Dehihinus Cpnodoce, Gray, Cat. Osteol. B. M. 35 ; Zool. Erebus Sf
Terror, .38. t. 19 ; Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 113.
Inhab. ?
a. Skull ? The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus
and Terror,' t. 19. . ,.
' m. Im.
Skull : Length, entire 18 6
Length of head 8 6
Length of nose 10 0
Length of teeth-line 7 9
Length of lower jaw 15 0
Width of temple 8 6
Width of notch 4 9
Width at middle of nose 2 8
Width of intermaxillaiy 1 7
This skull is very like D. Metis, but much smaller, and the beak
more conical.
c. Beak of skidl rather thick, and rather swollen on the sides. Teeth ^^-^.
5. Tursio? Guianensis. The Giiiana Dolphin.
Teeth ^ 2^ or ^P- '^l
Delphinus Guianensis, Van Bencden, Mem. Acad. Roy. Brux. 1862,
x\'i. t.
Inhab. British Guiana (Ffoi Beneden). From Mus. Stutgardt.
s
^^^^^ DELPHINID,T5.
'J/p^ 6. Tursio truncatus. Botthnose Dolphin.
/\, / Black, whitish beneath. Teeth |i, truncated when old ; skull-
f"^ nose five-ninths of the entire length ; intermaxillaries very convex,
' I /il' forming a strong rib on each side above ; intermaxiUa and vomer
i/*'' / forming part of the palate.
h ^ ^ f'^~' Delphinus Tursio, O. Fahr. Fauna Gra-nl. 49 ; Wn'f/Jd, 3Iar/. N. II. ii.
.. , ^ . 609, 1838; Bonnat. Cetac. 21. t. 11. f. 1; Schrch. Sanr/kh. t. 344;
JlinA-otli] / 1*^ 1^ <•" Desm. Mamm. 514 ; Fischer, Si/n. 508 ; Grai/, Zool. Erchus, 8f Terror,
' 37. 1. 10 (animal) ; Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 109 ; P. Z. S. 1864 ; IF. B.
Clark, Ann. 8f Mag. N. H. ; Van Beneden, Nouv. Mem. Acad. Roy.
Brux. xxxii. 32 ; Schlegel, de Diei-en, 86. 1. 12 (var. obtusus, t. 13) ;
Fleming, Brit. Anim. 35 ; Jenyns, Man. 41 ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 469.
fig., 472. fig. ; Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, 602.
Tursio truncatus. Bottle-nose AN'liale, Oray, List Mam. B. 31. 104.
Tursiops Tm'sio, Gervais, Comptcs Bcndus, 1864, 876.
Delphinus Orca, Gerard, Diet. Sci. Nat. 75.
Delphinus Nesaruak, Z«ce/;. Cet. 307; Desm.Mainm. 515, from O. Fah.
Delphinus truncatus, Montagu, Wern. Trans, iii. t. 5. f. 3 (skull),
cop. Bell, Brit. Quad. 472, fig.
Bottle-nose, Hunter, Phil. Trans. Ixxxvii. t. 18, cop. Bomuit. Cetol.
t. 11. f. 1, and Bell, Brit. Quad. 469, 1787, fig.
L'Orque (Orca), Bellon, Aqiiat. f. 6. tab. at p. 18.
Dauphin vulgaire, Camper, Cetac. t. 35-40 (skull).
Grand Dauphin, ou Souffiem-, Cuvier, B. A. i. 278.
Anat. Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 277. t. 21. f. 3, 4, t. 23. f. 18, 22, 2.3, 29 ;
Cam2)er, Cetac. t. 35-40 ; Mont. Wern. Trans, iii. t. 5.
Var. ? Uniform deep black. Delphinus Tursio, Schlegel, Ahhandl. i. 5.
f. 1, 2, t. 4. f. 9.
Black : a blotch over the pectoral and over the vent.
Var. ? Delphinus Tursio, Sundevall, (Efv. Kongl, Vetensk. Akad. 1861,
385, t, 7.
Inhab. Mediterranean and North Sea. Coast of south of Ireland,
Nov. 1828 (R. Templeton). Mouth of the Thames, Nore, June
1828 (Howship) ; skull, Mus. CoU. Surg. no. 112.5. OrweU, May 10,
1849. Devonshire, Elver Dart (3Iontagti) ; skull Brit. Mus. Firth
of Forth ; skeleton, Mus. University, Edinburgh ; skeleton in Sur-
geons' Hall, Edinburgh, teeth acute. Holland ; skeleton, Lcyden,
North coast of France ; skeleton at Paris. Belgium ; skeleton,
Ghent. Denmark ; skeleton, Mus. Copenhagen.
a. Skull and teeth.
b. Skull : bad state. From Dr. Mantell's Collection.
In the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' tab. 10, is a copy of
a most accurate drawing, by Mr. R. Templeton, of a specimen caught
on the south coast of Ireland, in November 1828. The following
are its measurements : — „, . ,.
it. m. Im.
Length, entire 8 1 3
Length from snout to the eyes 10 0 i
Length to the ear 1 2 5 I
Length to the base of the pectoral ..169 v
Length to the end of the pectoral .... 2 6 7 .(
In — ' /tir:
4. TUESIO.
259
ft.-
Length to the front of the dorsal .... 3
Length to the end of the dorsal 4
Length to the genital organ 5
Length to the vent 5
Length to base of tail 7
Length to end of middle of tail 7
Length to end of tail-fin 8
in. liii.
2
5
3
0
6
3
0
0
6
0
1
3
There is some difficulty about the colour of this species, which
may arise from two being confounded under one name, Bounaterre,
Montagu, and Wright describe it as black above and whitish be-
neath ; 0. Fabricius as all blackish, the belly a little whiter, and
the young paler ; Schlegel figures it of a uniform deep black.
The following are the measurements of five skulls, the first being
Montagu's specimen in the British Museum, and four in the College
of Surgeons; the fourth is No. 1126, and the fifth No. 1125 of the
College Catalogue : — ■
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
in. in. in. in. in.
Length, entire 21| 21 21 21 22
Length of nose 11| 12 12 11| 12
Length of teeth-line 9| 10 10 10|
Length of lower jaw 18| 18| .. 18
Width at notch 5| 5 5| 5| 5|
Width at orbits 10^ . . 10| 10| 9^
Width at middle of beak 'di U
In the skull of Montagu's specimen, in the British Museum, the
fourth and tenth teeth from the front on each side appear, from the
hole, to have been larger than the rest. We have a second imperfect
skull of the same measurement.
The skull of the skeleton presented by Mr. Howship, in Mus. Coll.
Surg. (n. 1125), taken below the Nore, in June 1828, has the
teeth |-|, the two hinder upper without any opposite them ; the
fourth, fifth, and sixth upper are largest, the middle lower are trun-
cated ; the lower jaw obUqucly truncated, with a rather prominent
gonyx. The elongated intormaxillaries and the vomer are visible in
the palate. In the old skulls the intermaxillaries are one-half width
above, and the sides of the maxillaries are shelving. In skull
n. 1126 (Mus. CoU. Surg.) the teeth are very oblique and truncated
at the end.
In all the skulls I have seen of this species the teeth are more or
less worn down, but ilr. Bell says he has two skulls in which they
arc acute (Brit. Quad. 472). M. F. Cuvicr (Cctac. 223) complains
of Montagu's figure of the skidl of D. fruncatus ; he does not recog-
nize in it the D. Tiirsio, but thinks it most resembles D. Del phis !
hence the origin of his complaint.
A stufl'ed specimen and skeleton, in the Edinburgh University
Museum, from the Firth of Forth, have all the teeth truncated and
^t^-^
260 DELPHINID^.
flat. A skeleton in the Surgeons' Hall of Edinburgh, from the same
locality, has them all acute. The latter is named D. Delphis. The
atlas (or first) and second cervical vertebrae united by the body and
lateral processes ; the third to the seventh cervical vertebrae free.
A specimen with teeth %\, large, conical, acute, was taken in the
Eivcr OrvveU, May 10, 1849.
Mr. Charles D. Meigs described the foetus of Delphinus Nesarnalc,
Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. i. 267 ; see Arch. Naturg. 1832, 64.
Col. Montagu described an old specimen, taken on the 3rd of July
1814, in Duncannon Pool near Stoke Gabriel, about five mUes up the
river Dart, as D. truncatus (Wern. Trans, iii. 75. t. 3). It was
12 feet long. The skull, which came into Montagu's possession, is
now in the British Museum.
Pirst described as British by John Hunter, under the name of the
Bottle-nose ^VTiale, in the ' Phil. Trans.' for 1787, t. 18. It was
caught on the sea-coast near Berkley, and the skeleton is now in the
Museum of the College of Surgeons.
Mr. Jenyns mentions one observed by Mr. Gilbertson in the river
at Preston in Lancashii-e (Manual, p. 41).
The skeleton of this species is described by Professor Owen from
a female specimen taken at the Nore, June 1828, in company with
a male. " It survived many hours after having been dragged out
of the water, during which time it emitted a sound not unlike the
bellowing of a calf." — Cat. Osteol. Series Coll. Surg. p. 449. n. 2483.
Professor Owen observes that Cuvier assigns to Delphinus Tursio
from 42 to 46 teeth in each jaw ; so that the teeth seem to vary from
40 to 50 in each jaw.
In a second skull in the same collection (no. 2484) " a greater por-
tion of the crown is worn away in all except the last two or three,
and a large proportion of the unenameUed fang is exposed, upon
which their more oblique position and larger proportionate size
appear to depend" (p. 451).
In the same collection (no. 2485) is " the skuU of an apparently
aged specimen, with a disease of the jaws ; all the teeth are lost,
and the sockets are obliterated, except at the anterior part of the
alveolar tracts, where they are very shallow."
The axis and atlas coalesced (nos. 2483, 2488). " The cervical
vertebrae are very thin, and separate. Vertebrae 41, of which 13 are
dorsal. First bone of the sternum not pierced, with blunt lateral
angles. Bladebone with the acromion larger and more rectilinear
with the spine than in B. Delphis.''' — Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 305.
" This species is not so beautifully marked with lines as the
D. Delphis, The snout is much shorter, the upper jaw not so long
as the lower. The dorsal fin smaller cmd more posterior, as I noticed
in a specimen inspected at Plymouth. The eye appears small, and is
placed more directly over the angle of the mouth ; the teeth small,
conical, 23 on each side." — Couch, Cornish Whales, 39.
Tursiops Tursio is not so rare as Grampus Hissoanus, but far less
common than Delphinus Delphis. M. Gervais has specimens taken
in the Gulf of Lyons, especially at Cette and La NouveUe, and at
4. xuRsio. 261 ,
Gruissau in the Mediterranean. — Gervais, Comptes Eemlits, 28 Nov.
18G4, 876 ; A^iii. 6f Mag. N. H. 1865, xv. 76.
7. Txirsio Abusalam. The Ahnsalam.
Black, belo-w wliite, with small dark spots ; teeth |-f— |^. Nose
of skull in length about five-ninths of total, twice and a haK its
width at the notch. Intermaxillary bones very convex, forming a
strong ridge on each side. Lower jaw tapering in front.
Delpliinus abusalam, Eiq)p. 3Ius. Smick. 1842, t. 12. f. 1, 2, 3 ; Gray,
Zoul. Erehm ^- Terror, 38 ; Cat. Cctac. B. M, 1850, 111.
Tm-siops aduncus, Gervais, Mamm. 323^__^
Inhab. Eed Sea.
Only known from Dr. Riippell's description and figure. It has ^ /)// ffL
been said to be the same as JJ. Tursio, but it ajjpears to be different. , ^
Delpliinus aduncxis, Hempr. & Ehrenb. Sym. Phys. ii. (Beak de- h ?(^ /, ^ ^
pressed, elongate ; teeth f4, conical, strong. Inhab. Island of Bel-
hosse), is perhaps the same as the former.
8. Tursio Eurynome. The Enrynome.
SkuU roundish ; nose thick, broad, rounded above ; intermaxil-
larics rather convex, one-half as wide as maxillaries ; nose one-third
longer than the length of the head (or contained four times and
one-seventh in the entire length), twice and one-third the width at
the notch ; hinder edge of blower largely tubercular ; teeth |^,
moderate, cylindrical, rather curved, acute.
Delpliinus Eurynome, Grai/, Cat. Ost. B. M. 143 ; Znol. JEreb. ii' Terr,
38. t. 17 (skull) ; Cat. C'etac. B. M. 1850, 112 ; Bhjth, Jmtrn. Asiat.
Soc. Beng. 1800, 202.
Inhab. Bay of Bengal {Blyth).
a. Skull. Figured in ' Voy. Erebus arid Terror,' t. 17.
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 22 0
Length of head 9 1
Length of nose 12 3
Length of teeth-line 10 0
Length of lower jaw IS 0
"Width at temples 11 0
Width at notch 5 4
Width at middle of beak 3 6
The skull of this species is most like D. Tursio ; but the nose is
one-fourth longer than the length of the head, slenderer, and more
rounded, and the teeth smaller.
262 BELPHINID^.
U. Beak short; of skull very broad, shelving on the sides. 31axilla shelving
over the orbits. Teeth |A or |4. Eutropia.
Eutropia, Grag, P. Z. S. 1862, 145.
9. Tursio Eutropia. The Eutropia.
Nose of skull rather longer than the length of the brain-cavity,
slightly dilated on the sides before the notch, very convex and roimded
above. Triangle elongate, produced in front of the teeth-line, concave
on the sides and strongly keeled in the centre behind ; hinder edge
of blowhole prominent. Intermaxillaries wide, convex above, leaving
a broad open space in front. Lower jaw thick, blunt, and produced
beyond the upper in front. Skvill compressed behind. Palate con-
cave in fi'ont, convex in the centre behind, and keeled on each
side. Teeth |-A, slender, cylindrical, conical at the top. The frontal
ridge half the distance between the notch on the convexity of the
condyles. Condyles large, oblique. Poramen magnum wider than
high.
Delphinus Eutropia, Grag, P. Z. S. 1849, 1 ; Ann. ^ 3Iag. K H. v.
1850, 48 ; Zoot Erebus &■ Terror, t. 34, ined. (skull) ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 111.
a. SkuU. Pacific Ocean. Chili. From Dr. Dickie's Collection.
in. lin.
SkuH : Length, entire 15 0
Length from notch 6 10
Length of beak 7 10
Length of teeth-line 6 10
Length of lower jaw 11 11
Width at notch 3 6
Width at orbit 6 5
Width at middle of beak 2 10
Width, middle intermaxillaries 1 3
Width of condyle above 3 3
Height of each condyle 1 3
10. Tnrsio Catalania.
Delphinus Catalania, Grag, P. Z. S. 1862, 144.
Inhab. North-west coast of Australia, Cape MelviUe.
a, h. Skulls. Collected by Mr. John Macgillivi'ay.
These skulls were accompanied by the following notes : —
" Tlie larger of tlie two skuJls belonged to an individual kUlcd oft'
Cape Melville (within the Great Barrier Reefs), north-east coast of
Australia, Sept. 5, 1860. It was a female, 7^ feet in leng-th ; and
from it were taken two foetuses, each 10 inches in length. The adult
was of a very Ught lead-colour above and on the sides, gradually
passing into the dirty leaden white of the lower parts, wliich were
covered (as also the flippers) with longitudinally elongated blotches
of dark lead-colour.
4. TURSio. 263
" The smaller of the hvo skulls represents another Poi-poise of the
same species, harpooned off' Cape Flatterj^ on the north-east coast of
Australia, Oct. 9, 18G0. It was considerably smaller than the first
one, being only G| feet in length. It was a female. The coloiu- Avas
exacthf lead-colour, fading into -whitish on the lower parts between
the anus and the snout. The sides were marked with small oblong
spots of the same colour as the back. Measurements when recent : —
" Total length, snout to centre of tail, G feet 9 inches.
" Snout to base of dorsal, 3 feet ; length of anterior border of dorsal
13 inches; height of dorsal 8 inches; width of dorsal 12 inches;
from posterior border of dorsal to tip of tail, 2 feet 8 inches.
" Swimming-paws (midway between snout and dorsal) 13 inches
long, and 5| inches broad ; from theii- base to end of snout 13 inches.
"Tail 22 inches across from tip to tij).
" Anus 2 feet 2 inches in front of tail (centre of tip).
" Eye |ths of an inch in diameter, situated 1| inch behind angle
of mouth, and 12 inches from tip of upper jaw.
" Lower jaw projecting 1 inch beyond the upper.
" This porpoise was occasionally seen, in small di'oves of from
three to six, along the north-east coast of Australia, within the
reefs. Two other species also were seen, but we could not fasten."
The two skulls slightly differ in shape and size.
No. 1 is 17 inches long; the beak to the notch is 10 inches, and
the upper teeth-bone 8| inches long ; the front lower teeth are worn
away and truncated, like the teeth of the common Delpliinus Tursio,
which was described as D. truncatus by Montagu. There are twenty-
seven teeth on each side in the upper, and twenty-five teeth on each
side in the lower jaw.
No. 2 is 17 inches long; the beak 9|, and the upper teeth-bone
8 inches long. The teeth, twenty-four above (perhaps one on each
side is deficient, as the end of the jaw is very tender), twenty-three
or twenty-four below. The front lower teeth are slightly truncated ;
but this skull chiefiy differs from No. 1 in being rather more convex
and rather narrower, especially in the hinder part, from the middle
of its length.
The skull is smaller in size, and has a much smaller brain-cavity
than D. Gtjmodoce (Gray, Zool. Erebus & Terror, t. 19) and D. Metis
(Gray, Zool. Erebus &. Terror, t. 18) ; and the beak is not so tapering
as in these species, while the teeth are rather more numerous.
It is equally distinct from Delphinus Eurijnome (Gray, Zool. Erebus
«fe Terror, 1. 17), believed to be from the North Sea.
in. Beak scarcely produced. Nose of skull rather depressed, scarcely lonyer
than the brain-cavity. Teeth f j-f^. Cephalorhynchus.
Cephalorh-^-nchus, F. Cuvier, Cetac.; Gray, Cat. Cctac. B.M. 1850,106.
Grampus (pars), Gray, Sj>ic. Zool. 2, 1828.
11. Tursio Heavisidii. The Hastatcd Dolphin. l/fj.. f-ol- A ^^
Black, \\ith a white streak aud two diverging Hnes beneath; /• ^'
264 DELPHINID^E.
teeth |-| ; noso of skull nearly half the length of head ; lower jaw
truncated in front.
Delphinus (Grampus) Heavisidii, Graxj, Spic. Zool. 2. t. 2. f. 6, 1828 ;
Schlegel, Ahh. t. 3. f. 1-4, t. 4. f. 6 ; A. Smith, South African Quart.
Joiirti. 125.
D. Capensis, J>mswnier, MS. ; Cuv. R. A. i. 288; Rapp, Cetac. 31. t. 2
(not Gray).
D. Dussuniieri, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 656.
D. Cephalorhynclius, F. Cuv. Cetac. 158.
Marsouin du Cap, F. Cuv. Mamm. Lith. 3.
J), hastatus, F. Cuv. Cetac. 161 ; Rapp, Cet. 37 a, b, Mus. Stutt.,
t. 3a,b.
Phocaena Homei, A. Smith, Zool. Journ. xvi. 441; Bull. Set. Nat.
xviii. 276.
D. tridens, A. Smith, MS.
Delphinus Homei, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 656.
Grampus Heavisidii, Gray, Cat. Matnm. B. M. 134.
D. Phocrenoides, Fischer, iSyn. 657.
1). Cephalorhyncbus Heavisidii, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 107.
Phocaena Capensis, Puckeran, Rev. ^ Mag. Zool. 1856, 449.
Inhab. South Sea, Cape of Good Hope, gregarious {A. Smith) ;
called Tonine by the Cape colonists.
a. Stuffed skin. Cape of Good Hope. Presented by the Council of
the College of Surgeons. The specimen described and figured
by Gray, Qnoy, and A. Smith.
M. Quoy's description and figure, on which F. Cuvier founded
D. hastatus, are from the specimen originally described by me, and
now transferred from the CoUege of Surgeons to the British Museum,
There is a skull, marked B. Cephalorhynchus, in the Paris Museum.
Beak flat ; palate flat, rather concave behind ; teeth rather blunt, ^ ;
orbits rather shelving ; symphysis of the lower jaw very short, rather
keeled below. Length 11 1, beak 4|, width at notch 2^ inches.
12. Tursio obscurus. Dush/ Dolphin.
Black, with oblique diverging streaks on the side, and beneath
whitish ; teeth |^— S-f ; nose of skull about five-ninths of its length,
and neaady twice and a half the length of its width at the notch ; lower
jaw truncated in front.
Delphinus (Grampus) obscurus, Grat/, Sjn'c. Zool. ii. t. 2. f. 2, 3 ; Zool,
E. 8f T. 37. t. 16 (skull) ; A. Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. 125.
Delphinus obscurus, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 656; Cassin, U. S. Expl.
Expcd. 27. t. 5. £ 1.
D. cruciger, Quay Sf Gaim. Voy. Uran. 1. 12. f. 3, 4 (from animal in
ocean), 1824; Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 507.
D. bivittatus, I)' Orb. Voy. Amer. Merid. Manwi. t. 21 (animal and
skull) ; Lesson, Bull. Sci. Nat. vii. 373 ; Zool. Coq. 178. t. 9. f. 3,
1826; Fischer, Sy7i. Mamm. 510.
? Delphinus albigena, Quoy 8f Gaim. ; Lesson, Nouv. Tab. R. An. 198.
D. superciliosus, Schlegel, Abh. 22. 1. 1, 2. f. 3, t. 4. f. 4 (skidl); Fischer,
Syn. Mamm. 510.
Phocaena superciliosa ?, Lesson, Manwi. 415.
4. TUKSio. 2(35
1). Fitzroyii, Wuterhottse, Zool. Beagle, t. 10 (jun.J.
D. obscurus, var., Quoy, Voy. Astrol. 151. t. 28.
Dauphin a museau court, Voy. Pole Sud, t. 22. f. 1.
?D. superciliosus, Lesson, Voy. Coq. t. 9. f. 2??; F. Cuv. Cetac. 149?
U. CephalorhjTicluis obscurus, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 107.
Phocrena australis, Peak, Zool. Expl. E.vped. Mamm. 33, 1848.
Inhab. Southci'n Ocean, Cape (Heaviside),
a, b. Skulls. Cape of Good Hope ?
c. Stuffed skin. Cape of Good Hope. Presented by the Council of
the College of Surgeons. The specimen described and figured
in Gray's ' Spicil. Zool.' „, .
SkuU : Length, entire 15 0
Length of nose 8 0
Length of lower jaw 12 0
Width at orbits 6 G
Width at notch 3 9
Width at middle of beak 3 0
Body : Length, entire 5 1
Length to dorsal fin 2 1
Width of tail 1 2
The skull of this species is intermediate in form between the
Ldijcnorhynchus and Delplunus.
M. Garnet's description of D. bivittatus, as given by F. Cuvier, is
very short, but it ai)pears to fit this species.
The skull, marked Dauphin a museau court, in the Paris Museum,
has teeth _|^ ; triangle extends much in front of the tooth-line ; nasal
grooves wide in front ; length 14|, beak 8, width at notch 3| inches.
It is evidently this species.
There is a skull, named D. hivittatus, D'Orbigny, 1830, in the Paris
Museum (beak (juite flat above ; triangle to near the middle of the
beak ; length of skull 14, of beak 7, width at notch 4 inches), which
appears to be only a variety of this species.
This is probably the skull of the specimen and skull figured as
D. cruc'iger (D'Orbigny, Voy. Amcr. Mcrid. Mamm. t. 21), which is
represented as black, the underside from back of chin, and streak on
upper part of the side from the eyes to the base of the tail white.
Teeth ?
The Delph'uw^ ohscurus, var. (Quoy & Gaim. Voj'. Astrol. i. 151.
t. 28) is described from a specimen prepared by M. Jules Verreaux,
belonging to the Museum of Cape Town. He prepared the specimen
I described ; indeed it is probably the same example.
Phocreua australis, J. Peale, U. S. Expl. Expcd. 33. t. G. f. 2.
Snout black ; fins (all) dark slate-colour ; sides paler or grey ; a
white lateral line commences opposite the jjosterior edge of the dorsal
fin, and reaches the tail ; beneath M'hite, which joins the grey of the
side by an undulated line. Teeth |-^-|-^=120. Length 84, pec-
toral fin 10 inches.
Inhab. South Atlantic Ocean ; coast of Patagonia. Is perhaps the
same species.
^t^J^
2(56 DELPniNiDJ:.
13. Tursio compressicaudus. The Compressed-tailed Dolphin.
Teeth A^, small, conical, hooked ; head coloured ; belly whitish ;
pectoral short ; upper jaw longest; nose short; base of the tail com-
pressed on each side.
Phocfena compressicauda, Lesson, Cetac. 199 ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 186 (from
Gnrnot, MS.).
Delphiuus compressicauda, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 109.
Inhab. lat. 4° S., long. 26° E. of Paris. ^^ j^^
Animal : Length to pectoral 1 8
Expanse of tail 1 7
The following species of this family require further examination : —
1. D. velox, Dussinn. ; Cuv. R. A. i. 288 ; F. Cuv. Mamm. Lith. t. ; Cetac.
154 ; Fucheran, Rev. >§• Mag. Zool. 1856, 362.
Teeth ^; nose rather more elongated. — Cuvier. Teeth |^| ; grey,
lips and lower jaw whitish. — F. Cuv.
Inhab. Ceylon.
Skull : Mus. Paris (PitcTieran).
2. Delphinus Boryi, Desm. Mamm. 515 ; Desmotdin, Diet. Class. H, N.
1. 141. f. 2 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 132.
Inhab. Madagascar. (Coast of New Holland ?)
3. Delphiuus longer, Sclireh. Siiugeth. t.362?; Wiee/mann; FeicJih.Naturg,
Cetac. 12, 41. 1. 16. f. 51 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 120.
Lead-coloured ; middle of sides, chest, and belly white ; rather
flexuous line from orbit to the lumbar region lead-coloiu-ed.
Inhab. ?
4. Delphiuus Pernettyi, Desm. 3Iamm. 543; Gr-aij, Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 132.
D. Pemettensis, Blainv. ; Desm. N. D. H. N. vs.. 154.
D. Delpbis, var. a, Bonnat. Cetol. 21.
Delphinorliynchus Peruettyi, Lessoti, Man. 406, from Dauphiu,
Fernett. Vvy. 99. t. 2. f. 1.
_ Inhab. ?
5. D. C^inensis, Desm., from Osbeck, Voy. ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 132. /
Shining white. ' , ^n c ^wa
Inhab. Chinese seas. /i/H^ '"^WjJkAlX^ T^aAkA^ t/*- J^ry
6. Delphiuus hamatus, Ehrenh.; Reiehh. Cetac. No. 1, Anat. t. 21; Grai/,
Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 131.
Beak once and a half the length of the skull, twice and a half the
width at the notch ; teeth |4-.
7. Delphiuus Chaniissonis, Wieqm. ; Scltreb. Sujyp. t. 359 ; Reiehh. Cetac.
126. 66. t. 22. f. 64, 65 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 131.
Delphiuus albirostratus, J. Feale, U. 8. Expl. Exped. 34 (t. 6. f. 2.
ined.) ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 133.
Elongate, dorsal fin nearer the head, dark blue-grey; fius and
O. LAGENORnYNCnUS. ^07
back nearly black ; a dark line connects the corner of the mouth
■\ntli the pectoral fin ; front and sides dark grey, covered with small
vemiiciilar white spots ; end of the snout white, commissure of the
lips p;ile yellow.
Inhab. Pacific Ocean, lat. 2° 47' S., long. 174° 13' W., 22 Aug.
8. ? D. Bertini, Desm. Mamm. 516, from Dauphin de Bertui, Duhum.
Peck. ii._41. t. 10. f. 3 ; Gray, Cut. Cctac. £. M. 132.
Cachalot, jimior, Blainv.
Beak distinct ; lower jaw toothless.
Inhab. ?
The following species have been named and figured by the sight
caught of them when swimming ! (see Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850,
133) :—
D. albigenas, Quay, I. c. t. 11. f. 2.
D. rliiuoceros, Qi(oy, I. c. 1. 11. f. 1, both from New Holland.
D. limatus, Lesson, Voy. Coq. t. 9. f. 4, Timenas of the Chilians, from
Chili.
D. leucocephalus, D. minimus, et D. macidatus, Lesson, Voy. Coq. i. 183.
The following species have been named only from figures or very
slight descriptions : —
D. Senedetta, D. Commersonii, D. niger, et D. Pemettii, Lacep.
U. Epidon et 1). Mongitori, Rajinesque.
The Porpoises come up the backwaters of the coast of South Mala-
bar, in March, when they are salt, but the Susu I do not think is
known here. — Itev.H. Baher of AJi/ti, South Malahar; and Bh/th.
Lacepcde described from a Chinese drawing (Mem. Mus. iv. 475)
Ddphinus nitjcr, black, with white edges to the lips and fins.
Mr. Couch had been informed that a dolphin with two doi'sal fins
had been observed in April 1857, on the coast of Cornwall. (See
Couch, ' AVhales of Cornwall,' p. 40.)
5. LAGENORHYNCHUS.
Head convex, gradually slojung into the beak in front. Beak
short, tapering in front. Lower jaw longest. Body elongate, taper-
ing behind, largest at the pectoral fins. Pectoral fins far back,
elongate and slightly falcate. Dors^ fin high, falcate, beliind the
middle of the back. The bilck* with a' low, roimded, fin-like ridge
near the tail. Tail-lobes narrow, elongate. SkuU depressed, the
hinder ends of the maxillaiy bones cxi)aiulcd, horizontal, and thick-
ened on the edge ; crown shelving. The beak is short, broad, fiat
above and narrowed in front, and scarcely longer than the length of
the brain-ca\-ity. The triangle in front of the blowers is fiat, elon-
gate, and reaches beyond the middle of the nose of the skuU, and the
intermaxiUaries are separated by a deep groove filled with cartilage.
Lagonoilivncluis, Grai/. Zool. Eirhus ^- Terror, Ql, 1846; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. IhoO, 97; R Z. S. 1S()3; 1864, 2:38.
(J ram pus (pars), Gray, Spie. Zool. 2, 1828.
Delphmus, sp., Brighttcell, Ann. <^- May. N. H. 1846.
2G8 DELPHINIDiE. ("OZXS^
This genus is easily known from Ddphhms 1^ the lowness of the
forehead, the short and depressed form of the beak, the posterior
position of the dorsal fin, the body being attenuated behind, and by
the breadth and flat, expanded form of the nose of the skull.
The OS hyoides of L. leucopleurus is large and broad.
a. Beak elongate. Rostrum of skull longer than the length of the brain-
case. Teeth-line some distance from the notch. Electra.
b. Beak moderate. Rostrmn of skidl only as long as the brain-case. Teeth
not qtiite to the notch.
c. Beak very short. Rostnmi of skull only as long as the brain-case. Teeth
nearly to the 7iotch.
a. Rostrum of skull longer than the length of the brain-case. Teeth-line
some distance from the notch. Electra.
1. Lagenorhynchus Electra. The Electra.
Skull rather depressed; nose flattened above, expanded and re-
flexed on the side behind, rather shelving in front, sides rather
contracted in the middle, rather longer than the head, and once and
three-quarters the length of the width at the notch ; intermaxillary
broad, flattened, nearly two-thirds of the width, with a large, wide
groove for the greater part of its length ; triangle flat, rather con-
cave behind, with a lozenge-shaped, rather raised, rugose space in
the front half; teeth |^, rather small, cylindrical, conical, slightly
curved, acute, four in an inch ; the lower jaw regularly converging,
straight on the sides in front, rather swollen behind, and shortly
obliquely truncated in front, the gonj-x rather produced.
Lagenorhynchus Electra, Gray, Zoul. Erebus ^ Terror, 35. 1. 13 (skull);
Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 100.
Inhab. ?
a. Skull ? Purchased. The specimen figured in the ' Voyage
of the Erebus and Terror.'
Skidl: length, entire, 17| inches; of head, 8^; of nose, 9| ; of
teeth-line, 7 ; of lower jaw, 14| ; width of temple, lOj inches ; at
notch, 5i ; at middle of beak, 4 ; of intermaxillary, 2|.
This skull is very like the former, but it is considerably larger, the
nose is longer in proportion, and the head is much more depressed
in the middle and spread out at the sides.
2. Lagenorhynchus caeruleo-albus.
Teeth f^ ; white, back bluish, with oblique streaks on the sides,
beUy white.
Delphinus caeruleo-albus, Meyen, Act. Nat. Cur. xvi. 609. t. 43. f. 2 ;
Chray, Zool. E. ^- T. 42 ; Reichenb. Cetac. Atiat. 1. 19 (skull).
Lagenorhynchus cseruleo-albus. Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 100 ;
Ccmin, U. S. Expl. Exped. 31. t. 6. f. 2.
Delphinus albirostratus, Peale,Zool.Expl. Exped. Mamm. 38, ed.l, 1848.
Inhab. East coast of South America, Itio de la Plata.
Length 5 feet 6 inches. Skeleton in Anat. Mus. Berlin.
5. L.voENORnYNcntrs. 269
Skull : beak one-fourth longer than the length of the brain-cavitj-,
and rather longer than double the ^^^dth of the skull at the notch ;
teeth to the notch (see fig, Keichenb.).
Cassin, I.e., describes, " Teeth ^^jJ^=i(30. Form elongate, the
dorsal fin being nearest the head ; colour dark blue-grey, the fins and
back nearly black ; a dark line connects the corners of the mouth
with the pectoral fins ; front and sides dark grey, covered with small
vermicular white spots ; end of the snout white ; commissure of the
lips pale yellow.
" Total length 6 feet 7 inches, perpendicular diameter at the dorsal
fin i;3 inches."
*' Inhab. Pacific Ocean."
" Though Mr. Peale's figures, from which those in the plate of the
Atlas to this volume have been prepared, differ in some measure from
the figures of D. ccernho-alhus, in the distribution of the light and
dark coloiu's, we have no doubt of the identity of the present animal
with that species. The figures of the latter to which we more espe-
cially allude are that of its fh-st describer in ' Nova Acta Physico-
medica Academic Cffisarte Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum,'
xvi. pi, 43. fig. 2, and those in Schreber's ' Saugethiere,' pi. 36.3, and
in Eeichenbach's ' Cetaceans,' pi. 14. fig. 43.
" Taken in the Pacific Ocean, latitude 2° 47' 5" S., longitude
174° 13' W. of Greenwich, on the 22nd of August,
" We find no specimen in the collection of the Expedition."
3, Lagenorhynchus Asia. Tlie Asia. if fi-i"-
Skull : nose rather depressed, broad, flattened, rather contracted -? /
in the middle of each side ; triangle concave, with a slightly raised, f J/. /. /•
flat, rugose space in the front half ; teeth |-i, small, ^
Lagenorhynchus Asia, Gray, Zool. Ereb. Sf Terror, t, 14 (skull) ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 101.
Inhab. ?
a. SIcuH (teeth wanting). The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of
the Erebus and Terror,' t. 14.
The skiill, which is without teeth, very much resembles, in the
depressed and expanded form of the brain-cavity and shape of the
beak, the skuU of L. Electra, but it (hffers from that in the beak being
rather more acute in front and more contracted in the middle of the
sides, and in being rather smaller in size. It may be only a variety
of that species. It measures as follows : —
Skull : Length, entire 16| inches.
Length of nose 9 „
Length of lower jaw 12| „
Width at orbit . 8| „
Width at notcli 4| „
Width at middle of beak . . 34 „
/ ^y^. U /?'//. ^/•/^•-.
270 BELPHINID.t;.
4. Lagenorhynchus acutus. Esclinclifs Dolphin.
Body ?
Teeth |-f^ ; uose of skull half its length, and nearly twice as long
as wide at the notch ; lower jaw obliquely truncated in front.
Phocfena acutus, Gray, in Broohes's Cat. Mus. 39, 1828.
Delphinus (Crrampus) acutus, Gray, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828 (from a skull) ;
Fischer, Syn. 3Iamm. 656.
Delplimus leucopleurus, var., Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i. 598.
Lagenorhyuclius acutus, Gray, Zool. F. ^ T. 3Q; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 101 ; P. Z. S. 1864, 2.39.
Delphiuus (LageuorhjTichus) Eschriclitii, Van Beneden, Nouv. Mem.
Acad. R. Brux. xxxii. 31.
Delphinus Eschrichtii, Schlegel, Abhandl. 122. 1. 1, t. 2. f. 4, t. 4. f. 5 ;
M. Chmsen, Dissert, de Lage)iorhyncMs, 4:to, Kilice, 1853 ; Fschricht,
Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. 1852, 12th July.
Inhab. North Sea, Faroe Islands {Eschrkht).
Skulls and skeleton in the Leydcn Museum : — Length, entire,
7 in. 2 lin. ; of skull, 16 lines.
This species was first described by me from a skull in Brookes's
Museum, from Orkney, which is now at Leyden, and M. Schlegel has
described and figured a skull from a skeleton sent from the Paroe
Islands. It differs from the other species of the genus in the nose
of the skull being more slender and the teeth more numerous. The
teeth-scries, as in L. Electra and L. Asia, do not reach to the notch
which separates the beak of the skull from the brain-cavity.
Professor Eschricht informs mo that the animal is very like D. leu-
copleurus, and Professor Nilsson considers them to be the same.
The skull in Mr. Brookes's collection was 15 inches long, the
head 7, the beak being 8 inches, and it was 4g inches wide at its
base ; the teeth small and slender ; the beak long, attenuated, acute,
convex on the sides, and flat in the centre above, and with a deep
central groove. The teeth |^ . -If, smaU, slender. The bones in
front of the inner nostrils keeled.
The peculiar character of this species is, that there are 82 or 83
vertebrae ; the muzzle is narrower, the shoulder-blade narrower, a
phalange to the thumb, the atlas and axis are anehylosed to the third
and fourth cervical vertebra; by the spinous apophysis, and the sixth
cervical alone has an inferior ti'ansverse process. Teeth ^q^. — Van
Beneden, I.e. 31.
Delphinus EsehicJitii (Schlegel, Abh. 23. t. 1, t. 2. f. 4, t. 4. f. 5)
is described from a skeleton from the Faroe Islands. Length 7 feet
4 inches. Teeth ||-.
A male was thrown ashore on the 20th December, 1863, at
Flushing, now stuffed in the Museum at Ghent. Vertebra; 80 :
cervical 7, dorsal 15, lumbar 19, caudal 39. The fii-st and second
are soldered by their bodies and spinous apophyses ; the third and
fourth only by the spinous processes ; the fifth, sixth, and seventh
are free ; the sixth has two irregular processes on the lower part of
the sides, which are directed forwards. Teeth ^3^' visible. In
the upper jaw five were hidden in the membrane, one or two of
5. LAGENORIITNCnUS. 271
which were in the inteiinaxillary, and in the lower jaw there were
four or five hidden (sec Poehnan, IJull. Acad. Hoy. 15elg. xA-ii. 608, t.).
Length 237 millim. Black, lower part of the beak and the body
to the reproductive organs shining white ; a white band forms a
line under the dorsal to the base of the tail ; above yellow, beneath
Avhite.
5. Lagenorhynchus clanculus.
Skull wide and rather high behind. Beak flat ; outline wide at
the base, rapidly tapering and acute in front, but rather convex on
the sides, these being slightly rounded ; the hinder edge near the notch
only slightly turned up and rounded. Triangle to near the middle
of the beak. Lower jaw high behind. Teeth ^, small, cylindrical,
curved, rather acute at the tip ; the lower front one veiy small. In-
termaxillaries broad, hard.
Lagenorhynchus clanculus, Grat/, Froc. Zool. Soc. 1849, 2 ; Ann. S)-
Mm/. N. H. 1849, v. 48 ; ZooLErehus S, Terror, t. 35, ined. (skull) ;
Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 102.
a. Skull. Pacific Ocean. From Dr. Dickie's Collection.
Length, entire l-ij inches.
Length of beak 7^ „
Length of skull 7| „
Length of teeth-line 6^ „
Length of lower jaw 11| ,,
Length of sj'mphysis, lower jaw Ij „
"Width at notch 4^ „
Width at orbit 7|- „
Width at middle of beak 2^ ,,
Width of intermaxillary in middle .... Ij ,,
Width of condyles above 2| ,,
Very peculiar for the elongation and reflexion of the beak before
the notch, and the regular bevelling of the sides of the beak.
6. Lagenorhynchus breviceps.
Blackish ; luider part white ; pectoral fin dusky.
Delphinus breviceps, Pitcheran, Voij. Dinnont (VUrviUc, t. 22. f. 1. r. -^ o f- . L
Beak verj- short ; snout produced. Beak of skuU depressed, only
slightly longer than the length of the brain-ca\-ity. Teeth ^-^-
Inhab. Rio de la Plata.
7. Lagenorhynchus Thicolea.
SkuU rather narrow behind. Beak elongate, about one-fifth longer
than the length of the head, rather dilated and concave above be-
hind, with the side edges in front of the notch elongate, keeled, and
turned up ; the middle of the beak flat, with flat shelving sides, the
shcl\-ing part being broader and forming a slight keel in front. In-
termaxillaries flat, gradually tapering. Triangle to near middle of
hi ^^^-
272 DELPHTNID^E.
the beak, concave on the sides, and keeled in the middle behind.
Teeth A}} ?, very slender, curved, elongate, conical, tapering, acute ;
the front one very small.
Lagenorhynclms Thicolea, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1849 ; An». ^- May.
N. H. 1849, V. 48 ; Zool. Erehm ^- Terror, t. 36, ined. (skull) ; Cat.
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 103.
Inhab. West coast of North America.
a. Skull : imperfect behind. From Dr. Dickie's Collection.
in. lin.
Length of skull, entire 14 6 ? (end of nose injured).
Length of beak 8 4
Length of teeth-line 7 0
Length of lower jaw 12 3 (entire).
Width at orbits 7 0
Width at notch 3 11
Width at middle of beak 2 2
Width of intermaxillary at middle .^ . 12
Width of condyles 3 0
I • \ b. Beak moderate. Rostrum of skull only as long as the brain-case.
. ') Teeth not quite to the 7iotch.
\ ^i) ' 8. Lagenorhynchus albirostris. White-beaked Bottlenose.
\ /f ' Upper part and sides very rich deep velvet-black. External cuticle
soft and silky, so thin and delicate as to be easily rubbed off. Nose,
a weU-defined line above upper jaw, and the whole under jaw and
belly cream-colour, varied with chalky white ; fins and tail black.
Teeth |^, small, curved. Jaws moderately elongate, lower rather
the longest. Blowhole horseshoe-shaped and convex towards the
head. Nose of skull as long as the brain-case, gradually and evenly
tapering to a rather rounded point in front, the edge rather reflexed
on each side behind. The triangle in front of the blower convex
and swollen on each side behind, smooth in front.
Delphinus Tm-sio, Brif/htiveU, Ann. Nat. Hist. 1846, 21. t. 1 $.
Delphiniis albirostris, Gray, Ann. ^- Mag. N. H. 1846 ; M. Clausen,
Dissei't. de LagenorhyncMs, Kilice, 1853.
LagenorhjTichus albirostris, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, t. 10 (ani-
mal, from BrightwelVs drawing), t. 11 (skull), 1846.
Delphinus pseudotursio, Reichenb. Cetac. t. 24. f. 7, 6, cop. Brightwell.
Delphinus (Lagenorhjuchus) albirostris, Van Beneden, Xouv. Metn.
Acad. R. Brtu: xxxii. 1. 1, 2 (animal, skeleton, and viscera).
Var. ? Teeth smaller, ||^. Beak narrower.
Delphinus Tbsenii, Eschricht, Undersogelser over Hvaldyrene bte Afh.
73; uchd. Ss.foredrag rid Katurforsk.7ndtet.iKpbenh.l84:7 ; Nilsson,
Skand. Fauna, i. 600.
Inhab. North Sea, Faroe Islands. Yarmouth, 1846 {Brightwell) ;
skeleton in British Museum ; skull figured in ' Zool. E. and T.' 11.
Ostend, July 1851, female. Winter 1852, female {Van Beneden,
I. c. p. 20).
i,
O. LAGEXOHHYNCnUS. 273
a. Skeleton. Yarmouth. Skull figured in ' Voy. of H.M.S. Ereb. and
Terr.' tab. 11, p. 35. Mr. Brightwell's specimen.
h. Stuffed sldu of a. Yarmouth.
c. Skeleton. England? Mr. Stevens's Collection.
Measurements of specimen from Yarmouth : —
in. lin.
Animal : Length, entire (?)
Length of mouth 9 6
Length of nose to eye 13 0
Length to pectorals 20 0
Length of pectoral 15 0
Length to dorsal 41 0
Length of dorsal 11 6
Height ol doraal 10 0
Width of tail 22 0
Skiill : Length, entire 18 0
Length of nose 8 6
Width at orbit 9 5
AVidth at notches 5 6
Width of middle of beak 3 6
Width of lower jaw at condyles ..8 0
Bladebone broader than high, with long acromion and a promi-
nent articulation (t. 11. f. 9). Arm-bones very short ; fingers four,
short, outer longest, second rather shorter, tliird and fourth very
short. Ear-bones large (see Van Beneden, I. c. t. 1. f. 7 & 8).
Vertebra; 90 or 94. The atlas and axis only anchylosed ; the rest
of the cei-vical vertebrae free. Scapula large. Thumb without a
phalange.
Skeleton, Mus. Bruxelles ; Louvain ; at Mus. Copenhagen, Kiel,
and Berlin.
c. Beak very short. Rostrum of skull oyily as long as the brain-cavity.
Teeth nearlu to the notch. , ^ ,
9. Lagenorhynchus leucopleurus. Whte-suled Bottlenose. -t-JD.
Skull: brain-ca-saty large, high at the top behind the blowhole. /■ ^
Nose nearly as long as the brain-cavity, gradually and regularly
tapering on each side. Triangle in front of the blower flattened and
concave behind, -with a slightly raised, lozenge-shaped space in the
front half.
Above bluish-black, beneath white, ^nth a large, oblique grey or
white longitudinal streak on the hinder part of each side. Teeth |-|,
small, acute, curved.
Delpliinus Tiirsio, Knox, Cat. Prep, llltale, 29, 1838 ; Ann. ^- Mag.
X. II. 18{!4, xiv. t. 3.
Delphinus leucopleurus, Jia.'tch, Nyt Mag. for Xatiirv. 1843, iv. 97 ;
Mag. Zool. 184-"?, 3(i!); Xikson, Skand. Fauna, i. 598.
Delphinus Ibsenii, Eschricht.
Lagenorhynchus leucopleurus, Gray, Zool. Erebu.^ Sf Terror, 34. t. 3
T
274 DELPHINID.E.
(fcetus), 1. 12 (skull), t. 26. f. 3 (tongue) ; Ann. Sf May. N. H. 1864,
t. 3 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 238.
Inhab. North Sea. Orkney (Knox), 1835. Gulf of Christiania,
1843.
a. Skeleton. Greenland. From Mr. Brandt's Collection. The
specimen figured in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror.'
b. Foetus. North Sea, Faroe Islands. From Mr. Brandt's Collection.
c> Skeleton. — NM»th-Sea:; — From M^v^Ji^ftftdtVCqitectioiTr'
The foetus has six bristles on each of the upper lips, the hind(>r
one being rather further from the rest than the others are apart,
which are equidistant, and of the same size. The tongue is flat
on the top and as wide as the space between the sides of the jaws,
with a regular sharp denticulated edge on each side, and with a
rather larger, conical, separate tubercle in front. The teeth are
not developed through the gums. The nose is nearly one-fifth the
length of the distance between the end of the nose and the eye.
The hinder part of the back has a rather thick convexity, like a long,
low, rounded, second dorsal fin, just before the tail ; the same part
of the foetus of Delphlnus Delpliis ? and Steno ? fuscws is very much
compressed, and fined off to a very thin knife-like edge.
The skull is at once known from the skidl of the L. alhirostris at
Norwich, by being smaller and the nose rather narrower, and espe-
cially by the hinder part of the intcrmaxiUaries, which form the
triangle in front of the blower, being flattened and concave instead
of swollen and convex. Length, entire, 16; of nose, 8|- ; of lower
jaw, 13 inches. Breadth at orbit, 8:j ; at notch, 4 ; at middle of
beak, 2| inches,
Mr. Knox gives the following description and measurements of a
female sent from the Orkneys in May 1835 : — It weighed 14 stone.
Length along margin, from snout to centre of tail, 77^ inches ; cir-
cumference, anterior, to dorsal fluke, 38^ inches ; length of pectoral
extremity free, 10 inches ; breadth from tip to tip of tail, 14 inches ;
length from snout to angle of mouth, 9 inches ; greatest possible
gape, 3|- inches. Length of cranium, 15 inches ; of spinal column,
55i==70^ inches. \Yeight of skeleton, 7} lb. Teeth fg- . f^=120.
Vertebrae 81 : cervical 7 ; dorsal 15 ; posterior 59. V-shaped bones
commencing between the fortieth and forty-first vertebrae. Pelvis
rudimentary, consisting of two cylindrical bones ; pelvic extremities
not developed. The external opening of the nostrils near the vertex
of the head was crescent-shaped, and placed transversely. The
dorsal fluke was midway between the snout and tail.
The skeleton of this specimen is now in the Museum of the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh. The first, second, and third cervical vertebrae
are united by the spinous processes, the second and rest are thin.
The palate smooth, not grooved. Length of skull, 15| inches ; of
nose, 7|- inches ; of lower jaw, 10 inches. Width of skuU, at notch,
Sf inches ; at orbit, 8 inches ; at middle of beak, 3 inches. Nose of
skull twice as long as the width at notch. IntcrmaxiUaries narrowed
in front. The skuU has two large foramina on the flat part of the
5. LAGENORIIYNCHTJS. 275
temple on each side, instead of the single one in tlie sknll from
Christiauia.
Delpliinus Delphis ?, Jackson, Boston Jonrn. N. H. v. 154. t.
" Dusky hlack on the back, white on the belly, and lead-coloured
on the sides ; a dusky line, from 1 to 2 inches in ^^ddth, commenced
a little above the eye, and passing along the sides was lost in the
lead-colour within 18 or 20 inches of the tail ; and another, much less
distinct, ran parallel to this.
" Inhab. Lynn, April 1842. Female, 7^ feet long ; nearly matiire.
" Foetus 38 inches long.
" Teeth not yet developed.
" Vertebras 7G : viz. cervical 7, dorsal 14, caudal 55. The viscera,
&c., described." — Jackson, I. c. 155. t.
" Shape slender. Jaws projecting, forming a large snout somewhat
like the beak of some species of water-birds. Spiracle near the top
of the head, about 1 inch in diameter and 13 inches from extremity
of snout. Greatest depth of body at origin of dorsal fin, 18 inches.
From snout to origin of dorsal fin 39 inches ; to the pectoral fin 19|
inches ; to ej'e 12 inches ; to posterior teeth 8 inches. Width of
jaw at the insertion of the posterior teeth 2| inches. Jaws armed
with numerous small, conical, incurved teeth, projecting above the
jaw from one-fourth to half an inch. Distance between the eyes
9 inches. The eyes, situated low on the side of the head, are black,
one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and present an oval appearance
from the reflection of the integument forming a sort of eyelid by
which the eye may be closed. Pectoral fin : length 4| inches ;
height 11 inches. Dorsal fin falciform or lunated : length 10 inches ;
height 10 inches. Caudal fin : length of each lobe 6 inches, and
height 13 inches ; united they form a beautiful lunated fin." —
Dr. Prescot, MS., in letter from Dr. Jaclson, 27th June 1840.
See also
1. Lagenorhynchus ? Nilssonii, Grai/, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 238.
Delpliinus obsciuus, Nilsson, Skriinl. Favna (not Gray).
Inhab. North Sea.
Nilsson, in the ' Scandinavian Fauna,' records a species under the
name of Delphimis ohscurus, and refers it with doubt to the descrip-
tion and figure of the skull, and the species under that name, in the
' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' and equally with doubt to D. su-
perciliosas of Schlegel. Both these species are described from the
same specimens, which were procm-ed at the Cape of Good Hope,
and therefore very unlikely to be of a species found also in the North
Sea. Nilsson's species may very likely be found in the British seas ;
so T have referred to it to draw zoologists' attention to the descrip-
tion. It is the oidy Swedish species that has not hitherto been
observed here.
2. Lagenorhynchus lateralis, Ca^xin, U. S. Exptor. Exped. 82. t. 7. f. 1.
Delpliinus latcraUs, Peak, Zool. Erplor. Exped. Mamm. ■ib.
"Teeth ^[^1 = 164? Form thick; snout small; body much
■11.41
t2
276 DELPHINID^.
coini)ressed behind the dorsal tin. Colour light pm-plish grey ; be-
neath white ; a dark lateral line, edged with spots, separates the
colours of the upper and under parts of the body ; a separate line,
paler in colour, branches from the lateral line opposite the pectoral
fins, and passes downwards and backwards ; another connects the
eyes and pectoral fins ; snout black ; fins black. Total length 7 feet
6 inches."
" Caught, on the 13th of September, in the Pacific Ocean, latitude
13° 58' N., longitude 161° 22' W."
" This is the description of Mr. Pcale, to which we can add nothing.
We find no specimen in the collection of the Expedition ; but, from
the figure and description as above cited, this species does not appear
to intimately resemble any other. From the latitude and longitude
given, it ap])ears to have been captured at sea, some degrees south of
the Sandwich Islands." — Cass in, I. c.
6. DELPHINAPTERUS.
Head rather convex, shel\-ing towards the nose. Nose rather
prodiiced, obscurely divided from the forehead. Dorsal fin none.
Back rounded. Pectoral oblong, rather slender. Skull moderate ;
beak broad, depressed, tapering, rounded above ; the triangle be-
fore the blowers elongate, extending nearly to the middle of the beak.
Palate flat. Teeth conical, tapering, acute, curved. Symphysis of
the lower jaw short.
The bladebone very broad, nearly semicircular, with a very distinct
spinal ridge and a very large acromion and coracoid apophysis
(see Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 307. t. 24. f. 20). (Very different from
I)el2)Jiinus.)
Delphinapterus, Gray, Zool. Ereh. Sf Terror, 35 ; Cat. Cetuc. B. M.
1850, 103.
Tursio (pars), Wagler, N. S. Amph. 34.
Delphinus, sp., Lacep.
Delpliinapterus, sp., Blainville (not Lacep.) ; Lvssan, Voy.
Leiicoramphus, Lilljcborg.
1. Delphinapterus Peronii. Per on' s Dolphin.
Black ; beak, pectoral fins, and under part of body white.
Teeth ff-l^.
Delphinus Peronii, Lacep. Cet. 517, 1804; Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 287.
295, 307, t. 21. f. 5, 6, & f. 20; F. Ciw. Cetac. 104; D'Orh. Voy.
Amir. Merid. Mamm. t. 21. f. 5.
Leucoramphus Peronii, Lilljehorg.
Delphinus leucoramphus, Brookes, Cat. Mas. 39, 1828.
Delphinapterus leucorhamphus, Peron, Voy. i. 217. t. 1; Oiceii, Cat.
Osteol. Mus. Coll. Sury. 454. n. 2503 (skeleton).
Delphinapterus Peronii, Lesson, Voy. Coq. t. 9. f. 1 (had), cop. F. Cm:
Cetac. 164. t. ; Jardine, N. Lib. t. ; Gray, Zool. Erebus S; Terror,
t. 15. f. 4 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 103 ; 'Cassin, U. S. Expl. Exped.
33; Schlegel, Abhandl. 24; Bosseau, Mag. Zool. 185G, 204.
6. DELPHINAPTERUS. 277
Daiipliin du P^ron, Ciiv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 21. f. 5, 0 (skull).
1). bifolor, StepJienson, MS. Icon. ined. ; Gray, Zool. Ereb. S^ Terr. 36.
t. 15. f. 1-3, from Stophemons drawirif/, t, 15. f. 4, fi-oni Lesson.
Delphinus Peronii, or liight-Whale Porpoise of the Whalers, Bennett,
Narrat. Whaling Vol/, ii. 235. fifj.
Inhab. Higher Southern latitudes. Brazil Bank. Lat. 40° S. to
54° 8., long. 50° W. {Bennett). NeAV Guinea {Qaoy). West coast
of South America, lat. 50° 35' (Pickerinr/).
Skull, from Peron, in Miis. Paris. Length 18;^, of beak 10, of
teeth-line S|, of lower jaw 14^ inches. Width at orbit 9, at notch 4|,
at middle of beak 2| inches. Teeth -i-^, small, slender, six in an inch.
Beak broad, depressed, rather tapering in front ; the sides spongy ;
the centre hollow, filled with cartilage, broader in front, flattened
behind. Triangle extending nearly to the middle of the length of
the beak. Orbits rather shelving above, and slightly thickened on
the edge. Palate flat in front, rather convex behind, without any
groove on the sides. Lower jaw gradually tapering, angularly
shelving, and flat on the sides in front. Symphysis short, not
2 inches.
A second skull, in Mus. Paris, brought by M. Housard in 1822,
is rather more depressed in the middle in front, and with the triangle
reaching near to the middle of the beak. Teeth ff. Length, entire,
17'6 ; of beak 9-() ; of lower jaw 14-6 inches. Width at notch 4-3 ;
at middle of the beak 2-6 inches. Orbits rather shehang above, and
slightly thickened on the edge.
Cu\-ier justly observes that the beak of Lesson's figures (Voy. Coq.
t. 9) is too pointed. Lesson also represents the black as only occu-
pying the upper part of the back, as represented in fig. 4 of the
plate t. 15 of the 'Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' copied from
his plate. M. d'Orbigny and Bennett represent the black as down
to the base of the fins, and the hinder edge of the fin as black. In
the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 15, is given a new figure
of the species, copied from a ckawing, one-twelfth the natural length,
communicated by W. AVilson Saunders, Esq., of Lloyd's, which was
made by Dr. Stephenson, during the voyage of the ship ' Glenam,'
Captain Guy, in lat. 40° 48' S., long. 142° W., Jan. 12, 1844.
They live in large shoals ; the flesh is esteemed a delicacy. —
Bennett, ii. 237.
The skeleton referred to tliis species in the Museum of tlic College
of Surgeons (sec Osteol. Cat. 454, n. 2503) is the body of a Fhocania
with the head of a Dilphlntt.t, like D. DelpJiis.
2. Delphinapterus ? borealis.
Dclpliinaptprus bnronlis, Peale, Zool. Kvphr. Exped. 38, ed. 1, 1848;
(Ira;/, Cat. Cctac. Ii. M. 105, 1850.
Delphiiuis borealis, Cassin, U. S. Explor. Exped. 30. t. 7. f. 2.
" Form elongate ; snout slightly produced. Black, with a white
lanceolate spot on the breast, which is extended in a narrow line to
the tail. Length 4 feet. Teeth ?
•• Inhab. North Pacific Ocean.
278
DELPHINID.E.
" Having no specimens for examination, we cite Mr. Peale's de-
scription of this interesting species. From his figures, however,
to be found in the Atlas to the volume above cited, it appears to
us probable that it does not belong to the genus Del])hinapterus, or
to the group of which Z). Peronii is the type. In colour and general
appearance this species appears to resemble D. hastatns, F. Cuvier
(Schreber, Siiugethiere, vii. pi. 351 ; Reichenbach, Cetaceans, pi. 10.
figs. 29 & 30), not^\4thstanding that it has no dorsal fin. It may be
the young of a species of Beluga. From Delplunus Tiastatus the
present species appears to differ essentially in size, and it is without
the large hastate spot on the abdomen which characterizes that
animal, and it does not belong to the same generic group. To this
species Mr. Peale aUudes as follows : —
" While in the water it appears to be entirely black, the white
line being invisible. It is remarkably quick and lively in its motions,
frequently leaping entirely out of the water, and, from its not having
a dorsal fin, is sometimes mistaken for a seal.
" Specimens were taken in the North Pacific Ocean, latitude
46° 6' 50", longitude 134° 5' W. from Greenwich. Great quantities
of a species oiAnatifa were floating on the surface of the sea, on which
they were probably feeding. Two, which had been struck and badly
wounded with the harpoon, escaped, but the othei'S did not leave the
ship as the Delpldni usually do when one of their number is
wounded."
" From the latitude and longitude given by Mr. Peale, it will be
found that the land nearest to the point at which the animal was
obtained is the coast of Oregon. It is therefore to be regarded with
additional interest as entitled to admission into the fauna of the
United States."- — Cassin, I. c.
This species appears to resemble DelpMnaptenis only in the absence
of the dorsal fin, in which respect it also resembles Behiga, of which
it is probably a species.
B. Head rounded in front, scarcely beaked. Tlie heak of the skull broad,
depi'essed, scarcely so long as the brain-camty.
* Lateral wings of the maxilla horizontal, produced over the orbits.
Dorsal distinct. Teeth conical.
<A<H-
7. ORCA.
^ fo^ ' Head rounded, scarcely beaked. Skull rounded ; the liindcr wing
Ut ■} •^^ the maxilla horizontally spread over the orbits ; beak short ; the
ff^ intermaxillaries about half the width of the jaw-bones ; forehead
'''/'yd flattened. Triangle in front of blowers slightly concave. Palate
/ . ^'u convex.
I^-"^' Teeth conical, acute, large, occupying the whole edge nearly to
,.^,^v-J the notch, permanent. Dorsal fin high, falcate, in the middle of the
^ vt back. Pectoral broad, ovate. Black, with white streaks beneath.
' ■L'\^ '-(W Orca, Hondel. Pise. ; Gray, Zool. Ereb. Sf Terr. 33, 1846; Cat. Cetac.
h
1
I'ji''-
B. M. 1850, 92 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 244.
I
7. ORCA. 279
rhocasna, sp., Waylvr, N. S. Amph. 34.
(Jranipiis, sp., (iniij, in Brookes' s Cat. 40, 1828.
Delpliiims, s])., Lii/n. ; I/Zii/er, Prodr. 143, 1811.
Grampus (pars), Gray, Sjji'c. Zool. 2, 1828. ji '^ i l r>
Megalodontia, J. Brookes, Cat. Mtis. 40, 1828. fyf^ (f e/- f- L^J
a. Brain-case depressed, broad. Teeth large, strong, conical. Orca.
1. Orca gladiator. The Killer.
Black ; circumscribed spot behind eye, spot on belly and under-
side of tail white. Nose of skull nearly twice as long as the width
of the notch. Teeth \\, large, conical, slightly hooked.
Biila^nre minores m utraque maxilla dentatis qu. Orcfe vocantur,
Sibhdd, Thai 6. t. 2. f. ■■', (tooth).
Delphiuus Orca, Linn. Mant. Plant, ii. 523; S. N. i. 108; Schreb.
Sduf/eth. t. 340 ; Fischer, Si/n. Mamm. 511 ; Maq. Nat. Hist. iv. 329.
fig. 2 ; Schleyel, De Dieren, 87. t. 14 (good) ; Abhandl. ii. 33. t. 7, 8
(trom life) ; Sundevall, (Efv. K. Veten. Akad. 1861, 386. t. 8 ? ; Cuv.
Oss. Foss. V. 281; Tarton, B. F. 17; Flemim/, B. A. 34; Jenym,
Man. 42 ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 477. fig. (bad) ; Nilsson, Skand. Fauna,
603 ; Gerrais, Zool. et Paleunt. Franc, t. 37. f. 3, 4.
Grampus, Hunter, Phil. Trans. 1787, t. 16 (skull in Mus. CoU. Surg.
n. 2515), cop. Bell, Brit. Anim. fig. ; Bonnat. Cetac. t. 12. f. 1; Shatv,
Zool. ii. 513. t. 232, lower fig.
Cachalot d' Anderson, Dnhamel.
Dt'lphinus Duliamolii, Laccp. Cetac. 314. t. 9. f. 1 (good).
I'liocteua Orca, TJ'ar/ler, A. S. Amph. 34.
Delphinus gladiator, Bonnat. Cet. 23 ; ? Lacep. Cetac. 302. t. 5. f. 3.
Delphiuus Grampus, Desni. N. Diet. H. N. ix. 168 ; Mamm. 517, from
Hunter.
Del]ihinus Grampus (The Large Grampus), Owen, Cat. 3Ius. Coll.
Sury. n. 1136.
Grampus Orca, Gray, in Brookes' s Cat. Mas. 40, 1828; Lilljeborg,
Skand. Hvaldjur, 15.
Phocsena gladiator, Les.%on, Man. 414.
l*lioca3na Grampus, Lesson, Man. 415.
Orca gladiator, Sundevall, K. Yet. Akad. Ofvers. 1861, 391 ; Gray,
Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 93; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864,244; Malmgren,
Arch. Naturg. 1864, 90.
Grampus gladiator, Lilljeborg, Skand. Hraldyr, 15.
Stour wagn, at Finmark.
Orca, Rondel. Pise. 483. fig. ; Gesner, Aquat. 748, fig. from Rondel.
? Agluck, Pallas, Zool. Ro)>so-Asiut. 305.
? Aguluch, Chamisso, Nov. Act. Acad. Nat. Cur. xii. 262. t. 20. f. 9 ?
Anat. Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 22. f. 3, 4; R. A. i. 289 (skull): Jacob,
Dublin Phil. Journ. 1825, t. 2. f. 3 (very small and bad skidl) ;
Gerrais, Zool. et Paleont. Fraiu;. t. 37. f 3, 4 (skull, from Cette).
Inhab. North Sea.
a. Skull. Coast of Essex. From Mr. Cross's Collection.
b. Skeleton 20 feet long. From Wej-mouth. Presented by R.
Pcarcc, Esq.
c. Skull. From Mr. Turner's Collection.
There is a skull in Mr. Pell's museum, from a male 19 feet long,
taken in Lynn Harbour, Nov. 1830. The animal was described in
//■
280 DELPUIXID^.
Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. v. The following are the measurements
of this specimen : — fl;_ jn_
Length along cui've 21 3
Length, straight 19 0
Length to dorsal fin 8 2
Length to pectoral fin 4 0
Height of dorsal 4 0
Height to dorsal 13 1
Length of dorsal 2 4
Length of pectoral 4 0
Breadth of pectoral 2 8
The following are the measurements of two skulls — No. 1 the
specimen a, from Essex, in the British Museum, and No. 2 the spe-
cimen numbered 1136 in the Museum of the College of Surgeons :—
No. 1. No. 2.
in. in.
Skull : Length, entire 33 41^
Length of nose 19| 22|
Length of teeth-line 14| 20
Length of lower jaw 27| 35
Breadth at notch 10| 14
Breadth at orbit 18
Breadth at temple 18
Breadth at middle of beak .... 9^
Breadth of intermaxillary ....
Breadth in front ... 4 6
Breadth in middle 3| 3|
The skull, n. 1136 (see Owen, n. 2512) of the Museum of the
Eoyal College of Surgeons, called the Large Grampus {D. Grampus
in the Catalogue), is of most colossal size. It formed part of the
Hvmterian collection, and is probably the skull of the large speci-
men, 31 feet long, kiUed at Greenwich in 1793. — Bunls, in Lacejiede.
It has teeth ||, Tery large, nearly to the notch. IntermaxiUaiy
rather dilated, broader over the front of the nose. The rest of the
skeleton has been lately mounted and exhibited in the Museum of
the Eoyal College of Surgeons.
" The skeleton from Ostcnd in the Louvain Museum : — Vertebra;
50 or 51, viz. 7 cer\'ical, 11 dorsal, 10 lumbar, and 22 or 23 caudal.
Ribs 11.11. The sternum formed of three bones, the first largest
and longest, the last short and broad. The first ribs on the front
outer edge of the first, the second on the suture between the first
and second, the tliird on the suture between the second and third,
the three others on the outer hinder edge of the last bone.'' — Flower,
P. Z. S. 1864.
The pelvic bones are elongate, subcylindrical, slightly curved.
In the Firth of Tay it goes up as far as the salt water reaches,
almost every tide at flood, during the months of July and August,
in pursuit of salmon, of which it devours immense niunbers.
"The species is gregarious, and moves rapidly forward in the water.
f) , I . /7 . '? ,
7. OKCA. 281
When it comes to the siirfacc to respire it remains, like the porpoise,
but for an instant, and then dives, describing however in its course
a mucli ■v\'ider arch." — Flem. B. A. 34.
Lilljeborg has two species : one he calls " Grampus c/ladiator,
Lacopede," which he describes as having twelve pairs of ribs, a
white spot on the neck, and a very high dorsal fin ; and the other,
" G. Orca, Schlegel," with only eleven pairs of ribs, no white spot on
the neck, and a moderately high dorsjil fin. The former is evidently
tlie Orca i/ladiator of the English zoologists ; the other is probably
a distinct species ; but it cannot be the DelpTunus Orca of 8chlegel
( Abliandlungen, ii. p. 2. t. 7 tt 8), as that species has a distinct white
spot on the side of the neck and a high dorsal fin, and well repre-
sents the D. Orca of our coast, and the skeletons of the English
specimens wliich I have been able to examine have only eleven pairs
of ril)s.
The accuracy of the following habitats has been authenticated by
the examination of the specimens or bones : — Greenwich {Hunter) ;
skull Mus. CoU. Surg. n. 2515. Coast of Essex ; skuU in British
Museum. "Weymouth {li. Pcarce) ; skeleton in British Museum.
\jyi\n Harbour, 19th Nov. 1830; skuU in Mr. Bell's museum (see
Loudon's Mag. N. Hist. iv. 329, figure far too short). A school of
ten in the Pan-ett, near Bridgewater, 24th March 1 864 {J. Clarl),
varjing from 1 1 to 22 feet long. Young specimen in the Thames at
Gi'cenwich, 1793 {Banhs, in Pennant), length 31 feet; skeleton in
British Museum and Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Ostcnd, adult male, and female of two years ; adult skeleton, Mus.
Louvain. Holland, 1841, 16 feet long; skeleton, Mus. Leydcn.
The Orca (jladlator has been twice captured in the Mechterranean.
One Avas taken about tweiity years ago at Cette ; its dental formula
was |i-: another came ashore at Elne, Pyrenees orientales, in 1857,
but the fragment of the lower jaw, which is preserved, contains ten
teeth, so that M. Gervais does not feel sure of its being the same
species as the Cette specimen. It is also impossible to say whether
it may be identical with the DcJphinus Feres. — Gervais, Ann. 4'' Alag.
M. 11. 1865, XV. 75. M. Gervais, in the ' Zool. et Paloont. Fran^.,'
figures the skull of D. Orca from Cette.
I)elj>hinus Orca (Linn. S. Nat. i. 108) is evidently fi-om Orca, Belon,
Poiss. 18, liund. Pise. 433, fig., copied by Gesner, Aquat. 748. In
the 'Mantissa,' ii. 523, the reference to the Schwerdtjische of Ander-
son and some other whalers is added, and probably from them is
taken the following note: — '' Bellum gerit cimi Plioeis, quas ope
gladii dorsalis e lapidibus detrudit ; Balamarum Phocarunnjue ty-
rannus, quas turmatim adgreditur. Pinna doi-salis est spina ensi-
forniis, sexpedalis, cute vestita, basi latior." (Mant. ii. 523.) Bon-
naterre gave the name of Ddjihintis (jladiator to Anderson's figure,
which represents the dorsal fin as situated near tlie nape.
Cuvier believed that the Orca of the ancients was probably a
Cachalot, and tliat the Killer is the Aries marinas of Pliny, YEhan,
and the Latins, M-ho comi)ared the wliite streak behind the eye to a
horn. Desmarest (Mamra. 515) confines the name Defphinus Orca
282 DELPHINIDiE.
to the animal intended hj the ancients,. and characterizes it, "Musean
conforme conime celiii du Danphin volgaire, dents larges et crenclees
sur lenrs bords" — being a translation of Artedi (Oen. Piscium, 76, 3),
" D. rostro sursum repaudo, dentibus latis serratis."
0. Fabricius observes that he never saw D. Orca ; but Professor
Eschricht believes the Phifseter microps of 0. Fabricins to be the
Killer, or D. Orca of Linnajus (Dan. Trans, xii.).
Fabricius says, " The Aklluih has in the lower jaw 22 teeth, 11 on
each side, arched, falciform, hollow internally as far as the point,
projecting scarcely a thii'd jjart (and this visible part is enamelled,
compressed-conical, with the point sharp, curved inwardly and at the
same time verging a Httle backwards ; but the concealed part broader
and having two parts, compressed anteriorly and posteriorly, and,
especially on the side nearest the throat, channelled) ; of the length
of a finger, and 1| inch broad ; the middle ones larger, the anterior
and posterior smaller. Beak rather obtuse. Beside the pectoral fins,
it has a long, erect dorsal fin. In size it is to be regarded as amongst
the smaller whales. Skin glabrous, black ; the fat thick, but little
oily ; flesh red." — Fabricius, Faun. Groenl.
Of the AidluiTc wonderful stories are told : the following is not the
most extraordinary : — " Where these appear, all the seals disappear,
else they make desperate slaughter among them ; for they have such
sagacity and skill in catching them with the mouth and fins, that
they are sometimes seen loaded with five at a time, one in the mouth,
a couple under each fin, and one under the back fin."— Cranfc, Green-
land, i. 116.
I formerly thought that the Aklluil- of 0. Fabricius was identical
with the Balcnia microcephaJa of Sibbald ; but Professor Eschricht
observes that it is most important, in the determination of 0. Fabri-
cius's synonyma, to attend to the Greenlanders' names, as they are
most accurate cetologists. He states (on the authority of Captain
Holboll) " that two of the animals which Fabricius referred to
Physcter — viz. 1st, the ' Pernak' (which he called P. Oatoclon), pro-
bably, and, 2nd, the ' AicUuik,' called by him P. microps (which
Cuvier thought might be D. ghhiceps), certainly — are the Northern
Sword-fish, Delpliinus Orca."- — Kong. Dansl-e Afhandl. xi. 136. (See
also Eschricht, CEversigt Kong. Vid. Selsk. Forh. 1862, 65.) In his
last paper he regards the ArdluJcsoak, or the Large Greenland Orque,
as the male, and the AidluiTc as the female of the Delpliinns Orca. —
Ann. Sri. Nat. ] 864, 209.
Fabricius's description of the ' Aidluik ' will do for Orca gladiator,
except that he calls it black, and does not mention the very remark-
able white marks of that species, and ho described the lower jaw
only as toothed. Now the upper teeth of Orca are not deciduous.
It is more probably a Grampns.
LiUjeborg describes tw'o species of Orca, one with 11, and the other
with 12 ribs ; but they seem to vary in number in the same specimens.
Professor Eschricht thinks there are more than one European species
of Orca ; but he has not characterized the species, and only gives
some rambling notes on their wanting systematic consideration.
7. ORCA. 283
2. Orca intermedia. The Small KiUer.
Nose of skull half the entire length. Teeth 1}-, long, conical.
Delphimis intermedins, Grai/, Ann. Phil. 1827, .396 (not Harlan).
Orca intermedia, Grai/, ZooL E. 8( T. 34. t. 8 (skull) ; Cat. Cvtuc. B.3I.
18.50, 9(5.
Clrampus intermedins. Gray. List Mamm. B. M. 104.
a. Skull ? The specimen described in the 'Annals of Phil.' and
described and iigured in the 'Voyage of the Erebus and Terror.'
The following are its measurements : —
in. lin.
Skull : Length, entire 14 0
Length of nose 7 0
Length of teeth-line 5 G
Length of lower jaw 11 0
Breadth at orbit 8 3
Breadth at notch 4 6
Breadth at middle of beak 0 9
This skull, which has all the appearance of being that of a fuU-
groAvn animal, is just one quarter the length and breadth of the skidl
of the adult common Killer {Orca gladiator).
" In the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror," Dr. Gray has figured
and described a skull (in the British Museum, locality imknown)
under the name of Orca intermedia. This is evidently that of a veiy
young individual, probably of one of the above-mentioned large
species. At all events the number of the teeth (|-j-) and the form
11....;,.^ fliKt.ini/uijah-i*- *-p~. '" i ' "^ \
uOTtT* i>osc ramer convex on tlie side, rather ta])ering in front.
Teeth \%, side upper very large, thick, nearly to the preorbital notch,
concave on each side for the reception of the teeth of the opposite
jaw ; the front upper small, acute ; front lower large, worn down,
rotindcd. Intermaxillaries rather dilated, and broader over the
front of the nose, contracted behind.
Delphinus globiceps, Owen, Cut. Miis. Coll. Surg. 165. n. 1139; Grant,
Proc. Zool. Sac. 1833, 65.
Delphinus Orca, Owen, Brit. Foss. 3Iamm. 516; Eydmtx,Mus. Paris.
Orca C'apensis, Grai/, Zool. Erebus Sf Terror, 34. t. 9 (skull) ; CaLi ■
Ceiac. B. M. l8o6, 95. _ ^jk qi~X>0^ \
Grampus, Bennett, Whaling Voyage, ii. 239. -^ qJ^'
(irampus gladiator, A. Smith, African Zool. 126. '
The Killer (;/'^/i« /f7irt/f-/s/(w*-.' ' 't''
Inhab. Sotithern Ocean. Cape of Good Hope (J/. Vilcte, 1818),
Mus. Coll. Surg. n. 1139. Northern Pacific Ocean {Cai>tain Del-
vitfe, li.N.). Chili {Eydou.r), Mus. Paris.
rt. Skull. Northern Pacific Ocean. Presented by the Zoological
9- C^>^J^-i^''^/-««.'t/tA- 04. ii^l^nri^
7. ORCA. 283
2. Orca intermedia. The Small Killer.
Nose of skull half the entire length. Teeth \\, long, conical.
Delphinus intermedius, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1827, 396 (not Harlan).
Orca intermedia. Gray, Zool. E. 8( T. 34. t. 8 (skull) ; Cat. Cetuc. B.M.
1850, 90.
Cxranipus intermedius, Gray', List Mamni. B. M. 104.
a. Skull ? The specimen described in the 'Annals of Phil.' and
described and figured in the 'Voyage of the Erebus and Terror.'
The following are its measurements : —
iu. liu.
Skull : Length, entire 14 0
Length of nose 7 0
Length of teeth-line 5 G
Length of lower jaw 11 0
Breadth at orbit 8 3
Breadth at notch 4 6
Breadth at middle of beak 0 9
This skull, which has all the appearance of being that of a full-
grown animal, is just one quarter the length and breadth of the skull
of the adult common Killer (Orca tjlaf/iator).
" In the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror," Dr. Gray has figured
and described a skull (in the British Museum, locality unknown)
under the name of Orca intermedia. This is evidently that of a very
young individual, probably of one of the above-mentioned largo
species. At all events the number of the teeth (^) and the form
of the premaxillarics chstinguish it from the Tasmanian skulls." —
Flower, F. Z. S. ISCA. , /, p
3. Orca Capensis. The Cape Killer. /<^ ■ ^'
Skull flattish above, rather concave in the middle before the blow- '
hole. Nose rather convex on the side, rather tajiering in front.
Teeth \^, side upper very large, thick, nearly to the preorbital notch,
concave on each side for the reception of the teeth of the opposite
jaw; the front upper small, acute; front lower large, worn down,
rounded. Intcrmaxillarics rather dilated, and broader over the
front of the nose, contracted behind.
Uelpliiiius globiceps, Owen, Cat. 3Itis. Coll. Si(ry. 1G5. n. 11.39 ; Grant,
Proc. Zool. Sac. 1833, 65.
Dt'lphinus Orca, Owen, Brit. Foss. Mamm. 516 ; Eydmix, Miis. Paris.
Orca Capensis, Gray, Zool. Erebus Sf Terror, 34. t. 9 (skull); Cat.,
Cctac. B. M. 1850, 95. -^r. ^^ "r <:v- •
Grampus, Bennett, Whiiling Voyaye, ii. 239. AJ '^ -^ 7 '
(Trani])us gladiator, A. Uniifh, African Zool. 126.
The Killer of the Whale-fiahcrs.
Inhab. Southern Ocean. Cape of Good Hope (J/. VUetc, 1818),
Mus. Coll. Surg. n. 1139. Northern Pacific Ocean {Captain Del-
vitte, R.N.). Chili (Eydou.r), Mus. Paris,
rt. Skidl. Northern Pacific Ocean. Presented bv the Zoological
{
284 DELPniNID^E.
Society of London. The specimen figured in the ' Voyage of
the Erebus and Terror,' fig. 9. p. 34.
The following are the measurements, fii-st, of the specimen n. 1139
in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and, secondly, of
the skull in the British Museum : — • v • v
« in. lin. m. Im.
Skull : Length, entii-e 37 0 36 6
Length of nose 18 0 18 0
Length of teeth-line. . 14 6 14 6
Length of lower jaw 29 6 29 6
Breadth at notch 12 6 12 0
Breadth at orbit 21 0 21 0
Breadth at temple above 20 0 20 0
Breadth at middle of beak 10 0 10 0
Breadth of intermaxiUaries 3 9 3 6
Breadth in fi-ont 4 6 4 6
Breadth in middle 3 3 3 3
Professor Owen observes, "The skull of the Cape Grampus {Dd-
phinibs Orca) is of a somewhat small size, and differs from the pre-
ceding specimen (the Orca of the Thames) chiefly in the greater
development of the tuberosities and curved ridges on the sides of the
superoccipital, and in the less development of the median veitical
ridge. The contour of the occiput at this part is straight ; it pre-
sents a double sigmoid curve in the Great Grampus (Z>. Orca). The
slender nasal processes of the premaxillaries form convex ridges on
this skull : they are more flattened in the Great Grampus. There
are two small additional teeth at the back of the series, which ma>/
depend upon the present specimen having belonged to a younger
individual. The slight diff'erences noticeable in the skull chiefly
depend on the muscular attachment, and are of a kind to characterize
varieties, not to establish specific distinctions." {I. c. 4-56. no. 21519.)
The skull in the Royal College of Surgeons appears to be the one
which Professor Owen gives the measurement of as D. Orca, in his
account of Phocccna crassiJens in the ' British Fossil Mammalia.'
The Grampus of the South Sea whalers is very frequently noticed
in the Pacific Ocean, from the equator to 44° N. and 10° S. latitude.
They occur in herds, and their appearance is siipposed to indicate
the resorts of the Cachalots. Whether this whale is identical with the
Grampus (Phoccena Orca) of the North Sea may be fairly questioned ;
but should it prove to be so, the geographic range of the latter spe-
cies must be indeed extensive. — Bennett, Whalinrj Voyage, ii. 238.
Mr. Bennett mentions a KUler which appears in small bands,
chiefly in the \dcinity of the equator, of a moderate size, spouts much
Uke the Cachalot, and has a tall erect dorsal fin.- — Bennett, I. c. 239.
Sii' Andrew Smith has given me the drawing of a species of an
Orca, from the Cape of Good Hope, which exactly agrees, in the dis-
tribution of the colour, A\'ith the Orcfi gladiator of the British coast.
It only differs from Schlegel's beautiful figiu-e of the European Orca
in the bands which extend up the hinder part of the sides being
rather narrower and with more parallel edges, instead of broad, and
7. oi;cA. 285
curved outvrard on the sides. Tliis similarity of the external colour-
in'? in two species of such different geographic distribution, easily
explains why they have been considered the same species though
they are half the globe apart. The examination of the skeleton, and
especially of the skidl, shows that they are quite distinct. It is the
same with the species of Ghbiocephalus of the North Sea and of the
Southern Ocean.
b. Brain-cose Jit'yh, sulu/lobidar. Rostrum very short, narrowed in front.
Teeth small, slender. Orcaella.
4. Orca brevirostris.
The brain-case subglobular, evenlj- convex above. The rostrum
very short, tapering, and subacute in fi'ont, about two-thirds the
length of the brain-case to the notch. The maxilla narrow in front,
wider in the middle, where it is about as -wide as the intermaxillary
on each side. The premaxillary broad, rather convex, solid, sepa-
rated bj" a ■wide central groove. The rostral triangle very large,
produced much in front of the notch. Palate flat in front. Teeth
jl )^, slender, subcylindrical.
Pliocsena (Orca) brevirostris, Owen, Zuol. Trans, xf, ined.
Inhab. East coast of India, the harbour of Vizagapatam.
a. Skull. Presented by Walter Elliot, Esq., of Woolflee. The skull
described by Professor Owen.
The following description, by Professor Owen, is taken from the
skull of a small Cetacean which was cast ashore in a decomposed state
in the harbour of Vizagapatam, east coast of India. It belongs to
Conner's section of Blunt-headed Dolphins, in which, by the form of
the teeth, it is allied to the Phoccna (jhhicejys. Cuv. ; but it indicates,
by the shortness of the muzzle and some osteological characters, a
nondescript species, for which the name Phocana brevirostris is
proposed.
"The basioccipital forms the lower fifth of the foramen magnum,
inten^ening, for an extent in a straight line of 10|^"', between the
lower ends of the occipital condyles ; it is here thick, concave trans-
versely, becoming thinner vertically and expanded transversely as it
advances to join the basisphenoid, with which it has coalesced.
" A sUght median longitudinal obtuse indge divides the back part
of the under surface of the basisphenoid into two shallow concavities,
from the sides of which the otocranial plates extend, which bend
slightly downward to form the lower and inner or mesial wall of the
otocrane.
"The occipital condyles (2', fig. 57) are narrow, vertically elongated,
oval convexities, wider at their lower half, with the mesial margin
gently convex, the lateral or outer margin sinuous, through a slight
concavity marking off the upper third of the condyle : the length of
the condyle in a straight line is 2" 1'", the greatest breadth 1" 12'" :
286
DELPIIINID.E.
the upper ends of the condyles are 1" 3'" apart. They are low and
sessile.
" The foramen magnum is vertically oval, widest above, and
notched at the middle of the upper border ; its length, to the end of
the notch, is 2", its breadth 1" 3'" ; the breadth across the broadest
parts of both condjdes is 2" 9'".
Skull of Orca hrevirostris.
" The paroccipital (4), an exogenous growth of the exoccipital,
forms the back part of the otocraue, towards which it is sinuous or
slightly concave, and terminates below in a thick, rough border : this
border is divided by a notch from the otocranial plate of the basi-
sphenoid; and just within the verge of that notch opens the canal
for the ' nervus vagus.'
" The superoccipital (3) rises and expands, as in other Delphinidae,
into a broad and lofty convex plate, reaching the vertex and there
articidating with the jmrietals (7) and interparietal (7*): a low
median ridge divides vertically the upper half of the superoccipital.
On the inner surface, 1" 6'" above the foramen magnum, a vertical
triangidar plate of bone descends into the falx ; it is thickest behind,
where its base is grooved transversely by the lateral sinus.
" The alisphenoids coalesce with the fore part of the lateral border
of the basisphenoid, in advance of the otocrane, of which it forms the
anterior wall or boundary : the base of the alisphenoid is notched
posteriorly (Yr) for the third, and anteriorly (m) for the second division
of the integument ; it expands as it passes outwards, slightly rising
to join the parietal (7) and frontal (11), and to overlap the process of
the squamosal continued mesiad from the glenoid cavity. The suture
between the interparietal (7*) and superoccipital (3) is obliterated,
and that with the parietals is partially so. The suture between the
parietal and superoccipital remains at its lower half, showing that a
narrow strip of the parietal appears on the external surface of the
7. OKCA. 287
cranium, extending backward, between the squamosal(27') and super-
occipital (-{) to the exoccipital (2), and slightly expanding at its
junction therewith.
" The presphenoid is distinct from the basisphenoid, and extends
in the form of a compressed rostrum forward, contracting, to be
enclosed b_y the posterior sheath-shaped part of the vomer. The
orbitosphenoids extend outward, oyerlai)ping the pterygoids, contract
where they form the fore part of the foramen laccrum auterius and
the optic foramina, beyond which they expand to sup])ort the orbital
plate of the frontal.
" The frontals ( 1 1 , 11 '), in great part overlapped, as in other Cetacea,
by the maxillarics (21), show, at their narrow exposed strip, extending
transversely across the summit of the cranium, the persistent frontal
suture, half an inch in length : from this suture, the strip curves
outward and backward, expanding beyond the interparietal (7*),
and then downward and forward, contracting, and again expanding
to form the postorbital process (12), which is triangular and three-
sided, one facet being a continuation of the exposed strip, a second
contributing to the temporal fossa (t), and a third to the orbit (or).
" In the temporal fossa (t) the frontal (11) articulates with the
parietal (7) and alisphenoid (G), in the orbit with the orbitosphcuoid-
and malar ; then arching forward from the postorbital process, the
frontal forms the superorbital ridge (11'), and articulates anteriorly
by a kind of gomphosis with the malar (26') : it is overlapped here, as
on the cranium, by the maxillary (21"). The medial jjarts of the
frontals are united posteriorlj- with the interparietal (7*), anteriorly
with the nasals (15).
" The vomer extends forward to within 1^ inch of the end of the
premaxillaries, and, behind these, intervenes upon the bonj' palate
between the maxillaries, along a strip of 2 inches extent and 3 lines
across the broadest part. This palatal part of the vomer is the
lower convexity of the canal formed bj" the spout-shaped bone : the
hollow of the canal is exposed at the upper interspace of the pre-
maxillaries. Here also is seen, 2 inches behind the fore end of the
vomer, the rough, thick, anterior border of the coalesced prefrontals,
which contracts as it passes into their upper border, forming the
septum of the nostrils, expanding below and behind to form the
back wall of the nasal passages. Here a trace of the suture between
these foremost neurapophyses of the skull remains. The small,
transversely extended, subquadrate nasals (15) intervene between the
frontals and prefrontals.
" The palatine bones appear in the palate as narrow strips wedged
between the maxillaries and pterygoids, and united togetlier beneath
the vomer by a longitudinal suture of 3'" in extent : passing out-
ward and forward, ;iftcr a brief contraction, they suddenly expand
and bend upward to line or form the mesial wall of the orbit, and
again contract to articulate with the frontal, at tlu^ superorbital fossa.
The mesiid. borders of the palatines articiilate with the vomer and
prefrontals ; and, between the pterygoids and the vomer, the pala-
tines form the fore part of the lower half of the nasal passages.
288 DELPniNiD^i:.
"The orbital plate of the palatine sends off an outer tliin lamina,
which terminates by a free margin at the back of the orbit. The
palatine plates of the maxillaries unite together for about an inch
in front of the palatines, then slightly diverge to give place to the
vomer, which, however, does not sink to their level : in advance of
the vomer the plates slightly diverge to their anterior ends, giving
place to the prcmaxillaries, which form the apex of the muzzle.
The rest of the disposition of the maxillaries accords with Cuvier's
account in Phoccma ylohiceps. The superorbital plate is divided by
a notch from the rostral part of the maxillary, and forms a tuberosity
articulated with the underlying malar (26).
"The prcmaxillaries (22) accord equally with those in Phoccena
glohiceps, save in their shorter proportions concomitantly with those
of the maxillaries and of the muzzle. They are perforated near the
outer margin, between the posterior and middle third, the canal
leading forward and inward : the three perforations in the maxillary,
external to the nasal portions of the premaxillarj', are of canals which
converge to open in an oblong fossa beneath the foie part of the roof
of the orbit.
" The pterj'goid is a large, sinuous plate, folded upon itself from
within upward, outward, and backward : the thick fore part articu-
lates with the palatine, whence it continues the bony roof of the
mouth backward for the extent of 1" 8'", with a convex surface,
divided from its fellow by a vacancy of 8'" breadth, exposing the
presjihenoid and vomer : the inner plate of the pterygoid forms the
outer wall of the lower part of the nasal passage, and continues that
passage obliquely backwards, as an open canal, beneath the base of
the alisphenoid (6), as far as the otocranial plate of the basisphenoid
(5'). This posterior production of the pterygoid is three-sided : the
inner or narial one is concave ; the outer one is also concave, forming
a channel leading upward and forward to the orbit ; the upper facet
is sutiiral, and articulates with the basi-, pre-, ali-, and orbito-sjjhe-
noids. The anterior external lamina of the pterygoid bends outward
and upward to articulate with the corresponding free lamina of the
palatine (r), bounding the narrow and deep sinuous fissure between
the outer and inner portions of both bones.
" The malar (26), as in other Delphinidae, consists of the antorbital
and styhform (26) portions. The former is a narrow triangle with
the base thick, convex, turned forward, underpropping the fore part
of the superorbital plate of the maxillary (21"), and articulating with
the same part of the frontal ; the apex extends backward, and is
wedged into the roof of the orbit between the frontal and maxillary.
The styliform portion (26) is given off by a process extending inward
(mesiad), at right angles to the antorbital portion ; and a few lines
behind its fore part it suddenly contracts, and extends backward,
with a slight upward bend, to the squamosal, articulating by a con-
cave, oblique terminal facet to a tubercle at the fore and under part
of the zygomatic process of the squamosal (27) ; the length of this
part of the malar is 3", its thickness throughout the greater extent
is 1^'" by 1'"; its squamosal articulation is 4'" across. The form of
f
7. oRCA. 289
the orbit (or), so defined below, is longitudinally oblong, more arched
above than below, 2" 2'" in fore-and-aft (Uameter, 1" 2'" in greatest
vertical diameter, the chamber communicating, of course, largely with
the temporal fossa (m) and the small antorbital fossa {d), external to
which is the rough malo-maxillary fossa (e).
" The squamosal consists chiefly of its articular or zygomatic part
(27), which is deep in proportion to its length, truncate, and three-
sided ; the outer side is slightly convex or rather rough, 1" 5'" deep
posteriorly ; the inner side is di\'idcd between the articular cavity,
rough for sj-udesmosis with the mandible, and the smoother surface
internal to it, which extends mesiad in a triangadar depressed form
(27') beneath the back part of the alisphenoid (G), but ■^^dthout join-
ing it; the upper surface, of an inequilateral shape, contributes a
lower wall to the temporal fossa. The squamous portion (t) con-
tinued upwards from this facet, is triangular, with a rounded apex,
about an inch in height and rather more in breadth ; it is applied
against the alisphenoid and parietal : the rough posterior tract (8)
articidating with the parietal (7') and exoccipital (2), and contributing
to the outer wall of the otoci'ane, I consider to be the ' mastoid,'
confluent \\"ith the squamosal, and forming the bone which should be
termed ' squamo-mastoid ' (27-8, fig. 57). The mastoid part (8)
terminates below in a rough, flattened, triangular sui'face, 5" 7'" in
diameter, which is divided from the zygomatic or articular process
of the squamosal (27') by a deep fissure. On the inner side of the
base or back part of the mastoid, in the line of its suture with the
parietal, is the (stylomastoid ?) fossa, &c. : the squamosal forms no
part of the inner or proper wall of the cranial cavity.
" The glenoid or mandibular-articular surface is longitudinally
oblong, 1" 5'", by 8'" in diameter, moderately concave, least so trans-
versely, and looking inward, downward, and with a slight inclination
forward.
" The mandible (29-32, fig. 57) oS'ers no notable peculiarity, save
that which relates to shortness in proportion to the entire skull, con-
currently with the same specific character of the upper jaw. The
depth of the ramus at the coracoid process is relatively as great as
in the longer-jawed species, and consequently bears a greater ratio
to the length of the entire ramus ; this in the present skuU is 7", the
greatest vertical extent of the ramus being 2" 6'" : the shallowest
part of the ramus is where it supports the teeth (32) ; it deepens a
little at the short symphysis. There are fourteen alveoli, approxi-
mated in a common groove, in each mandible, extending along 3" 3'"
from the symphysis. The corresponding groove of the upper jaw
shows seventeen alveoli, along an extent of 3" 6'". The deeper part
of the alveolus is distinct for the anterior teeth ; but as they recede the
sockets are indicated by depressions merely in the common groove.
The teeth are slender cones."
See also
1. ? Dolpliinus Feres, Bonnat. Cetac. 27; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. lSoO,91.
IJlackish ; teeth j-^, large and small, curved, compressed before
290
DELPHINIDJE.
and behind ; crown oval, rounded, and divided into two lobes by a
groove which extends their whole length,
Inhab. Mediterranean : Malta.
Length 14 feet. Skull : length 1 foot 10 inches, breadth 1 foot
5 inches ; length of teeth 1 inch, breadth of line \ inch. Cuvier
thinks this is probably Orca gladiator.
2. Delphinus Orca, Chamisso, Nov. Act. xii. t. 20. f. 9 ; Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso~
Asiat. i. 285; Tilesms, Isis, 1835, 72G.
Inhab. North Pacific : Kamtschatka.
3. Dr. J. E.. Foster mentions DelpMnus Orca as occurring in the
Eastern tropical islands. — Descrip. Anim. 210.
8. PSEUDOECA.
Head rounded, scarcely beaked. Skull rounded, the hinder wings
of the maxilla horizontally spread over the orbits. The beak short,
broad, tapering ; intermaxillary broad, coveiing great part (more
than half) of the maxilla. The triangle in front of the blowers,
concave. Teeth conical, acute, large, occupying the whole edge
nearly to the notch. Dorsal fin moderate, in the middle of the back.
Pectoral small, ovate. Black, rather paler below.
Pseudorca, ReinJiardt, Overs. K. D. Vid. 1862 ; Flotoer, Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1865.
Orca, sp., Gray, Cat. Cetac. 1851, 95.
Phocsena, sp., Oive)i, Brit. Foss. Matnm.
1. Pseudorca crassidens. The LincolnsMre Killer.
Intermaxillaries rugose in front. Teeth \^, large, conical, rather
acute (all but the front lower false), extending nearly to the pre-
orbital notch. Lower jaw very depressed, and broad in front at the
symphysis.
Phocjsna crassidens, Oicen, Bnt. Fossil Mamm. 516. f. 21-3, 214, 216
(skull and united cei-vical vertebrse).
Orca crassidens, Gray, Zool. Frebas ^- Terror, 33 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 95.
Pseudorca crassidens, Reinhardt, Overs. K. D. Vid. Selsk. ForJiand. i.
1862, 104. f. 1, 2, 3.
Inhab. North Sea, in shoals (Beinliardt). Fens of Lincolnshire:
fossil skull in Mus. Stamford (now in Mus. Cambridge), of the fol-
lowing measurements : — jjj_ jjjj_
SkuU: Length, entire 23 or 24 o'
Length of nose 12 6
Length of teeth-line 10 0
Length of lower jaw 21 0
Breadth at notch 8 6
Breadth at middle of beak 8 0
Breadth of intermaxillaries 5 6
In the figure the length of the beak is once and a half the breadth
of the base at the notch, and exactly the length of the skull.
8. PSEUBURCA. 291
The bladebone a nearlj- equilateral triangle, with an arched upper
edge ; a large coracoid and acromion process, which are narrow at
the base and dilated at the end. Ribs 10 . 10. The humerus short,
subtrigonal, broad at the distal end. The ulna thick, compressed,
nearly twice as long as the humerus, the ulna rather produced at
the upper outer edge. Metacarpi 5, subtriangular; fingers 5, taper-
ing : the second longest, of seven joints ; the third very little shorter,
of six joints ; the fourth very short and thick, of three short joints ;
the fifth very short and thick, of two joints ; and the first shorter
still and more slender, of a single joint (see Reinhardt, 1-12, fig. 3,
one-third size). Cervical vertebras anchylosed (see Owen, Brit. Fossil
Mammalia, fig. 214. p. 520, and side view of skull, f. 213, and
palate, f. 216).
Dr. Reinhardt states that in one specimen there were all the seven,
and in the other only six, cervical vertebrae united, while in a third
there were only five, including the first ; and he believes that this is
dependent on age. The lateral process of the atlas is strongly
developed.
hf ^^^-
2. Pseudorca meridionalis. The Tasmanian Bladcjish. , / i^^
Colour, black on the back and sides, lighter below. Males much /
larger than the females. Head obtuse, after the fashion of the
Sperm Whale. Pectoral fins small; dorsal fin hook-shaped, and
situated about two-thirds along the body towards the tail. Teeth
tq-^, verj' large, rather compressed on the sides. N"ose of skull
broad, tapering, rounded above. Lower jaw broad, and flat at the
symphysis.
Orca (Pseudorca ?) meridionalis, W. Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. 18G4,
f. 1 & 2 (skidl).
Blackfish, Van Diemoi's Land whalers.
Inhab. Van Diemen's Land : Hobart Town ; called with other
whales Blackfish (IF. L. Crowther). Two skulls, Mus. CoU. Surg.
" To find distinctive characters to separate the present species from
0. crassldens is a matter of greater difficulty. I speak of the animal
now existing in the northern seas, which Reinhardt has fuUj- de-
scribed in an illustrated memoir in the Danish language, and which
he believes to be identical with the Lincolnshire specimen.
" The beak is much more pointed at the extremity, and the pre-
maxillaries are of different form. In Pseudorca crassldens they are
of nearly equal breadth from one end to the other, their outer
margins being almost parallel ; in the Tasmanian skulls they are
contracted at the root of the beak, and then gradually expand to
about the middle, beyond which they slowly diminish in l)roadth to
the point. An examination of the skulls placed side by side might
possibly reveal other difltrcntiating characters; but I think that
these are sufficient, together with the great improbability of the
same species being found in such widely different regions, to justify
my regarding the small Grampus from Tasmania, however familiar
r 2
292 DELPHiyiDJ3.
to the inhabitants of that country, as a species new to zoological
literature, and imposing upon it the name of Orca {Pseudorca-?}
meridionalis.
Fio-. 58.
Upper surface of the adult skull {Pseudorca meridionam) ; one-fourth
natural size.
I
8. rsErDORCA.
293
Fig. 59.
Sidi' vii-w of tlio adult sludl (Pscmlorca mcntJioiiah's) : oiie-fourtli
natural size.
•■ The two sktilLs present considerable individual peculiarities ; but
294
DELPniNID.E.
these all arise, I believe, from difference of age. One is perfectly
adult ; the suture between the frontal and occipital bones is entirely-
obliterated ; the upper ends of the maxiUaries are anchylosed to the
frontal ; the teeth, though pointed at the tips, have a polished sur-
face, and many of them are worn at the sides by the mutual action
upon each other of the upper and lower series. In the other skull
the ossification of the sutures is less advanced ; the teeth show no
signs of wear, and have a uniform slightly rufous or granulated sur-
face. This skull differs from the other, as will be more particularly
shown by the measurements, in having the facial portion and all the
ridges and outgrowths of the cranium for the attachment of muscles
much less developed in proportion to the size of the cerebral cavity.
In all essential specific characters they agree. Unless otherwise
expressed, the description and comparisons which follow refer to the
adult skull.
" The principal dimensions of the two skulls in the Royal College
of Surgeons are as foUows : —
Adult.
Young.
in
in.
23^
20i
H
7
Hi
n
14i
12
15
12|
9i
8i
8|
84
13
11
n
n
ii|
10
7i
6i
5|
5i
4#
3|
5|
^
24
2
19
16^
9|
8i
^
2*
5
4
12i
m
Length from tip of beak to condyles
Internal length of brain-cavity
Length of beak (from a line drawn between tlie maxillary "I
notches, to the tip) J
Length from tip of beak to anterior margin of superior nares.
Length of palate (from tip of beak to posterior margin in \
middle line) J
Length from tip of beak to hinder edge of posterior tooth ...
Height of skiill at vertex
Greatest breadth (at zygomatic processes of squamosals)
Breadtli of brain-case in parietal region
Breadth at supraorbital ridge
Breadth of the base of the beak, inside maxillary notch
Breadth of tlie middle of the beak
Breadtli of the two premaxillai'ies, with their intervening |
space at tlie middle of the beak J
Width of condyles
Foramen magnum, height
Foramen magnum, width
Lower jaw, entire length of each ramus
Lower jaw, from tip to the posterior edge of last tooth
Length of symphysis
Height of ramus, at coronoid process
Width, posteriorly, between outside of articular surfaces . . .
" The teeth are nearly circular in section, stout, conical, pointed,
incurved, and very slightly recurved. The crowns of the largest
measure 1'2 inch in length, and 0-65 inch in diameter at the base.
With the exception of the two anterior and the posterior, they are
of very nearly cqiTal size throughout. Their number is the same in
both skulls, viz. eight on each side above, and ten below ; but though
the whole number is the same, I suspect that it is not exactly the
corresponding teeth which are in place in both specimens, at all
y. GRAMPUS. 295
events as far as the upper jaw is concerned. By comparing tooth
with tooth, especially as regards their position in the alveolar margin,
the older specimen would appear to have lost the small anterior pair
present in the younger one ; while in the latter the posterior pair
appear not yet to have teen developed. It must be confessed that
our knowledge of the growth and succession of these organs in the
Cetacea is at present so imperfect that we ought not to lay much
stress upon any trifling variations in their number or character in
discriminating species." — Floiver, P. Z. S. 1864.
" ' Bladjtsh.'' — This fish is in reality a miniature Sperm Whale
in its habits, &c., feeding upon the same food ('squid'), geographi-
cally occupying the same localities as the Sperm Whale, following
the great equatorial currents so long as they retain their warmth,
and met with in the greatest numbers in the southern hemisphere at
those points where the equatorial meet the polar currents, eddies
being formed in which no doubt the squid collects. I am not aware
that the Blackfish preys upon anything but squid ; it is essentially
gregarious, countless hordes being met with where food is abundant.
Length 12 to 15 feet ; diameter 3 to 4 feet. Weight two to three
tons, the former about the average. Oil, the only kind that will mix
with sperm." — W. L. Crowther, P. Z. S. 1864.
Mr. Flower has since received two skulls of the genus Glohioce-
lyhcdus, probablj' two distinct species, under the name of " Blackfish,"
so that the above description may refer to them. See Flower,
P.Z. S. 1865. ^ , T , ,
9. GRAMPUS.
Head rounded, forehead rather convex. Teeth conical, of upper
jaw early deciduous, only in the front half of the lower jaw. Dorsal
distinct, low, rather behind the middle of the back. Pectorals ovate,
rather elongate.
Skull depressed ; intermaxillaries dilated, covering great part of
the maxilla above, rather swollen behind in front of the blowers, the
hinder ^dng of the maxilla horizontal and rather thickened and bent
np over the orbit, and slightly dilated and reflexed just in front of
the notch.
Grampus (pars), Grai/, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828.
Grampus, G'/vn/, ZooL E. Sf T. 30, 1847 ;■ Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 82;
P. Z. S. 1864, 245.
Cetus, sp. (Aries), Wagler, N. S. Ampli. 33.
Phocteua, sp., Wayler, N. S. Amph. 34.
* Triangle in front of the blowers elongate, produced in front over
the votner.
1. Grampus Cuvieri. Cuviers Grampus.
Bluish black ; beneath dirty white, passing into the black on the
sides. No.se of the skull broad at the base, narrow in front, and con-
296 DELPHINIDiE.
cave on the sides, not quite half the entire length of the skull ; lower
jaw with two truncated teeth on each side in front.
Phocsena giisea, Lesson, Man. 413 ; Wat/Ier, N. S. Amph. 34.
Grampus griseus, Gray, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828.
? Grampus, Hunter, Phil. Trans. 1787, t. 17.
PDelphmus ventricosus, Lacep. Cet. 311. t. 15. f. 3; Schreb. Sauffeth.
t. 341, both copied from Hunter, t. 17.
? Phocsena ventricosa. Lesson, Man. 415, from Huntei:
Delphinus globiceps, var., Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, 608.
Grampus Cuvieri, Gray, Ann. N. H. 1846; Cat. Osteol. B. 3L 36;
Zool. Erebus ^- Terror, 31 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 83, 1850 ; Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1864.
' Delphinus griseus, Cuv. B. A. i. 290 ; Ann. Mm. xix. t. 1. f. 1 (not
- > ' < . -, good), cop. Schreb. t. 345. i. 1 ; Oss. Foss. v. 284, 306, t. 22. f. 1, 2 ;
' F. Curier, Cetac. 182. t. 12. f. 2 ; Besm. Mamm. 518 ; Fischer, Syn.
Mamm. 512; Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. Frang. 149. t. 37. f 5 (from
Brest) ; Sckleyel, Abhandl. 33.
Marsouin, Duhamel, Pech. iv. t. 9. f. 5.
Inhab. North Sea. Coast of France : Brest, Eochelle (lyOrhigny),
1822. Isle of Wight, Hampshire {Bev. C. Bury), 1845.
-^d U — a. Skull. Isle of Wight. Presented by the Eev. C. Bury,
The measurements of D'Orbiguy's (first) old and (second) young
specimens : —
' "^* '.'". Length, entire 10 0 (7 feet.)
Length to blowers 2 6
Length to pectoral fin 3 6
Length of pectorals 3 0
Length of dorsal 5 0?
Width of tail
Height of dorsal 1 2
Skull : Length, entire 17 6
Length of nose 8 0
Length of teeth-series, lower jaw . . 2 3
Length of lower jaw 12 0
Width at notch 7 0
Width at orbit 11 0
Width at middle of nose 3 10
Width of intermaxillary- 3 3
Height at occiput 9 0
The cervical are earliest anchylosed, as in the Belphinus Belphis.
Dorsal vertebrae 12. Ribs 12.12; six of the ribs are articulated
between the bodies of the vertebrae. Lumbar and caudal vertebrae 42.
The spinous processes are suddenly enlarged at the commencement
of the loins ; the articular apophysis of the ninth dorsal ceases to
enclose the preceding vertebra. The first finger of 2 joints, the
second of 8 joints, the third of 7 joints, the fourth of 2 joints, and
the fifth of 1 joint. The first bone of the sternum is not perforated,
but the last is rather notched. The bladebone has the outline of
D. Tursio and the apophyses of D. BeliMs. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 306.
^ PUA.^
t&i^
9. GRAMPTJS.
297
This species loses its upper teeth at an early period, and preserves
only a few of its lower ones. The dorsal fin is lower and further
back than in D. Orca.—Cav. 11. A. i. 290.
M. F. Cuvier (Cetac. 193) has referred the Marsouhi of Duhamel
(Pech. iv. t. 9. f. 5) to D. [/lohice^)s; but M. Duhamel particularly
observes that the pectoral aud dorsal were nearly equidistant from
the head, and that the underside is paler than the back, golden
green, not white, which does not agree \vith D. melas. In both these
points it suits better with this species.
Fio-. 00.
Slmll of Grampus Cuvieri, Cuv. t. 22. f. 1.
This species was first described from a skeleton and drawing sent
fi'om Brest to Paris. The bad coloiu'ing of the drawing induced
M. Cu\aer to call it D. (jriscns ; but it is black and not grey ; so that
the first specific name cannot be used, as giving a wrong impression
of the animal. M. F. Cuvier regards it as distinct from D. Aries of
Risso, which his brother thought was the same. {F. Cuv. Cetac. 184.)
" The skull of the Brest specimen has the general characters of
D. liissoanus ; the teeth are truncated ; the cervical vertebrae anchy-
loscd ; and there are 12 dorsal vertebrte." — Gervais,ZooI. et Paleont.
Franr. t. 37. f. 5.
In D'Orbigny's specimens the dorsal was injured, and in two of
them nearly destroyed. The young, 7 feet long, had eight, conical,
acute teeth. The older, two males and one female, 10 feet long,
had only six or seven, blunt, carious teeth. The upper jaw longest
(4 inches), without anj- indication of teeth, even in the young one,
but with a slight groove for the reception of the edge of the lower
M. d'Orbigny says that this species has " most affinity in its
^/Vf-W-
f.
298 DELPUINIDJi.
external form to the Grampua of Hunter, t. 17, which Lacepede
called D. ventrlcosus, but diflers essentially in the total absence of
teeth in the ujipor, and bj^ the number in the lower jaw." Hunter
does not figure any teeth in the ujiper, and only a few in the
lower jaw.
yi-y 1^. 2. Grampus Rissoanus. Risso's Grampus.
i-l\- ' r Bluish white, with irregular, brown-edged, scratch-like lines in aU
directions. Females uniform brown, with similar scratches. Lower
jaw conical, acute ; teeth on each side in front.
DelpLinus Rissoanus, Lata: ; F. Cuv. Mamm. Lithog. t. ; Cetnc. 196.
t. 12. f. 1 ; Schlegel, Abhandl. 33 ; Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 512 ; Desm.
Mamm. 519.
Delpliinvis de Risso, Cuv. Ann. Mvs. xix. 12. f. 4, cop. Schreh. t. 345.
f. 4; Risso, Ann. Miis. H. N. xix. 1. 1, 2 ; Europ. Merid. 23.
Delphinua Rissoi (D. Rissoanus), Gervais, Zool. et PaUont. Frang. 149.
t. 37. f. 1, 2 (skull, from Nice).
Delphinus Aries, Hisso, Cuv. Ann. Mt(s. xix. 12. t. 1. f. 4.
Grampus Rissii, Jardine, Nat. Lib. vi. 219. t. 18.
Cetus (? ), Wagler, N. Sijst. Amph. 33.
Plioc£ena Rissoanus, Lesson, Man. 416.
Grampus Rissoanus, Grai/, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, 31 ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 84.
Var. 1. Dorsal, pectoral, tail, and hinder part of the body below
varied with black. — F. Cuv. 7. c. t. 13. f. 1 (male).
Inhab. Nice (Misso, Laiirillard).
M. Laurillard observes, the teeth are conical, early deciduous, espe-
cially of the upper jaw. He gives the following measurements : —
ft. iu.
Length, entire 9 0
Length of head 1 6^
Height of dorsal 0 9
Lesson refers this species to the genus GloLiocephalus ; but the
position of the dorsal and the form of the pectoral, as well as the
description of the teeth, make me believe it rather belongs to this
genus. M. Cuvier observes that his B. griscus is only described from
a bad drawing of this species ; but M. F. Cuvier, who had a new
description, and M. Laurillard, consider them distinct. — Reg. Anim.
i. 290 ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 184.
In the Paris Museum there is a skull from EocheUe, sent by
M. d'Orbigny, and a second from Nice, brought by M. LauriUard,
which greatly resemble one another.
Gervais observes, " The maxillaries arc visible below. The frontal
region is rather flattened. Cervical vertebrsE soldered together;
dorsal 12, lumbar 7, caudal 49 = 68. The chevron bones commence
at the forty-fifth of the series. Inhab. Nice. Length about 10 feet
(3 metres)."
G. Cuvier described Grampus Rissoanus, which is very nearly
allied to his D. griseus ; but the former lives in the Mediterranean,
and the latter on the coast of Brittany. The cranium of this species
i
y. GRAMPUS. 29it
presents characters -which are easily recognized. Tlie Museum of
Paris possesses two skulls, from specimens taken at Nice by Kisso
and Laurillard. There is another in the Museum of Marseilles, ob-
tained from one of a shoal which came ashore into Carry, Bouches
du Rhone, in lS(}2.—Gervais, ComjJtes Jiendus, 28 Nov. 1864, 87G ;
Ann. cj- JUag. N. 11. 1865, xv. 76.
•* The triangle short, broad.
3. Grampus Richardsonii.
_ Lower jaw straight, regularly diverging, scarcely bulging on the
side behind, united by a rather long, wide symphysis in front;
obliquely truncated in tront, with a rather prominent, tuberous
gonj-x. Teeth 4 . 4, rather large, far apart, conical, tapering at the
tip, but subcyUndrical at the base.
Grampus, n. s., Grai/, Zool. En-bus S)- Terror, 31.
Grampus Richardsonii, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 85 ; Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1865.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope. Kalk's Bay, Simon's Bay (Lai/ard).
a. Lower jaw. Presented by the Haslar Hospital Museum.
This lower jaw appears to differ from the lower jaw of G. Cuvieri
in being much thicker at the symphysis, very obliquely truncated
in front, and rather projecting below. Teeth 4 . 4, large, conical,
ntther acute and recurved ; the upper edge behind the teeth round,
with many minute holes on the edge. It measures as foUows : —
inches.
Length, entire 16
Length, front truncation 2
Length of teeth-series 2
Width near condyle 4
Width in front . ■. 1
Width at condyle 11^
Mr. Layard has sent me for examination a skull of a Grampvs
taken from the shores of Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, which is
contained in the South African Museum. It is a typical Grampus,
like G. Rissoanus, with four teeth on each side of the front of the
lower jaw. It chiefly differs from G. Rissoanus in the shortness of
the triangle in front of the blowers, which is not continued over the
vomer. The lower jaw agrees so completely with the lower jaw of
G. Rkliardsonii, that I believe it belongs to this species, which was
probably received from the Capo. — See Gray, F. Z. S. 1865.
The skull in the Cape Museum resembles in most particulars that
of Grampus Cuvieri, and may be considered that of a typical spe-
cies of the genus. It agrees with Bclwja in the convexity of the
triangle in front of the blowers and in the general form ; but it
differs from that genus in the elevation of the margins of the maxiUic
over the orbits, and on the side of the hinder part of the beak in
front of the notch, showing that the genus is intermediate in form
300 BELPniNID-T5.
between Behiga and Ona. Gr'tminis and Beluga are peculiar for
having teeth only in the front part of the lower jaw, as in Globio-
cephalus ; hut the teeth of Gramjnis are permanent, while those of
Beluga are early deciduous.
The lower jaw from the Cape Seas only differs from the lower jaw
of the typical specimen of G. Bichardsonii in being rather more
slender in front, just behind the gonyx and the end of the teeth-
line, and in the teeth being apparently rather shorter and more
slender ; but the bases of the teeth of the typical specimen are entirely
exposed, and in the one from the South-African Museum they are
still imbedded in the dried gums; so that the difference is more
apparent than real.
The upper edge of the orbit is raised into a decided marginal
ridge. The maxillary bones in front of the notch are rather ex-
panded and well bent up on the edge.
The triangular space in front of the blowers is convex, evenly
rounded, and with a well-marked oblique groove on each side in
front.
The intermaxillary bones are very broad, with a hard, shining,
smooth, rather convex upper surface ; they cover fully two-thirds of
the upper part of the hinder portion, and much more, or at least
four-fifths, of the front part of the beak. The palate is flat in front
and rather convex behind. The upper jaw is rather bent down at
the tip, and is destitute of teeth ; but has a submarginal line with
a few small pits. The lower jaw has four conical teeth on each side
in front, placed over the gonyx.
Length of the skull 18, of beak from the notch 10|, of lower jaw
14| inches ; width of the brain-case at the centre of the orbit 11, of
beak at the notch 7| inches.
The triangle in front of the blowers in the skulls of the European
species is much elongated, the slender front part being produced
between the intermaxillaries nearly to the end of the beak.
(1) G. griseus, of Brest, has only 2 . 2 teeth in the front of the
lower jaw (Gervais, I. c. t. 57. f. 5).
(2) G. Bissoi, of Nice, has 5 . 5 teeth in the front of the lower jaw
(Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. Fran^, t. 57. f. 1, 2).
In the Cape species the triangle is shorter and much broader com-
pared with its length, the front side-margins being more transverse.
(3) G. Ru-hardsonn.
In G. Bissoi the outer edges of the intermaxillaries are sinuoiis and
rather contracted to nearly the middle of their length. In G. Bich-
ardsonii the outer edges are rather slightly arched and bent out ; the
bones are widest in the middle of their length ; the nostrils are bent
to the left side, the right side of the skull being most developed.
4. Grampus affinis.
The teeth are 12.12, small, conical, curved, very acute. Nose
rather concave on the sides. Intermaxillaries nearly as wide as the
jaws. Lower jaw obliquely truncated in front. Length, entire, 24
k
10. pnoc.isNA. 301
inches, of nose 12, of tooth-line 7, of lower jaw 19. Width at
notch 9, of middle of beak ()|, at orbits 15| inches.
In the Museum of the College of Surgeons is a skull (no. 1138,
Hunterian) apparently belonging to another species of this genus.
5. Grampus Sakamata. The Salcamata.
Delphinus Orca, Schli'<jcl, Fauna Japan. 25.
Grampus Sakamata, Gray, Zool. Ereb. ^ Terr. 31 ; Cat. Cetac. B. 31.
1850, 85.
Inhab. Japan.
M. Schlegel (Faun. Japon. 25) described a dolphin found on the
coast of Japan, and called Sahamata huzira. It is said to have a
high dorsal, and to be black, with white spots on the belly, back,
and sides near the pectoral fins ; the eyelids and lips pale purple,
the latter often white-spotted. The head is rounded ; the iipper
jaw pointed and toothless ; the lower short and narrow, and toothed.
Schlegel, who refers this species to D. Orca, says the wanting
teeth in the upper jaw is a mistake ; but it is probably a Grampus,
which often wants them in that jaw. I do not see why one part of
the description should be relied on and not the other.
** Tlie lateral wings of the maxilla shelving doum over the orbit.
t Teeth permanent, compressed, sharp-edged.
10. PHOCffiNA.
Dorsal fin in the middle of the body. Skull-nose depressed, broad ;
the hinder part of the maxilla slightly shehang downwards over the
orbits. The intermaxillaries and vomer form part of the palate.
Teeth numerous, spathulate, compressed, extending nearly the whole
length of the jaw.
Phocajna, Rondel. Pise. 474 ; Gray, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828 ; Zool. Ereb. Sf
Terr. 30 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 81, 1850 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 245,
Phoctena, sp., Cuvier; F. Cuvier -, IVagler, N. S. Atnph. 34.
Delpliinus, sp., Linn. ; Illiger, Prod. 143, 1811.
The foetus of Phocama has two bristles on each side of the nose ;
as the animal grows, these bristles fall out, and each leaves a small
pit on the side of the nose, which Klein (Hist. Piscium, i. 24)
mistook for the nostrils, as has been weU observed by Professor
Eschricht, 250.
"NMien the mouth is closed the upper lip overlaps the under one
evenly aU round. The part of the under Hp that is covered by the
upper one is flat, and slu^lving inwards. It is of a paler colour than
the upper lip and the lower part of the lower one.
Tlie cervicals are thin, soldered. Eibs 13. 13, of which seven are
articulated to the borders of the vertebrae. Tertebraj about 40 ; the
last very small, incrusted in the tail. The spinous processes com-
mence Avith the sixth lumbar, and do not embrace the caudal vertebne.
The bladcbonc is narrow, and the coracoid is more equal to the
acromion than is that of D. Delpliis. The first bone of the stcraum
302 DELPHINIDJi.
is pierced and without lateral angles. There are only 5 pairs of true
ribs. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 306.
The skeleton in the Museum of the CoUege of Surgeons, no. 2509. —
" All the cervical vertebrse are anchylosed ; the head of the first rib
rests upon their coalesced bodies. There are 5G other vertebi'ae,
twelve of which support moveable ribs, but the thirteenth pair seems
to have been lost." — Owen, I. c. p. 455.
Professor Eapp (Cetac. t. 5) figures the skeleton of Delpliinus Pho-
ccetui. " The scapula with a broad, dilated corucoid process. Fin-
gers five, short ; the first longest, the third scarcely shorter, the
second shorter, the fourth and fifth very short, the fifth slender.
Spinous processes of the dorsal and lumbar vertebroe with a distinct
subcentral anterior process on each side. The lateral processes of the
lumbar vertebrae short and broad." — Eapp, I. c.
Mr. F. Knox gives many details of the anatomy of this species in
his ' Catalogue of Preparations relative to "VVTiales,' 1838, p. 32.
M. G. Breschet describes and figures the organ of hearing of the
Porpoise (Ann. Sci. Nat. 1838, x. 221. t. 5).
* Dorsal Jin in middle of back, withoid any spines on its upper edge.
Teeth all compressed, trnncated.
1. Phocsena communis. Common Porpoise.
Black.
Phocsena, Rondel. Pise. 473 ; Gesner, Aqiiat. 837. fig. ; Aldrov. Pise.
719. fig.
Phoctena Rondeletii, WiUughh. Pise. 31. t. A 1. f. 2.
Tursio Marsouin, Belon, Aqttat. 16. tig.
Tursio, Plinii K. N. ix. 9.
Phocsena coniniiuiis, Broohes, Cat. Mns. 39 ; Lesson, Man. 413 ; F. Cuv.
Cetae. 172 ; Gray, List Mamm. P. M. 104 ; Spie. Zool. 2, 1828 ; Zool.
Erehus 8f Terror, 30 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 81 ; Proc. Zool. Soc.
1864, 245 ; Malmgren, Arch. Nat. 1864, 90.
Delphinus Phocpena, Linn. Faun. Suec. 17; S. N. i. 108; Schreb.
Sam/eth. t. 342 ; Ponnaf. Cet. 18. t. 1. t. 10. f. 1 ; Pesm. Alumfn.
516 ; Fischer, Syn. 510 ; Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 286. t. 21. f. 1, 2 (skull) ;
Pell, Prit. Mam. 473,476. fig. ; Rapp, Cetac. i. 5 (skeleton) ; Schleyel,
Abhandl. 31; Dieren, 89. t. 15; Turton, P. Fauna, 17; Fleming,
P. A. .33; Phil. Zool. ii. 209. t. 1. f. 4; Jemjns, Man. 41; Kilsson,
Skand. Fauna, 616.
Marsouin commun, Cuvier, Menaq. Mus. t. ; Reg. Anim. i. 279.
Poi-pesse, Shaiv, Zool. ii. 504. t. 229, 230, 231 ; Porlase, Cornw. 264.
t. 27. f. 2 ; 3Imiro, Phys. Fishes, 45. t. 35.
Anat. Knox, Cat. Prep. Whales, 1838, 37 ; Rapp, Cetac. t. 5 ; Sibson,
Trans. Roy. Soc. 1848 ; Pon?iat. Cet. t. ; Lacep. Cet. t. 20. f. 2 (skele-
ton) ; Jacob, Dublin Phil. Juurn. 1825, t. 2. f. 5.
Inhab. North Sea. Near shore, in all seasons, and ascends rivei-s.
Called Marsuins, Herriag Hogs, Neessock, PeUock, and Bucker. —
Fleming, B. A. 34.
a. Thames. Presented by Mr. Leadbeatcr.
6. Skull. From Dr. Mantell's Collection.
c, d, e. Stuffed. Thames. Presented by Messrs. J. & C. Grove.
/. Skeleton. English coast.
10. pnocjiXA. 303
Mr. Knox (Cat. Prep. Wliales, p. 32, 1838) gives the particulars of
two skeletons of female specimens : — 1. Of a gravid female taken in
the Firth of Forth, 56 inches long and 34 inches in circumference.
Teeth |4 . ||-. Vertebrae 65 : cervical 7, dorsal and rihs 13, pos-
terior 45. V-shaped bones commencing between the thirty-fourth
and thirty-fifth vertebrae. Length of base of cranium 11, of spinal
column 42 inches =53. Weight of cranium 1 lb. 1 oz., of trunk and
extremities 2 lb. 15 oz. = 4 lb.
2. Of a female, 74 inches long, Idlled in the Thames : has coracoid
clavicles. It also differs from the preceding in the following par-
ticulars : — There are only twelve ribs on each side (24) ; the vertebree
towards the caudal extremity are much more slender and delicate,
while the transverse and spinous processes of the dorsal and lumbar
vertebrae are much broader and stronger. The cranium is considerably
smaller and narrower ; the elevation of the occipital bone less, but
more rounded ; condyles of the occipital bone greatly less. Yet the
weight of both skeletons is nearly equal. There are only 64 ver-
tebrae, but the last is evidently wanting, and has been lost {Knox,
p. 32). A foetus was taken from the uterus of the female porpoise
whose skeleton, from the Firth of Forth, No. 1, is above referred to ;
it measured, from snout to centre of tail, 26 inches ; circumference
16 inches. Its great buUc, considering the size of the ijarent por-
poise (56 inches), is remarkable, and renders the supposition that
the porpoise does not suckle her young extremely probable. — Knox,
p. 34, n. 104.
In the former edition of this Catalogue I observed, which has now
been proved to be the case, " This difference in the skeleton shows
the probability of there being two species confounded on our shores,
or else that there are great variations in the bones of this animal
even of the same sex."
In the figui-e of the skuU in Bell's ' British Mammalia,' p. 476,
the teeth are represented as conical and acute, instead of broad,
tinincate, and compressed at the tips.
" A porpoise was taken by some fishermen in Cornwall and placed
in a pond at a farm, where it lived a month." — Couch.
" The Sniffer of the Cornish fishermen. It is sometimes caught in
drift-nets ; and I have known it take a bait, though it commonly
proves too strong for the line. Rarely more than a pair is seen
together. "^C'o((f7t, Cornish Fauna, 4.
" The rolling motion of this and some other of the smaller Cetacea
is caused by the situation of the nostiils on the anterior part of the
top of the head, to breathe through which the body miist be placed in
a somewhat erect posture, from which to descend it p;i.sscs through
a considerable portion of a circle." — Couch, CornisJi Fauna, 10.
" The Porpoise enters the Baltic by the Soiind in large numbers
in the spring, in pursuit of the herrings, and leaves it by the Little
Belt in December and January." — Eschricht.
" A season seldom passes -vrithout their appearance at Greenwich
and Dcptford, and they occasionally pass much higher up" (C. Col-
lin^vood, 1858); Battersca {Gray, 1815).
304 DELPHINID-i;.
** Dorsal Jin in middle of hack, with a series of sjtines on its upper ed<je.
Teeth all comjn'essed, truncated.
2. Phocsena tuberculifera.
The dorsal fin with a series of spines on the upper portion of the
upper edge. Body and upper parts of the pectoral and caudal fins
black, chin and beneath whiter.
Marsouiu, Camper, Planches de Cetaces, t. 45-51.
PhoCcBna commimis, Jackson, Boston Journ. N. H. 1845, v. 107. t.
(anatomy).
Phocrena tuberculifera, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 320.
Inhab. Margate. North Sea. Coast of North America : Boston
(JacJcson).
a. Skin in spirits. Margate. The animal described P. Z. S. 1865.
b. Skeleton of above.
"When I described this species from a specimen caught at Margate,
which lived a few days in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park,
I was not aware that it had been noticed by Phny, figured and
described by Camper, or that Dr. Jackson had mentioned the tubercles
on the dorsal fin in the specimen which he described. Mr. Flower
kindly pointed out to me the two references.
This explains why Dr. Jackson did not find his anatomy to agree
with Cuvier's. They were evidently made on two difl'erent species.
It is not flattering to the accuracy of our research that two kinds
of porpoises shoiild be found to inhabit the English seas and be
overlooked untU now.
Camper, at p. 142, observes, " La fausse nageoire est placee sur le
milieu du dos, son bord auterieur est arme de petites asperites den-
telees, qu'on n'observe pas dans le Dauphin vulgau-e. Pline en a
parle sons le nom de sjjina culteUata."
Dr. Jackson observes, " Dorsal fin emarginated ; back of the tip
and at the upper part anteriorly is exhibited quite a number of small
tubercles or dentations."
Camper figures the male foetus and the sexual organs of a female
foetus. He states that the outer auditory opening was closed in the
female and open in the male ; he also says there were two small
apertures on one side of the nose and three on the other in the male
foetus (?. c. p. 213).
Camper figm-es the female and its anatomy (?. c. tab. 45-49).
*** Dorsal fin rather posterior; back, in front of the dorsal fin, with a single,
and upper edye of the dorsal fin icith three series ofohlong keeled
tubercles. Front teeth rather conical. Acanthodelpliis.
3. Phocsena spinipinnis.
Lead-coloured. Teeth \^ . if.
Phocsena spinipinnis, JBurmeister, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 228. f. 1-4.
Inhab. Eio de la Plata, near the mouth. Mus. Buenos Ayres
{Burmeister).
10. pnociENA. 305
A very young specimen. Length from end of nose to nick in the
tail 162 centimetres; circumference in middle, the hirgest part, 102
centimetres. Uniform black colour.
The central series of spines commences in the middle of the back ;
nearer the front edge of the dorsal fin it has a series on each side of
it; and on the rounded edge of the fin there is another series on
the outer side of the preceding, making five in all. The spines are
only elevations of the skin, of an elongated oval form, and each is
surrounded by a ridge. Yent surrounded by radiating ridges. Pec-
toral fin falcate.
Consult
Phocfena pectoralis, Peak, Zool. Expl. Exped. Mamm. 32, ed. 1, 1848
(ti-anscribed) —
Delphiniis pectoralis, Cassin, U. S. Expl. Exped. Mamm. 28 (1858),
t. 5. f. 2—
" Colour blue-black, a white spot on each side of the breast in
front of the pectoral fins ; a frontal band of light slate-coloui- extends
a short distance behind the eyes ; vent and abdomen light reddish
•white ; lips margined with reddish white.
" Total length 8 feet 8 inches ; greatest diameter 21 inches ; dorsal
fin, measured along the fi'ont edge, 14 inches ; pectoral fin 16 inches ;
tail 2o| inches in diameter ; from the end of the snout to the comer
of the mouth 11| inches; eye from the end of the snout 13 inches.
"Dental formula: ^|f^=92?
" Sixty of these animals were driven on shore by the natives at
Hilo Bay, Island of Hawaii, at one time. They were considered
dainty food, and yielded a valuable stock of oil. Only one lower jaw
was saved as a specimen. It is more rounded than usual at the
extremity ; the teeth are stout, project outwards, and are worn nearly
even ^vith the gums, showing that our specimen was an old animal,
and probably of the maximum size."
" This species appears to be related to both D. obscurus and D.Hea-
vlsidii, Gray, and belongs to the same subgcneric group, if not spe-
cifically identical with one or the other. It more strongly resembles
the latter ; but we have failed to recognize it as a described species
from the lower jaw above alluded to."
What are IPIioecena latirostris (J. Brookes's Cat. 39), ^Phocmm
Grayii (J. Brookes's Cat. 39), and Phocana, n. s. (MacgiUivray, Voy.
Rattlesnake, i. 48), " not allowed to be killed by the natives of
More ton Bay, Australia"?
Dr. J. R. Foster mentions Phocmia as being found in the Pacific
Ocean {Bescr. Anim. 150, 210) ; Cape of Good Hope (I. c. 316).
306 DELPH1XIDJ3.
11. NEOMERIS.
Dorsal fin none. Nose of skull short, rounded at the end, flat,
shelving above. Teeth numerous, compressed, nicked, acute, extend-
ing nearly the whole length of the jaw.
Neomeris, Gray, Zoo!. JErebus ^- Terra?-, 30, 184G.
Delphinus, sp., Cuvier, R. A. i. 291.
Delphinapterus, sp., Temm. Faun. Japan. 7.
Neomeris Phocaenoides. The Neomens.
Black. Teeth -f| or f f . Length 4 feet.
Delphinus Phocaenoides, Dussumier, MS. ; Cuv. Ebg. Anim. i. 291.
Delphinus melas, Temm. Faun. Japan, t. 25, t. 26 (animal, skuU, and
teeth).
PGlobiocephalus Indicus, Blyth, Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, 1860, 449.
Delphinapterus melas, Temm. Farm. Japan. 7.
Neomeris Phocaenoides, Grai/, Zool. F. <^- T. 30; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 80; Pucheran, Mev. et Mag. Zool. 1856, 545.
AjfAT. Fauna Japan, t. 25 (teeth), t. 26 (bones).
Inhab. Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal {Bhjth) ; Japan {Temm.).
" Cape of Good Hope," and " Malabar" {Dussumier).
The figure in the ' Pauna Japonica ' is from a drawing made by a
Japanese artist under Burger's inspection.
The skull of Delphinus melas in the Leyden Museum is more
swollen and broader than that o{ Phoccena co7umvnis; the nose is
shorter, broader, more rounded at the end, and nearly flat, not
shelving above ; teeth -L|, larger and stronger ; skull one-sixth the
entire length (in Fhoccena one-fifth). Ncnneno-juo, JaYian.
The short description of the D. Phoccenoides of Cuvier, which
Dussumier is said to have discovered at the " Cape of Good Hope,"
agrees with the figure in the ' Fauna Japonica.' A skuU in Mus.
Paris, marked " D. Phoccenoides, brought from Malabar by Dussumier
in 1837," is broader and shorter than that of Phoccena communis;
teeth spatulato, rounded, oblique, -f-^; palatine bones and inter-
maxillaries broad, as seen in the roof of the beak. Length of this
skuU 7, of nose 2|, width at notch 2| inches.
The skulls are much ahke, but they may be two species charac-
terized by the number of the teeth.
tt Teeth of njiper and lower Jaw conical, clectcluaus. Dorsal none.
12. BELUGA.
Head rounded ; forehead convex ; teeth conical, only in the front
half of the jaws, oblique, often truncated, and the upper often deci-
duous ; dorsal fin none ; pectoral suboval ; tongue oblong, with a
simple, slightly raised edge ; skull with the nose and the hinder wing
of the maxilla bent down on the orbits, making the forehead very
convex ; lower jaw not so wide as the upper, with the condyle low
i
lU. BELUGA.
yu7
down below the middle of the hinder edge. — Graif, Zool. Ereb. if
Terror, t. 29. fig. 3.
Delphiuopterus, Lacpp. Cet. 243.
Delphinapterus, F. Cuv. I). S. K lix. 517, 1829.
Beluga, Hajfin. Ami. Nat. 60, 1815 ; Gray, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828 ; Zool.
Erebus Sf Terror ; Cat. Cetac. B. K. 77 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 18G3, 201 ;
1864, 24(5 ; Lesson, Man. ■ Bell, Brit. Quad: 1837.
Delphis, Waffler, K. S. Amph. 34, 1830.
Delphinus (pars), Linn. ; Illiger, Prod. 143, 1811.
Catodon (pars), Artedi, Gen. 78 ; Fleming, B. A. 29.
Cetus (pars), Bris.son, li. A. i. 227, 1762.
Pbyseter (pars), Linn. »S'. iV.
Cachalot (pars), Lacep. Cet.
Phocjena (pars), F. Cuv. Cetac.
There is a great similarity in the general form of the skulls of
Phoccena, Beluga, and Monoceros ; but, independently of the size and
teeth, they differ in the form of the convexity in front of the blower ;
in Beluga the front of the blower is flattish, in Monoceros there is a
broad, half-oblong convexity, and in Phoccena a squarish tuberosity.
The genus Delphinapterus was formed by Laccpede to contain this
animal (which he before described as a Catodon) and the Del^ihinus
Senedette, which is probably an imaginary figure of a Sperm Whale
made from description, or perhaps of D. Orca with the doi-sal fin left
out. It has been applied by Peron, Cuvier, and others to a very
different animal.
Professor Owen observes, the prefrontal bones are large and coalesce
with the vomer, and ascend into view at the back 2)art of the nostrils,
where they coalesce with the frontals. The nasal bones are wedged
into an interspace between them and the frontals, at the sixmmit of
the nasal apertures. — Cat. Osteal. Coll. Surg. 454. n. 2506.
Fiff. 61.
Skull of Bchii/a Catodon, Cuv. t. 22. f. 5.
1 . Beluga Catodon. The Northern Beluga.
Wliite : young black ; the nose of the skull in length nearly one-
X 2
-^C^^c^^<
308 DELPHI NID.E.
half the entire length, once and a half its width at the anterior
notch; teeth f-fi.
Balfena minor in inferiore maxilla tantiun dentata, sine pinna aut
spina iu dorso, SibhaJd, Phal. 9 ; Raii Syn. Pise. 15.
Cetus bipinuis, JBrisson, R. A. SGL
Catodon fistida in rostio, Artedi, Gen, 78 ; Syti. 108.
Physeter Catodon, Linn. S. N. 107 ; Gnielin, S. N. i. 226 ; Desm.
Mamni. 525, from Balsena minor, Sihhald, Phal. 9; Ttirton, B.
Fauna, 16 ; Jenytis, Man. 45.
? Cetus minor, Brisson, Rig. Anim. 361.
Beluga leucas. Gray, Spic. Zool. 2,1828; Bell, B. Quad.488, 491. fig.
Physeter macroceplialiis, var. ? Catodon, Fischer, Syn. 518.
Balfena albicans, Klein, Miss. Pise. ii. 12.
Belpbinus leucas, Pallas, Reise, iii. 92. t. 79 ; Gmelin, S. N. 1232 ;
Desm. 3Ia7n?n. 519; Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso- Asiat. t. 32, 5 ; 3£em. IVern.
Soc. iii. 17, cJ ; Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 287, 297. t. 22. f. 5, 6 ; Bell, Brit.
Quad. 491. fig. ; Schleyel, Abhandl. 34; Oivmi, Cat. Osteal. Mus. Coll.
Surg. ii. 454 ; Nilssoti, Skand. Fauna, 614.
Beluga Catodon, Gi-ay, Zool. Erebtis Sf Terror, 29. t. ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 77.
Catodon Sibbaldii, Fleming, B. A. 29, from Sihhald.
Small Catodon, Shaw, Zool. ii. 501.
Round-headed Cachalot, Penn.
Beluga borealis. Lesson.
Physeter macrocephalus /3, Gmelin, S. N.
Delphinapterus Beluga, Lacep. Cetac. 243 ; Scoreshy, Arct. Reg. i. 500,
ii. 1. 14.
Delphinapterus albicans, Fleininy, B. A. 36.
Catodon albicans, Lacep. Cetac. 218.
Cetus albicans, Brisso7i, Reg. Atiim. 359.
Albus Piscis cetaceus, Raii Syn. Pise. 11,
Beluga, Shaw, Zool. ii. 515. t. 223.
Delphinus albicans, O. Fahr. Faun. Grcenl. 50; Bonnat. Cetac. 24;
Jenyns, Man. 43.
Delphinapterus leucas, Gerard, Diet. Sci. Nat. vi. 65 ; Lilljeborg ;
Malmgren, Arch. Nat. 1864, 90 ; Schrenck, Amurlande, i. 190.
? Figure with a beak added : —
? Dauphin blanc du Canada, Duham. Peek. ii. x. t. 10.
Delphinus Canadensis, Desm. Mamni. 516, from Duhamel.
Inia ? Canadensis, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, t. 5. f. 1, from Duha-
niel's draiving.
OsTEOL. Cuv. Oss. Foss. V. 287. t. 22. f 5, 6 (head) ; Jacob, Dublin
Phil. Journ. 1825, t. 2. f. 4 (skull, small).
Inhab. N'orth Sea ; gregarious, entering large rivers. Greenland.
Scotland (Sibbald). St. Lawrence.
a. Skeleton. Length 15 feet. Greenland.
b. Skull. Greenland. Length, entii'e, 20 inches; of beak 9| ;
width at notch 6, at orbit 1^ inch.
c. Stuifed specimen. Greenland.
d. A male specimen, 12| feet long, 6 feet 8 inches in circumference
at the thickest part, called Keela luak by the Esquimaux.
e. SkuU. Eschscholtz Bay, Behring's Straits. Presented by Captain
KcUett, R.N., and Lieut. Wood, R.N.
12. BELrcA. 309
Length of skiill h, entire, 21 inches, of nose 10, of tooth-line
6| ; width at orbit 11|, at notch Gf inches.
Skeleton : length 13 feet ; head 2 feet 2 inches. Vertebrae 50 or
51, viz. cei-vical 7, dorsal 11, lumbar and caudal 32 or 31 ; ribs 10,
sternal ribs 6. The pectoral fins -with five fingers, the fourth longest,
then the third, then the second, then the first the shortest of all the
five ; the first of three, the second of three, the third of foiu', the fourth
of six, and the last of two, short, thick phalanges. Ribs affixed to
the sternum ; sternum elongate, three times as long as broad in
front, narrowed behind. The first four ribs attached at nearly equal
distances on the sides, the two hinder ones affixed close together on
the hinder outer edge of the contracted back margin.
M. Van Beneden observes that he has seen skuUs varying from
"T^ to jjp-|^, and all intermediate combinations ; ^ seem the most fre-
quent (Nouv. Mem. Acad. Brux. xxxii. 16).
" The A\Tiitefish consumes enormous quantities of Sepia hligo,
Gadus ceglejimis, and large j^rawns." — Eschricht, Ann. 6)- Mag. N. H.
1852, ix. 289, communicated by Captain Holboll.
Two males were cast ashore on the beach of the Pentland Frith,
some miles east of Thurso, in August 1793 {Colonel Murie). A
specimen was killed near Stirling in June 1815, and described by
Dr. Barclay and Mr. Xeil in Wern. Mem. iii. 371. t. 27.
It commoidy ascends the rivers in Canada ; and Captain Kellett
brought a skull from Behring's Straits. Schi'enck records it in his
Zoology of Amurland, 190.
Duhamcl (tab. 10. f. 4) figured the front half of a Dolphin, 12 feet
long, under the name of Daupliin hlanc du Canada, which Desmarest
has named DelpMnus Canadensis. M. de Blainville gave me a tracing
of the original drawing from which Duhamcl engraved his figure
(which is copied in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 5.
f. 1). The form of the beak and the absence of a distinct dorsal fin
induced me to believe that it might be a species of Inia ; but from
inquiries recently made in Canada, I have very little doubt that
Duhamel's animal was the Bclw/a which is common in that countrj-.
In the St. Lawrence they rarely exceed 15 feet long.
Professor Eschricht observes on this figure, " I shaU hardly be
considered too bold if I take the figure to represent simply a Wliite-
Jish whose short and blunt snout the inexperienced draughtsman had
mended a little." — Ann. Sf Mag. N. H. 1852, ix. 1G4.
Professor Eschricht saj's that Cuvier's Delphinus rostratus was
established on this figure of Duhamcl ; but M. Cuvicr, on the con-
trary, says that it was described from the specimen that was formerlj'
in the Lisbon Museum, and thence removed to Paris, which is Inia
Geoffroyii.—See Ann. ^- Mag, N. H. 1852, ix. 163.
2. Beluga Kingii. The Australian Beluga.
Nose of the skull short, not half the entire length, scarcelj* longer
than its width at the notch ; teeth M, small, hooked.
Delphinus (DelpLiuapterus) Kingii, Gnn/, Ann. Phil. 1827, 375:
Hscher, St/n. 514.
JJlU DELrniXID.'E.
Beluga Kingii, Gnni, List Mamm. B. M. 104; Zool. Erebus Sf Terror,
30. t. 7 (skiillj.
Inhab. Coast of New HoUand (Cajit. P. P. King).
a. SkuU : length, entire, 13|, of beak 5| inches ; width at notch, 4|,
at orbits 8 inches. New Holland. Presented by Capt. P. P. King,
R.N. Specimen described, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1827, and Zool.
Erebus and Terror, t. 7.
This may be the Jacobite, or Tursio corpore argenteo extremitatihus
nigricantibus, Commerson, MS. ; Delphinus Commersonii, Lacep. 317,
from Cape Horn, cited by Cuv. R. A. i. 291 and Oss. Foss. v. 289 ;
but the colour of the Australian Beluga has not been recorded.
A large Wliite Porpoise visits Amoy and other southerly harbours
rom the sea. I have in vain striven to procure specimens." — B.
Swinhoe, lleport Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1863.
^j^^,i/U*^Ay— CCt.''-*/^^-^^^ p3»^r<,<^'/»
\r,\ Head round, and convex in front. Dorsal fin none. Teeth early
\ -C-^ deciduous. Lower jaw of adult not so wide as the upper, toothless.
\t^^ Upper jaw in the male (and rarely in the female) with a produced
spiral tusk.
Cervical vertebrse : first free ; second and third united by spinous
process, not by the body, thin ; rest free, thin.
Monodon, Artedi, Gen. 78 ; Sipion. 108 ; Hill, Anim. 313. t. ; Limi. S. N.
ed. 6. 17 ; Schreb. ; Grai/, 'Zool E. 6f T.2Q; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 75 ;
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 246 (not Stvainsmi).
Tachynices, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40, 1828.
Narwal, ScJioiicv. Ichth. 28.
Narvalus, Lacep. Cet. 163; Dtuneril; Pajin. Anal. Nat. 61, 1815.
Ceratodon, Brisson, P. A. i. 231, 1762; /%er, Prod. 142, 1811;
Wuf/ler, N. S. Amph. 34, 1830.
Diodoii (or Diodonta), Storr, Prod. Mamm. 42, 1780.
Monoceros, Charlet. Exerc. Pise. 47.
Monoceros piscis, Willughb. Pise. 42. t. A. f. 2, App. p. 12.
Orvx, Oken, Lehrb. Naturg. 672, 1815.
Tachynicidffi, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40, 1828.
Right tusk generally not developed. Female generally without
tusk, but sometimes has one. — See Linn. Trans, xiii. 620.
In the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons there are several
Hunterian preparations of the skull of this animal, nos. 1147, 1148,
1149, 1150, 1151, showing the two rudimentary teeth enclosed in the
cavity in the female, and the single exserted one in the male skulls.
Mr. Knox observes, the female Narwal skulls have two rudimentarj^
teeth in the upper jaw, which are rarely protruded. In the foetus, on
each side of the upper jaw, in the usual place, are two hollow teeth,
obviously the extremities of the spiral permanent teeth of the male ;
they are completely imbedded in the jaw ; and if the animal is a
male the left tooth continues to grow, the right after a time fills up,
its central cavity containing the pulp disappears, and, after attaining
a growth of five or six inches, the jaw elongates to correspond with
13. MONODUN. 311
the gi'owth of the animal aud the other tooth, and the abortive tooth
remains imbedded in the jaw for life. — Trans. R. Soc. Edinb. ii. 413.
The spike of the female protruded, but shorter than usual in the
male. — See Linn. Trans, xiii. 620, and Brown, Proc. Phys. Soc.
Edinb. ii. 447.
Monodon monoceros. The Narwhal.
Black ; when old, whitish-marbled.
Mouodon monoceros, Linn. Faun. Suec. 2. 16; Syst. Nat. i. 105;
Schreb. Siiugeth. t. 330; Desm. Mamm. 523; Fischer, Syn. 516;
Scoresbi/, Arct. Req. i. 486, iii. t. 12. f. 1, 2 ; Fleming, Mem. Wern.
Soc. i. 146. fi^. ; Gray, Zool. E. <^ T. 29 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850,
75; P. Z. S. 1864, 247; Roitsseau, Mag. Zool. 1856,206; Mulmgren,
Arch. Nat. 1864, 91 ; Sow. Brit. Misc. t. ; Turton, B. Fauna, 15 ;
Fleming, B. A. 37 ; Jenyns, Man. 43; Bell, B. Quad. 500. fig., 505.
tig. ; Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, 619.
Sea Unicorn, Sou\ Brit. Misc. t. 9.
M. unicornii, Linn. 3Iw<. Adoljih. i. 52.
M. ^^arwhal, Bhnnenh. Ilundb. 137 ; Abbild. t. 44.
M. microcephalus, Desm. 3Iamm. 789 ; Fleming, Wern. Mem. i. t.
M. Andersoiiianus, Desm. Blamm. 789.
Narwalus Andersonianus, Lacep. Cet. 163; Desm. N. D. H. N. 217.
N. microcephalus, Lacep. Cet. 163. t. 5. f. 2.
N. vulgaris, Lacep. Cet. 142. t. 4. f. 3, from Klein.
Narwhal, Klein, Miss. Pise. ii. 18. t. 2. f. c, cop. Lacep. t. 4. f . 3 ;
Anderson, Iceland, 225. fig. ; Schlegel, Abhundl. 35 ; Cuvier, Oss.
Foss. V. 311. t. 22. f. 1.
Unicom Narwhal, Shaiv, Zool. ii. 473. t. 225.
Unicornu Marnmm, Wern. Mus. 282, 283.
Einhom, Martin, Spitzb. 94.
Tachvnices megacephalus, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40, 1828.
Nai-whale, Jacob, Dublin Phil. Journ. 1825, 70. t. 2. f. 2.
NarwaU's Teeth, Berthold; Miiller, Arch. f. Anat. v. 386. t. 10. f. 7, 8.
OsTEOL. Camper, Cet. t. 29, 31 (skull) ; Albers, Icon. t. 2, 3 ; Home,
Lectures Conip. Anat. i. 42. f. 1 ; Ctiv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 22. f. 7 ; Anton,
Osteol. ix. t. 6 ; Jacob, Dublin Phil. Journ. 1825, t. 2. f. 2.
Inhab. North Ocean, Scotland.
a. The tooth.
b. Skeleton. Greenland.
c. Skull, female, not in a good state.
The following are the measurements, 1st, of a skull in the Eoyal
College of Surgeons, and, 2nd, the female skull (c.) in the British
Museum, in inches and lines : — • , • ,
' in. I. in. I.
Skull : Length, entire 21 6 20 6
Lengtli of nose 9 9 9 3
AVidth of 01-bit 14 6 14 0
Width of notch 8 0 7 9
AVidth of intermaxillaries ..30 36
The skeleton in Mus. Hull. Cervical vertebrae : first and second
separate, large ; rest very thin, separate, nidimcntary. Skull : length,
entire, 19 inches, of beak 84 : breadth at notch 7 inches.
312 DELPHINIDiE.
The skeleton in the Museum of the Koyal College of Surgeons,
no, 2521, is thus remarked on by Professor Owen : — " Besides the
7 cervical, which are here anchylosed, there are 56 vertebraj, 12 of
which support moveable ribs, and 6 of these join the sternum. The
26th vertebra begins to have ha^mapophyses attached to its centrum."
— Cat. Osteal. Series, p. 436.
In the skull of the female, no. 2522, " the rudimentary tusks,
two in number, are exposed in their formative cavities, from which
they do not emerge in this sex." In the skull of a large male,
no. 2523, the left tusk is developed : the abortive right tusk is dis-
played in its alveolus. In no, 2525 it is the left tusk that is
abortive.
Professor G, Vrolik describes and figures the skull of a Narwhal
with two horns. — Bljdragen tot de Dierh. iii. 21. t.
Dr. Fleming gives a description of a male specimen found en-
tangled among the rocks at the entrance of the Sound of "VVeesdale,
in Zetland, on the 27th Sept. 1808. " It was 12 feet long. The head
is about one-seventh of the total length ; the forehead rose suddenly
and then proceeded nearly in a horizontal direction for a few inches,
when it became slightly elevated. The fore part of the head is
rounded, and when viewed from before resembled that of a bull. The
head was separated from the body by a slight depression. The body
was thickest a few inches beyond the pectoral fins. There is a
slight elevation on the back immediately above the genitalia, which
continued to within a few inches of the division of the tail. On the
belly is a ridge extending from the anus to the tail ; on both sides of
the body there were like ridges, similar to those on the back and
belly, which give the end of the body a quadrangular form. The
mouth pointed in front, the upper lip extending a little beyond the
under. The eyes behind the angle of the mouth, nearly under the
blowhole, pupil black, iris chestnut, sclerotic coat white. Pectoral
fins 30 inches from the snoiit, 15 inches long and 6 broad. There
was one tooth on the left side of the upper jaw, pointing a little
downwards; the tooth was 27 inches long, and base inserted in
socket 12 inches. The animal was dusky black, above variegated
with still darker not very apparent spots ; the belly white ; the sides
with numerous oblong horizontal spots. The skin smooth and glossy.
The blubber or sp/cA-'was about 1| inch thick. There was a mass
of fat like a cushion which rested on the forehead, as if calculated
to defend the animal from bruises on that part." — Mem. Wern.
Soc. 1811, i. 139.
Fii'st recorded as found in Britain by Vulpius (Obs. Med. 376.
t. 18), near the Island of May (insulam Mayam), in Juno 1648. One
was observed on the 15th of February 1800, near Boston, Lincoln-
shire (see Laccpede, Hist. Nat. Get. 159. t. 5. f. 2, and Mem. Wern.
Soc. i. 147; Fleming, B. A. 37).
Scoresby gives a very good account of this animal (Arct. Reg.
i. 131). The best figures are those of Scoresby, t. 15 ; then Sowcrby,
Brit. Misc. ; but this has a second horn erroneously added, which
was not in the original drawing. Bonnaterre's figure is far too ven-
GLOniOCEPnAtlD.E. 313
tricosc ; it has been copied by Lacep. t. 4. f. 3, Blumenbach, t. 44,
and others. Diihamel's Pech. iii. t. 26. f. 1, is, on the other hand,
too slender, and with too small a head.
1. Narwalus mkroceplialus, Lacep. t. 5. f. 2, from a drawing of
Mr. W. Brand, appears to be onlj^ a bad representation of this species.
2. Nanvalus Ancle rsonianus, Lacep. Cetac. 163, from Anderson,
Iceland, 225, described from the specimen drawn by Mr. Brand, is
figured by Lacdp. t. 4. f. 2.
Female bearing two foetuses. — Whatton, Linn. Trans, xv. 620.
FamiTy 7. GLOBIOCEPHALID^.
Head blunt, very much swollen. Nostrils united into a transverse
blower on the crown of the head. Body elongate ; back roimded.
Dorsal fin distinct. Pectoral fins falcate, elongate, low down, near
together on the chest ; fingers five, each formed of many phalanges.
Skull short. Nose scarcely so long as the brain-case, broad. In-
termaxillary bones very wide, covering the maxilla above ; side of
the maxilla expanded horizontally. Teeth conical, in the front of
the edge of the maxilla.
Delphiuidaj Globiocephaliua, Gray, P. Z. S. 1863, 201 ; 1804, 243.
Synopsis of the Geneba.
1. Globiocepiialus. r.alate flat.
2. SpiiiEHOCEPHALUS. Palate convex, sheh-ing up on the sides.
1. GLOBIOCEPHALUS.
Head round, forehead very prominent. Teeth conical, large, only
in the front half of the jaws ; early deciduous. Upper jaw largest?
Pectoral narrow, linear-ovate, low down. Dorsal falcate, about the
middle of the back.
Skull flattened, and concave in front of the blower ; rostrum broad,
flattened, rugose above ; intermaxillary bones very broad, covering
the greater part of the upper surface of the upper jaws ; the hinder
Aving of the jaw-bone horizontal and bent up at the edge over the
orbits, and slightly expanded and retiexed just in fi-ont of the notch.
Palate flat, rather concave in the middle.
Globiocephalus 5 1, Grm/, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 80; P. Z. S. 1801,
331 ; 1863, 201 ; 180i, 243.
Globiocephalus, Lesson ; Gray, Zool. Ereb. 8f Terr. 32, 1840.
Globiocephala, Lesson, N. Tab. R. A. 200, 1842.
Physoter, sp., Pisso.
Grampus (pars), Gra>/, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828.
Cetus, sp., If'ai/lcr, N. S. Amph. 33, 1830.
Delphinus, sp., Curler.
The skuU of the young has no bony tentorium, though in the old
specimens it is well marked. — Jucksoii, Bost. Journ. N. H. v. 167.
[*
314 GLOBIOCEPHALID.E.
The sucking young have no visible teeth ; the adults have teeth
in each jaw, but the aged individuals have generally lost them in
both. — Flem ing.
( (-\ • a. Body black, with a white line and rays beneath.
^ ij \ h. Body nearly uniform black.
, ,■]. \ a. Black, with a white streak beneath.
1. Globiocephalus Svineval. The Pilot Whale.
Black, streak from throat to vent (sometimes dilated into a cross
band) white ; teeth f | to f|, rarely |f . — Fleming. The upper sur-
face of the maxillaries and intermaxillaries rugose in front ; inter-
maxillaries form a triangular patch in front of the palate. Second
and third cervical vertebrae co-ossiiied.
Petit Cachalot, Dauh. Acad. Sci. 1782, t. 1, cop. Bonnat. Cetol. t.
Cachalot Svineval, Lacej}. Cet. 216, not si/n. Sibhald.
Narwal i^dente, Camper, Cetac. t. 33, 34.
Grampus globiceps, Gray, Spic. Zool. 2, 1828.
Ca'ing Whale, Neill, Orkney and Shetland, 1836, 221.
Delphinus melas, Ti-aill, Nichol. Journ. xxii. 1809, 21. t. ; Ou-en, Cat.
Osteol. Mm. Coll. Surg. 4-55 ; Fleming, B. Anim. 341 ; Jettgns, Man.
43 ; Schlegel, Dieren, 92. t. 16.
Delphinus cleductor, " Traill,'' Scoresbg, Arct. Reg. i. 496. t. 13. f. 1,
1820, cop. Jardine, Whales, t. 17 ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 483. fig.
Delphinus globiceps, Cuv. Ann. Mus. xix. t. 1. f. 2, $ , 1812 (cop.
Schreb. t. 345. f. 2, 3) ; Oss. Foss. v. 285. t. 21. f. 11, 13, 297. t. 22.
f. 3, 4, 305; Schreb. Sdugeth. t. 345; Blainrille, Journ. Phys. 1817,
74. t. 6 ; Desm. Mamm. 819 ; Fischer, Sgn. Manim. 612 ; Nilss&n,
Skand. Fauna, 608 ; Schlegel, Abhandl. 33.
Phocsena globiceps, Lesson, Man. 416.
Phocajna melas. Couch, Ann. 4- Mag. N. H. 1842, ix. 371. t. 6 ; Bell,
Brit. Quad. 483. fig.
Delphinus Grampus, Cat. Mus. Coll. Surg. n. 1137.
Globiocephalus Svineval, Gray, Zool. Ereb. 4" Terr. 32 ; Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 87.
Anat. Daubenton, Mem. Acad. Sci. 1782, t. 4, cop. Lacep. Cet. t. 9.
f. 2 ; Bonnat. Cet. t. 6. f. 2.
Black Whale, Howling Whale, Social Whale, Bottlehead, Sailors.
Inhab. North Sea.
a. Skull. Orkneys. Presented by Professor Traill.
h. Lower jaw, half-grown ?
c. Adult, stuffed. English Coast.
Dr. Fleming gives the following measurements : —
in. lin.
Length of animal, entire 19 6
Length to pectoral 3 6
Length to dorsal 2 3
Width of pectoral 1 6
Width of tan 5 0
Height of dorsal 1 3
Circumference 10 0
j V
1. GLOBIOCEPHAHJS. 315
The following are the measurements of three skulls, in inches and
lines ; 1. is in the British Museum, 2. Mus. Coll. Surg. n. 1137, and
3. n. 1138 of the same collection : —
1. 2. 3.
in. lin. in. lin. in. lin,
SkuU : Length of, entire 28 0 29 0 24 0
Length of nose 15 0 15 0 12 0
Length of teeth-series ..90 86 70
Length of lower jaw .... 19 0
Width at notch 11 6 110 9 0
Width at orbit 19 6 19 6 15 6
Width of intermaxillary 9 0 7 0
Width of middle of nose 9 6 6 6
Height at occiput 15 0
Female suckling, with the young 4 feet 6 inches long in December
( Watson), and 7 feet long in January.
Vertebrae 55 : 7 cervical, first free, second and third united by
body and partly by lateral process, rest free; 11 dorsal, and 37
posterior.
The vertebroe anchylose soon. Dorsal vertebrae 12. Ribs 12 . 12,
the first six only attached to the vertebrae. The other vertebrae 37,
of which seven are united ; the pelvis bones attached under the
seventh, eighth, and ninth caudal. The first bone of the sternum
pierced, and in the young deeply notched and with slightly marked
lateral angles. The bladebone less ciu'ved near the spine, its front
angle more acute, and its acromion shorter and more square than
that of D. Delphis. The pectoral is elongate, the articulations of
the fingers more numerous — the first of 4, the second, which is the
largest, of 12, the third of 9, the fourth of 2, and the fifth of a
single joint. They are all terminated by a cartilaginous tip. — Cuv.
Oss. Fuss. V. 306.
The pelvis bone elongate, subcylindrical, slender, slightly cm-ved,
very like that of the adult I). Orca ; in size and form but a little
stouter.
" ' The Ca'ing Whale.' Though it moves uniformly forward, its
motion is slow, and when it comes up to blow it remains several
minutes on the surface. It is easily controlled in its motions ; so that
a whole herd is frcqucntlj' driven ashore at once. If one individual
be wounded and take to the ground, the others will speedily take
the same course, whence the origin of the name. Externally it has
a single spiracle ; in aged animals some of the teeth are deficient, and
in the suckling none are visible. Sand-eels have been found in its
stomach."- — Floning, B. A. 34.
Very common at the Faroe Islands, and called GrindewaJ. Very
many are taken annually on their passage from the Polar Seas to the
Atlantic. — Esrhrich t.
The Rev. Dr. Barclay observes that the favourite food of the Del-
phinus melas seems to be cuttlefish, of which quantities are generally
found in the stomach. — Bell, Brit. Quad. 485.
" This species goes in herds ; different companies display consider-
316
OLOHrOCErnALIDJE.
able variety of appearance. The Leading "Whale is of a very dark
colour ; but a •whole herd is sometimes seen of a cream-colour, and
single specimens of a light tint are not unfrequent. These cannot be
the D. Beluga or White Whale, as the latter is without the dorsal
fin." — Couch, Corn. Fauna, 10.
Fiff. G2.
^.
Upper surface of the skull of Glohlocephalus Srineral. B. M.
1. OLOBIOOEPnALUS. 317
Van Bcnodcn (N. Mora. Acad. Brux. xxxii. 5) states that a female
was got at Huyst, in Belgium, Nov. 1859, 20 feet long, with foetus
5 feet long. lie states, the fcetus was coloured exactly like the
adult.
Eschricht observes that a fcetus only a foot long has the pectoral
fins of the shape so characteristic of the genus. The teeth were
present, but hud not cut the gums; they were \^, and they are
evidently permanent, and not replaced.
" Number of alveoli 10 . 10. The upper jaw is less obtusely
rounded than in the preceding specimen (no. 2519). The teeth are
relatively smaller and more pointed. The outer margin of the sub-
orbital arch is flatter, and joins the upper surface at a right angle,
being separated from it by a ridge ; in the preceding specimen the
outer margin of the orbit is convex, and passes by a gradual curve
into the upper siu'face, — the whole upper surface of the beak being
formed by the premaxillaries ; in the present specimen the maxil-
laries slope down more gradually, aud therefore appear in the upper
view of the skull." — Cat. Osteol. Series, p. 456. , ^ • j
Var. 1 ? Delphinus globiceps, Sisso, Europ. Mend. iii. t. 1. f. 1 ; ^^-'U^^
F. Cuv. 223. ''^
Black, with a grey band on each side from the throat to the vent ;
head large, round, swollen ; jaws equal ; teeth |-|, round, conical,
curved.
Inhab. Nice (Risso).
Is probably the same as D. Svineval, but M. F. Cuvier regards it
as distinct.
The genua Olohiceps has been recognized by M. Gervais in some
Delphinklce of 14 to 17 feet long, of which a shoal of about fifteen
ran on shore near Barcares, Pyrenees orientales, in February 1804.
Four of these reached M. Gervais, and he compared the skeleton of
one of them with different skeletons of G. melas in the Museum of
Paris. The only differences that can bo pointed out reside in the
cui'vaturc of the incisive bones and in the somewhat more obtuse ap-
pearance of the teeth ; but equivalent differences also occur between
the specimens of Ghhiceps from other seas, when carefully compared,
so as to a certain extent to justify the supposed species which have
been admitted in this genus by authors. The Meditei'ranean Globi-
ceps thus appears to constitute a new race, if not a new species,
like the Cetacea of this genus which live in the ocean, it has a head
much infiated and the muzzle short ; and its colour is black, except
beneath, where it presents a large median band, commencing in the
form of a heart near the throat, and extending to the anus. — Gervais,
Comptes Rendus, Nov. 28, 1864 ; Ann. 6f Mag. N. U. 1865, xv. 76.
2. Globiocephalus affinis. Smaller Pilot WJiale.
Teeth |4, small, conical, curved, verj' acute ; nose exactly h;ilf as
long as the liead, rather tapering, and rather concave on the sides ;
318 GLOBIOCEPHALID^.
intermaxillary nearly as wide as the jaw ; lower jaw obliquely trun-
cated in front ; palate fiat in front.
Delphinus Grampus, Cat. Mus. Coll. Surg. n. 1138; Hunterian Coll.
u. 686.
Delphinus melas, Owen, British Fossil Mammalia ; Cat. Osteal. Miis.
Coll. Surff. n. 2518.
Globiocephalus affinis, Gray, Zool. Ereb. ^- Terr. 32 ; Cat. Cetac. B. M.
1850, 89 ; P. Z. S. 1864," 242.
Inhab. North Sea, Mus. Coll. Surg. . ,.
Skull : Length, entire 24 0
Length of nose 12 3
Length of teeth-Une 7 0
Length of lower jaw 19 0
Width of nose at notch 9 0
Width of middle of nose 6 6
Width at orbits 15 6
This is probably a young specimen of Ghhiocephalus Svhuval.
The skull differs in being rather slenderer in front, and in the inter-
maxillary not being rugose in front. In the Catalogue of the Mus.
CoU. Surg. 165. n. 1138, it is called " the skull of a small Grampus,"
Hunterian, and n. 1136, " the skull of a large Grampus," Hunterian.
It appears to be the skull which Prof. Owen gives the measurements
of, under the name of D. melas, in his account of Phoccena crassidetis,
in the work on British Fossil Mammalia.
The skuU of the Black Grampus (Delphinus melas), which formed
part of the Hunterian Collection in the Museum of the College of
Surgeons (see Cat. p. 456, n. 2518), is thus described —
"Number of alveoli i|^= 46. The teeth are moderately small,
conical, subincurved, decreasing to the two extremes of the series.
The fourth to the tenth inclusive are subequal. The symphysis of the
lower jaw is subtriangular, and curves from below upwards at its
extremity."
' 1 i" '' t ^^ ^' Globiocephalus intermedius, Blacl-Jish.
^ "j4- Teeth |^, several being quite loose. Skin uniform dull slate-
1 ^ colour ; belly with an ill-defined, narrow, clouded white streak ex-
^ ' ' tending from beneath the jaw to about the anus, being much broader
and whiter in some parts than in others, and most so beneath
the jaw.
Delphinus intermedius, Harlan, Journ. Acad. Sci. Philacl. vi. 51. t. 1.
Delphinus llarlani, Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 656 ; Schins.
Globiocephalus melas, Dekay, Zool. New York, t.
Phocsena globiceps, Sampson, Silliman Amer. Journ. Sci. iii. 301. fig.
Delphinus globiceps, Jackson, Boston Journ. N. H. v. 160. t. 15. f. 1.
Globiocephalus Svineval, var. ?, Gray, Zool. Ereh. i^- Terr. 32.
Globiocephalus intermedius, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 88.
Blackfish, American Sailors, Neuivied, Voy. Amer. Nord, iii. 232.
Anat. Jackson, Boston Journ. N. H. v. 100. t. 15. f. 2 (stomach).
Inhab. Coast of North America.
1. GLOBIOCEPHALUS. 319
Weight estimated at 255 lbs. Length, from nose to end of tail,
86 inches, to pectoral fin 20, to dorsal. 30, to blow-hole 9|, to eye
9|, to penis 49, to anus 56 inches ; span of tail 21 ; pectoral fin 5|
across the base, 21 inches along the anterior edge, and 6 inches along
the posterior ; circumference in front of dorsal fin 46 ; blowhole
concave anteriorly and 1 1 inch across from tip to tip ; eyes iths of
an inch. Yertebrai 58 ; bodies of six of the cervical co-ossified ;
11 dorsal, and iiostcrior to them were 40. — Jackson, 1. c.
It has been thought that the European and American specimens
were the same ; but the anatomical descriptions show the following
difi'erences : —
1. American. Vertebrte 58 : cervical 7 (bodies of first six co-
ossified); dorsal 11 ; posterior 40. — Jaclson, I. c. 166.
2. European. Vertebrae 55 : cervical 7 (bodies of second and
third co-ossified); dorsal 11; posterior 37. — Cuv. Oss. Foss. v.
Above shining black, side of the abdomen and neck marked with
the continuation of the white colour of the abdomen and throat;
beneath varied with white. Tail compressed, terminating in a deep
constriction before the caudal fin. Coloui* imiform black above,
with a white patch beneath the throat, becoming a narrow longitu-
dinal stripe on the breast between the fins, and a broad longitudinal
band on the abdomen. Teeth about twenty in each jaw, small,
prismatic, slightly reflected, and projecting half an inch above the
gums. Head blunt, cyHndrical, and anteriorly subglobose. Body
sHghtly compressed. Tail strongly compressed, almost carinated,
and much constricted just before the caudal fins. Length 16|, girth
in largest part 10, length of pectorals 3 feet 11 inches, gape of
mouth 9. Pectoral fins one-fourth, dorsal fin one-thirteenth of the
total length.
" Inhab. New England. A female.
" Distinguished from B. Grampus, Hunter, and D. glohkeps,
Cuvier, by the caudal constriction, as weU as in its foi-m, propor-
tions, and markings.
" A specimen harpooned at Craigie's Bridge, 16th June, 1842, looked
quite thin. It was a uniform dark slate-colour, except the belly, .
where was an ill-defined, narrow, clouded, white streak, extending
from beneath the jaw to almost the anus, being much broader in
some parts than othei's, and most so beneath the jaw.
" Vertebra) 58 ; bodies of the six cer\'ical co-ossified. It was a
male, 7 feet long, and weighed about 255 lbs. Teeth ^. — See ana-
tomj'." — Jackson, Boston Journal Nat. Hist. 1845, v. 160. t. 15. f. 1.
The cranium agreed pretty well with Cuvicr's figure of that of
D. globiceps, but not so well as an old cranium in the same museum.
The upper surface of the maxillary bones in both specimens was
less broad and flatter than he represents them.
In the Paris Museum there is a skull of this genus from Guada-
loupe, named D. globiceps. The middle of the intermaxillaries is
as wide as the maxilla?. Skull : length, entire, 23| inches, of nose
114 ; width at notch 85, at middle of beak S\ inches.
320 GLOBIOCEPHALIDxE.
4. Globiocephalus Edwardsii.
" Head large and clumsy, rounded on the upper surface, and ter-
minating in front by a short, pointed snout. Teeth jl^. Eyes
situated a little above the angle of the mouth. Dorsal fin long,
pointed, slightly curved backwards, and situated nearly midway
between head and tail. Pectoral fins narrow, pointed; caudal fin
deeply and widely notched, opposite termination of vertebral column,
Coloiu" black ; sides, throat, and upper part of the body towards the
tail black ; belly and sides white. Length, entire, 12^ ; circumference
in front of dorsal 6| ; tail, wide, 2| feet.
^^. , ' Phocffina Edwardsii, A. Smith, African Zoology, 127.
"^-i " Inhab. Seas about the Cape of Good Hope."
,' ; Sir Andrew Smith observes, " For the description and a drawing
of this sj)ecies I am indebted to M. E. Yerreaux, who some time ago
had a good opportunity of examining a specimen which had been cast
ashore near Slangkop." Sir Andrew Smith has kindly given me this
drawing; it is very like Globiocephalus Svineval of the European
seas.
See also " PJioccena globiceps," A. Smith, African Zool. 126.
Inhab. South-east coast of Africa (A. Smith).
" I am unable to state the number of teeth, as the specimen I
possess is young." — A. Smith, I. e. 127.
.^_ _^. ,Jiatia ,K H-^^^l C^H^
= E^4'ur/iL^ Bfilphinus Victorini, 'drill (Svenska Vetensk. Hand. 18G0 ; Arch. Na-
t^.^j^'^'Ui^ tn^ \irff. xxvii. 1861, 114) ?
ScJiA-t'. A "iT Blow-%ole crescent-shaped. Black above, white below, both colours
' / ' ' being separated by an arched line running from the angle of the
'Ju'i.d^ . mouth to tlie pectoral fin, and thence a2)proaching the median line,
jJij^tA^^^ili SO that the lines of both sides are distant from each other only 1 to
'^a^f'- /^ 7(4 3 ^ ^^^^ ^^ theVegion of the navel; they are confluent at an acute
angle behind toe vent. The lower siu-face of the caudal fin white ;
a white stripe, SVeet long and 4 to 5 inches broad, commences a few
inches above the eVes. Length 19 feet (Swedish).
Inhab. Cape of (^od Hope. Discovered by Victorin
^ , y • ' f b. Black, or 07ily rathm- paler beneath.
!^)*^ ' 5. Globiocephalus macrorhynchus. The South-Sea Blachjish.
Uniform black. Nose of skull short and broad, rounded in front,
nearly as broad in the middle as at the preorbital notch. Teeth
subcylindrical, |-. Lower jaw rounded in front. Length 16, rarely
20 feet.
Globiocephalus macrorhynchus, Gray, Zool. Ereb. Sf Terrm; 33 ; Cat,
Cetac. B. M. 1850, 90.
Killer or BlacMsh, J. Bennett, MS. Mus. Coll. Surg.
Blackfish of South Sea Whalers (Phocffiua, sp,), Bennett, Whaling
Voyage, ii. 233. fig.
] . GLOWOCErUALUS. 321
Blacktisli (Phocrena nigra), Clarke in Nunn, Nurrut. of Wreck of
Faconrlte, 184, fig-. (1850, 8vo) Y
Bkckfish, Coliu'tt, Vol/. S. Pacific?
Inhab. South Seas.
a. Skull, imjjcrfect. Presented by Dr. MiUigan.
Skull, Mus. Coll. Surg. Presented by J. Bennett, Esij. Called a
" Killer or Blackfish" : —
iu. liu.
Length, entire 24 0
Length of nose 11 0
Length from tip of nose to back of palate. ... 14 (5
Length of teeth-line 5 (5
Length of lower jaw IG G
Breadth at preorbital notch 9 G
Breadth at middle of nose 9 0
Breadth at temple 17 0
Breadth of intermaxiUarj- G 0
Head thick, square, and short; the snout lilunt and but little
prominent. The angles of the hps are curved upwards, giving the
physiognomy an innocent smiling expression. Body clumsy, round
and broad, and the termination of the trunk in the tail-fin rather
abrupt. — Bennett, I. c. 233.
Colnett (Toy. S. Pacific) speaks of innumerable shoals of Blackfish
on the shores of California.
The contents of the stomach were chiefly cuttlefish.
The Blackfish roam about the ocean in very large troops (a soU-
tarj individual is occasionally seen), are active and watchful, but
betray Kttle concern at ships or boats. They appear to inhabit the
greater portion of the aqueous globe, uninfluenced by the remoteness
or \'icinity of land. We observed examples in many parallels of
latitude between the equator and 50° N. and 53° S., in the central
part of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as weU as off the coast of
California and in the Indian Archipelago.
Sperm-whalers often attack this species with their boats in order
to obtain a supply of oil for ship consumption ; some risk, however,
attends their capture, for when harpooned they will sometimes leap
into a boat. A Blackfish of average size wiU produce from 3(>to ,35.
gallons of oil, which in its most recent state has a dark colour and
an unpleasant odour. — Bennett, 235.
It is probable that ilr. Bennett in the above range confounded
together under the name of Bhiclcji^ih more than one species. There
can be no doubt of this being the case, as ilr. Flower has received
skulls of two genera, viz. J'seui/orca meridionalis and two species of
GlohiocephaluA, sent as the '• Bhu.-kfish " from a whaler in Australia.
I am not sure that the skull described is that of the animal called
the " lilackfi.sh ;' ' at least, if it is, there must be more than one
genus of whales so called.
There is a .^kuU of this species in the ^luseum of the lloval College
of Siu-geons, called the skull of the llound-headed Grampus {Del-
X
322 GLOBIOCEPIIALID^.
phinus globiceps), which was presented by Fred. D. Bennett, Esq.,
F.Z.S. It is thus described by Professor Owen : —
" Number of alveoli g^=30. The skull corresponds closely with
that of the Delphinm globiceps of Cuvier, figured in ' Ossemens Fos-
siles,' torn. v. part 1. t. 21. f. 11-13. It differs in the closer prox-
imity of the occipital condyles to each other below, and the end of
the flattened upper jaw is rather more obtusely rounded."
In the same collection there is a second skull of the Hound-headed
Grampus {^DelpMnus globiceps), wanting the lower jaw, presented by
Lieut. Colquhoun.
" The Blackfish of Desolation, near Kerguelen's Land, is about
11 feet long. Head longish, with a rounded nose ; both jaws with
numerous small teeth. Dorsal fin near the middle of the back, not
arched backwards. Body small, entirely black. 8pout not per-
ceptible. This whale is often thrown ashore in the bays of the
islands. " — Ntimi^s Narrative.
6. Globiocephalus Indicus.
Globiocephalus Indicus, Blyth, Journ. Amdic Sac. xix. 425 ; xxi. 3r)8
(1852) ; xxviii. 490.
Blackfish of the Bay of Bengal, Bli/th, Journ. Asiatic Soc. Beixjal,
xix. 426.
The "Blackfish" of the seamen of the Bay of Bengal. It is
found in the Bay of Bengal, occasionally ascending, in or about July,
the Gangetic rivers. There is the skeleton of an adult male and
a mounted skeleton of a female from a great shoal, " schule " or
" school," which found their way into the salt-water lake near, and
the skeleton of a newly-born female, procured in the Calcutta fish-
market in 1850, in the Museum at Calcutta. There is in the same
musevim a stuffed specimen of a young animal, 6| feet in length,
which Avas procured in the Hugli, near Serampore.
A shoal of several dozen was seen floundering about in the shallow
water and groaning painfully. The natives towed them ashore into
the river as they died, ha\-ing no notion of extracting oil from their car-
cases. The weather was terrifically hot. — Journ. Asiat. Soc. xix.42(j.
Mr. Blyth observes, " The species is well distinguished from Gl.
deductor of the Atlantic, of which we have a fine skull of an old
animal for comparison. The intermaxillaries of the Indian species
are shorter and one-fourth broader, and the teeth are considerably
stouter. Coloiu" of the animal uniform leaden black, slightly paler
underneath. Length of an adult male 14 feet 2 inches, flippers
2 feet 6 inches in greatest breadth. Length of the dorsal fin 2| feet,
and height 11 inches, breadth of the tail-flukes 3 feet, and from
vent to cleft of the tail 4 feet 10 inches. Adult female rather small.
The skeleton of the female set up in our museum has a series of 49
vertebrae: in addition to the united cervical, there are 11 dorsal or
costal, 12 lumbar without the tirticulated V-bones, 16 with the
latter, and 10 small caudal within the tail-flukes."
Perhaps a Neomeris.
2. SPH^EROCEPn.VLUS. 323
7. Globiocephalus Sieboldii. The Naiso-gota.
Delphiuus globiceps, Teinm. Fauna Japan. Mamni. t. 27 (young).
Globiocephalus Sieboldii, Grai/, Zool. Ereh. ^- Terror, 32 : Cat. Cetac.
B. M. 1850, 90.
Anat. Fatina Japan, t. 27 (skull, &c.).
Iiihab. Japan.
M. Siebold brought with him a figure of a very young specimen,
5 feet 6 inches long, of this species, made by M. Villeneuve, which
is copied in the ' Fauna Japonica,' and a complete skeleton.
M. Temminck regards it as undoubtedly the same as the European,
but yet allows that there are some differences between it and the
adult specimen observed on the European shores. The forehead is
less swollen, and the pectoral fins are rather larger than in G.
Svhieval of Europe. This species is called in Japan Naiso-gota.
The Japanese distinguish two other species: — 1. Sibo golo, which
is purple, ^\dth a white spot behind the dorsal fin, and the lower jaw
furnished ^vith many plaits. 2. Ohanan golo, black, with a larger
muzzle and more spacious mouth ; the dorsal one-third from head,
back-edge before the middle ; pectoral one-foiu'th from head ; pec-
toral one-sixth of the total length ; length of skull 15 inches ; beak
6-9 ; width at notch 4-9.
The Delphinus glohkeps (Grant, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1 833, 65), brought
by Capt. Delvitte from the North Pacific, which Schlegel thought
might be this species, is a species of Orea.
8. Globiocephalus Chinensis.
" Globiocephalus, n. s., the Chinese Globiocephalus,'' Blijth, Rep.
Astatic Hoc. 11.
Globiocephalus Rissii, Anon. Chinese Bepositori/, Jan. 1833, 411.
Colour black above, lighter on the belly. Length 9f feet. " Head
18 inches long, and average circumference 3 feet. The dorsal fin tri-
angular, and almost immoveable, 15 inches long ; pectoral 14 inches,
and all remarkable for their firmness and strength."
Inhab. China seas, near Lenchen. A male. (Jan. 1833.)
"This species does not spout a jet, though their breathing is dis-
tinctl}' heard at a short distance. They swim near the surface, and
wc had several opportunities of obser\-ing their habits duiing the
voyage. The sailors term them Coivjish."
Mr. Blyth says that details of the anatomy are given in the paper
in the 'Chinese Itepository' above quoted.
2. SPH^ROCEPHALUS.
Palate convex, shelving on the sides. The rostnim of the skuU
oblong, nearly of th(> same width for the greater part of the length,
and regularly rounded in front. Otherwise like Glohiocephalus.
Globiocephalus § Sphferocephalus, Grai/,Prac. Zool. <Sw. 1864, 244.
y2
324
GLOISIOCEPUALID.E.
Sphffirocephalus incrassatus. Thkl--palat('d Pilot Whale.
Teeth -Q" or --^- ; the nose of the skull attenuated, the sides nearly
parallel, and regularly rounded in front : the palate very convex,
especially in front ; the upper surface of the intermaxillaries rugose
in front.
Fig'. 03.
Upper sui'face of the skull of Sp/iaroccpJiiihis rticrasfiatiis. B. M.
^pnjERocEPnAi.rs
325
(Tl.il)ioc<>plialii3 iiicva^^satns, Gnni, Pmr. Z(,,>/. Sor. 1801,309; 18G4,
24;i; Arch. Xatun/. 18(52, ir,4".
Inhab. ]}ntisli Seas, Bridport {Rev. J. Beecham, 1853).
n. Skull : Bridport. Presented by Rev. J. Beecham, 1853.
Fi-. 04.
(I. Side view ofsliull ol' t>pli(erovcph<ditx incrnssnliis. B. M.
h. Diairrain of the cvo.^s-.'*pf-tion of the palate of 'S'. incnissatus.
326 zipnnD^.
inches.
Length of the skull 28
Length of the uose 14
Length of the teeth 8? imperfect, -worn at the end.
Width of uose at the bridge . . 10
"Width of nose at the notch . . y|
Width of skull at orbits 17
The back of the skuU is higher and much narrower than that
of G. Svineval.
This species does not appear to have been observed before as
British, and I do not find any indication of its ha\'ing been described
as an exotic species. But it is so distinct both in the form of the
nose of the skull, in the width of the intermaxillary bones, and more
especially in the thickness and convexity of the palate of the front
part of the skull, from the species which have hitherto been described,
and the differences are so visible, that Mr. Edward Gerrard selected
it as a distinct species as soon as he saw it.
It has been suggested that this may perhaps be the other sex of
the common Pilot '^"h.ixle {Ghhioeephalus Svineval); but I can scarcely
think this probable, as I have seen many skulls of the latter, and
they have been all nearly similar and very unlike the one under con-
sideration ; and I can scarcely believe that all I have seen could
have been of the same sex ; for it is a whale that comes on the coast
in great shoals, and hence one of its names is the " Social Whale,"
and specimens of both sexes have been recorded as caught on the
British coast. At the present moment there is an inclination to
regard some of the whales which have been considered species as
mere sexes of the same species, simply because the specimen described
in one case happens to be a male and in the other a female. Thus
Delphinus micropterns is said to be the female of Zipli'nis Soiverhiensis
for the above reason ; but I have not heard that any new specimen
has been discovered, or any fact ehcited, to prove the truth of this
suggestion, and it may be only an instance of accidental coinci-
dence— a case the opinion formed may be disproved by the next
fliseovcrv of cither animal.
Family 8. ZIPHIID^.
Head beaked. Blower linear, transverse, arched in the middle
and bent back at the ends. The upper jaw toothless ; the lower jaw
with a few teeth on the sides or in the front, which are sometimes
not exposed or soon deciduous. Body elongate. Dorsal fin falcate.
The pectoral fins small, low down, and rather close together in the
middle of the chest : fingers 5, of four or five phalanges.
Delphinidse, Ilj-perodontiua, et Ziphiina, Gray, Zool. Ereh. Hf Terror,
24 ; Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 59, 61 ; Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, 201.
Diodonea (pars), Rajin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
Heterodontes, Dtivei-noy, Ann. Set. Nat. 1851, 23.
Rhvncliocete, Hschrkht, Nord. Wallth. 21.
ZIFHUDX. 327
I should have preferred Hjiperoodontido' for tlie name of this familj-,
as Hijperoodon is the oldest genus ; but it conveys a false impression,
caused by a slijJ of the pen in describing the teeth in the manuscript
(or an error of the press in the work) of Otho Fabricius,
Synopsis of the G-es^era.
A. Teeth2 or 4, in front end of the lower Jaiv, conical. Beak of skull with a
high crest on each side, formed by the elevation of the maxillary hones.
Hj^eroodontina.
1. Hyperoodon. Beak of the skrdl steaigikt ; crest of the beak sharp- 1^^-j^^ '^'^
edged above, as high as the occiput. '
2. Lagenocetus. Beak of the skull aseeBding; crest of the beak flat-
topped, higher than the occipital. >/ni,i(t^
B. Teeth 2 or 4, m f-ont end of the loicerjair, coincal or cylindrical. Beak
of skull simple ; interntaxUlaries enlaryed behind, fonniny a more w
less dee2) cavity round the blowers. Epiodoutina.
8. Epiodon. Vomer simple, smallau; intermaxillaries elevated, and
forming a moderately deep, well-marked basin round the blowers.
4. Petbohhynchts. Vomer swollen, foiTaing a lai'ge, elongated tubercle
between the callous intemiaxillaries ; intemiaxillaries forming a deep
basin romid the blowers.
C. Teeth in the side of the lower jaw, compressed. Beak of skull simple;
interma.ullaries linear, rather swolkn on side of blowers. Ziphiina.
5. BEHAHDirs. Teeth in the front of the side of the lower jaw; lower
jaw simple, tapering.
6. ZiPHius. Teeth in the middle of the side of the lower jaw; lower
jaw simple, tapering.
7. DioPLODOX. Teeth in the middle of the side of the lower jaw. Lower
jaw broad behind, suddenly contracted in front.
A. Teeth 2 or 4, in the front end of the lower Jaic, or often hidden in the
gums. Beak of skull with a high crest on each side above, formed by
the elevation of the ma.rilhiry hones. Eyes close to the gape. Cerviad
vertebra all anchylo.<ed. Hyperoodontina.
Hj'perodontina, frray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863.
Ilvperodontina(pars), Gray, Zool. Ereh. ^- 7V>T. 24 ; Cat. Cetac. B.yi.
'iP.'iO, ; Froc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 2-39.
Diodonea (pars), Rajin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
IvCs Ileterodontes, Duvernoy, Ann. Sci. Xat. 1851, xv. 23; Arch.
Naturg. 1852, 21.
328
1. HYPEROODON.
Forehead convex. Blower transverse, slightly convex forward in
the middle, and bent back a little at the ends. Gape short, only as
long as the short beak. The eyes near and the ears far behind the
gape. The crests of the maxillary bones thin and wide apart above.
The beak of the skull descending forwards. The hinder edge of
the skull as high as the crests. Lower jaw rather ciu-ved. Blade-
bone triangular, angles very acute ; the acromion very broad at the
end, directed downwards, and the coracoid upwards, the upper edge
with a prominence (see Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 318. t. 24. f. 23). The
bones of the arm short ; fingers short (Cuv. 318). Cei'vical vertebrae
united, all anchylosed together. — 3Ius. Hull; Graves, Edinh. Phil.
Journ. 1830, 59.
1. Hyperodon, Bafn. Anal Nat. 60, 1815 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 239.
Hyperoodon, Lacep. ; Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 327. t. 24 ; Gray, Cat. Cdac.
P. M. 1850, 61 ; Duvernoi/, Ann. Sci. Nat. xv. 44, 1851 ; Rousseau,
Mag. Zool. 1858, 205.
Chenodelphinus, EsehricM, Isis, 1844, 805.
2. Uranodon, Pliger, Prodr. 143, 1811.
Nodus (sp.) edeutulus, Wagler, N. S. Amph. 34.
Orca, Wagler, N. 8. Amph. 34.
Anarnacus, Lacep. ; Dumeril, Z. A. ; Pafiv. Anal. Nat. 61, 1815 ; Gray,
Zool. Ereb. 8f Terror.
Ancylodon, Illic/er, Prodr. 142, 1811 ; 0];en, Lehrh. Nalury. 673, 1815.
3. Hypodon, Ilaldeman.
Chenocetus, E-ehrieht, Danish Trans.
Cetodiodon, Jacob, Dublin Phil. Journ.
Diodon, Lesscni, (Enrr. Buffon, i. 124.
Monodon spurius, O. Fain:
Heterodon, sp., Desmarest, Mamm.
Delphiuus, sj)., Desmarest, Mamm,
4. PDiodypus, Rafin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815 (no type or char.).
In the British Museum there is the mass of the cervical vertebrae
of a young Hyperoodon Butzlcopf. It is unfortunatelj- not in a good
condition, the edges being Avorn, and the ujiper lateral processes of
the hinder cervical vertebrae being broken off. It agrees in general
shape with the cervical vertebrae of Lagenocetus ; but the upper cones
formed of the united neural arches are not so high, nor keeled in
front ; the principal difference is in the seventh cervical vertebra
and its lateral processes and neural arch being as completely united
to the other vertebrae as any of the rest, they all seven forming a
single bony mass.
The canal of the spinal marrow is very large, but otherwise like
that of Laejenocctus ; but the hinder part of the canal is higher, being
as high as wide above, and its width is rather greater thanjialf the
width of the body of the seventh cervical vertebra.
According to Voigt and Thompson the ends of the blowers point
forward ; Dale, Baussard, Doumet, Bell, and Jenyns describe them
as pointing backwards; Desmarest and others assumed the latter as
1. nvPERoonoN. ;^:29
a generic character ; Wcsmael describes the apcrtiirc as transverse,
linear, slio-htly convex forward in the middle, and slightly bent back
at the ends ; and this exjilains, I suspect, the diiferent account that
authors have given of this part, some looldng at the middle, and
others at the ends only.
Professor Owen, in the ' Catalogue of the Osteological Series in
the Iloyal College of Surgeons,' no. 2479, p. 448, has some notes on
" the skeleton of the Bident Dolphin, or Bottlenose Whale {Hypero-
oilon hidins)," which was taken in the Thames, near London Bridge,
in the year 1783, and is described and figured by John Hunter in
the ' Philosophical Transactions' for the year 1787, pi. 19.
There is in the same collection the front portion of the lower jaw
of an immature animal, no. 2480, with the teeth, and showing the
sockets of other teeth.
The lateral border of each maxillary bone is developed into a
broad and lofty vertical crest, and the hinder border of the same bone
to the occipital region is developed into an occipital crest (/. c. 448).
Mr. Pearson of the Hull Philosophical Society, Mr. Ball of Dublin,
and Mr. W. Thompson of Belfast have sent mo various detailed
dramngs of the head of the Hyperoodons talcen off the British and
Irish coasts, in their possession ; they, the skeleton at Liverpool, and
the French skeleton which has latelj' been added to the Anatomical
]\Iuscum of Paris, appear all to belong to one species, and to be the
Slime as Hunter's specimens in the Royal College of Surgeons, and
the skull figured by Camper and Cuvier.
Laccpede called the genus Ht/peroodon, and Illiger Uranodon,
because of the teeth on the palate described by Baussard. They
have not been observed in other specimens ; and Illiger, in his
generic character, by mistake, says the two teeth are in the upper
jaw (Gen. 143). Professor Eschricht proposed the name of Cheno-
cdus, instead of Ilnperoodon, which is founded on an erroneous
description. The name Goose WJiaJe, or its translation, is applied to
this animal by the inhabitants of most part of the seas where it
inhabits, and it was earlj- described as the Goose-heaked Whale by
Pontoppidan (Nat. Hist. Norway, chap. v. 123, 124, fig.). Dr. Jacob
calls it Cctodiodon.
Professor Eschricht, in the ' Danish Transactions,' has given an
account of the histoiy of the genus, and of its anatomy, including
some admirable details of its brain. He also shows that there are
numerous small teeth in the jaws (see figiu'es at pj). 331-335), besides
tlie two large teeth in front. — Danish Acad . Trans, ii. 327,331,332,
3.34, 335 ; Ann. ^- Mag. JV. II. 1852, ix. 283.
0. Fabricius described a whale, under the name of Monndon spu-
rius, called by the Greenlanders Anarnah, as haAnng two small,
conical, slightly curved, blunt teeth prominent in front of the upper
jaw ; the lower jaw toothless. M. Cuvier (Oss. Foss.) regards it as
a Ihiperoodon, and he only believed in the existence of one species
of the genus, il. F. Cuvier. who misunderstood the descrijition of
Chemnitz with respect to the teeth of Bahina ro.Hrata, is inclined to
unite it to that species, with which it agrees in being all black, but
330 ziniiiD-E.
observes they differ greatly in size (Cetac. 226). It cannot be the
yonng Narwhcal, for the back is tinned.
Professor Eschricht regards the Anarnak or Monodon spurius,
0. Fab., on which Laccpede formed the genus Anamacus (Cetac.
164), as the common Hi/peroodon, in which Fabricius mistook the
lower for the upper jaw. The fat of Hyperoodon is purgative, which
Fabricius describes to be a peculiarity of the Amtrnac.
Lacepede (Cetac. 164) described it as a genus under the name of
Ancn-nacus, and Illiger (Prodr. 142) under that of Ancylodon; and
in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' on the strength of Fa-
bricius's usual accuracy, I adopted the views of this natui-aUst ; but
Professor Eschricht's observations have induced me to believe that
Cuvier and other naturalists were right in considering it a synonym
of Hyperoodon.
The error of Fabricius is very pardonable, as Desmarest and Lesson
have mistaken the upper for the lower jaw in Chemnitz's description
(Desm. Mamm. 520 ; Lesson, Mamm. 427 ; Cetac. 120) ; and M. F.
Cuvier has not well understood it, as pointed out by M. Wesmael (l. c.) ;
and Illiger makes the same mistake with regard to his species.
Physeter hidens (Sowerby) has been referred to this genus ; but the
form of the head and position of the fins, the teeth, and the form of
the skull show it to be a Ziphius.
Hyperoodon Butzkopf. The BottMiead.
Black, beneath lead -coloured.
1. Bottlebead, or Floimder's Head, Dcdc, Hist. Hanvich, 411. t. 149
(male 18, female 13 feet long), cop., 1730.
Beaked Whale, Pmn. Brit. Zool. t., 1769.
Delphinus Butzkopf, Bonnat. 25 ; Desm. N. Diet. ix. 176, 1789.
2. Hyperoodon Butzkopf, Lacep. Cetac. 319, from Baussard, Jmirn. Phys.
xxxiv. 201. t. ; copied, F. Cuv. Cetac. 241. 1. 17. f. 1, 1. 11. f. 1 ; cop..
Gray, Zool. Erehus Sf Terror, 20. t. 3. f. 1, 2 (animal), f. 4, 5 (skuU) ;
Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 61 ; P. Z. S. 1860, 424.
Delphinus ? edentulus, ScJireh. Sdugeth. t. 347, 1802.
Nodus edentulus, Wayler, N. S. Amph. 34,
Delphinus bidens, Turton, B. Fauna, 17.
D. Hyperoodon, Desm. Mamm.h'i\ ; Thompson ; Fischer, Syn. 515, 1822.
Heterodon Hyperoodon, Lesson, 3Ian. 419, 1827.
Hyperoodon IBaussardi, F. Cianer; Ihivernoy, Ann. Sei. Nat. xv. 1851.
D.' Ilonfloriensis, Desm.
?3. Monodon spurius (Anamak), O. Fabr. Faun. Grcetd. 31 ; Bonnat.
Cetol. 11 ; hence
Delphinus anamacus, Desm. Mamm. 520.
D. ? spurius, Fischer, Syn. 515.
Anarnakus Grcenlandicus, Lacep. Cet. 164.
Ancylodon spurius, IlUger, Prodr. 142.
Heterodon anarnacum, Lesson, Man. 418.
4. Hyperoodon, Lonychamps, Mem. Soc. Linn. Norm. vii. 19. t. 1.
5. Balsena rostrata, Chemnitz, Berlin Besch. iv. 183, 1778 ; hence
Delphinus Chemnitzianus, Blainv. in Desm. N. Diet. ix. 175, 1822.
Heterodon Chemnitzianuni, Lesson, Man. 418, 1827.
1. nYPKROODOX. 'Ml
G. Bottlenose Whale of Bale, Hunter, Phil. Tniiis. 1787, Ixxvii. t. 19:
cop. lionnui. Cetac. t. 11. f. .'3, and Bell, Brit. QiiuiJ. 292. f.
Delpuiniis Ilunteri, Desni. Mamm. 520, 1822, irom Hunter.
D. diodou, Lacep. Catac. 309. t. 13. f. 3; Gerard, Did. S. Xat. vi. 78.
D. bidentatus, Bonnat, Cetac. 1. 11. f. 3, 1789; Desin. K. Diet. ix. 175,
from Hunter.
Hyperoodon bidens, Flem. B. A. 36 ; Jenyns, Man. 44.
7. B. a imiseau pointu. Camper, Cetac. 78. 1. 13-16.
Hyperoodon, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 321. t. 24. f. 19, 21, copied from
Camper, t. 13.
Hyperoodon, " VoigVs Mem. t.," 1801 ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 245 (skull, Kiel
^Bot. Gard.).
8. Cetodiodon Hunteri, Jacob, Dublin Phil. Journ. 1825, t.
HjlJeroodon Himteri, Gray, Ann. df Mar/. N. H.
9. Hyperoodon Honfloriensis, Thompson, Ma;/. N. Hist. 1838, ii. 221.
H'. bidens, Thompson, Ann. 8j- May. K. Hist. 1854, xiv. 347.
10. H^-peroodon Butskopf, Jacob, Proc. Dublin Assoc. 1, 4 (Belfast, 20^ ft.).
11. Uperodon Butskof, Gerrais, Zool. 4'- Pal. Fran^. t. 38 (skull, good).
12. H. Butzkopf, IF. Thompson, Ann. Sf Mag. N. Hist. 1840, xvii. 150. t. 4.
f 1 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 62 ; P. Z. S. 1862 ; Bell, Brit.
Quad. 492, 493, fig.
Chenocetus rostratus, Malmgren, Arch. Nat. 1864, 92.
13. H'S'peroodon rostratum, Wesmael, N.Mem. Acad. Roy. Bru.v. 1840, xii.
"t. 1, 2 (good) ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 1850, 64.
Nebhvalen, Eschricht, K. Dansk. Vid. Selsk. xi. 327, 328, fig.
Delphinus Hj'peroodon, Schk-yel, De Dieren, 94 ; Abhandl. 28. /)l^,y--x -'^ *^C, /A
Hyperoodon borealis, Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, 622, '*■ f ^<-4 • '^
Hyperoodon rostratus, ij7//('io/-y. S^'' /jt *^ ll
Inhab. North Sea, ascending rivers: Thames {Hunter); Hnmber ^^^ l^
{Tlwmpmn). Harwich {Bale). *^^^ ^
a. Teeth. Liverpool. ?^ / "• g^^-
h, c. SkuUs. Whitstable. ->^^^ c<m^*^
The animal is one of the most generally caught whales on our
coast. The following habitats have been verified fi-om the exami-
nation of specimens : — Harwich {Dale). Thames, above London
Bridge, 17S3 {Hunter); skeleton, Mus. Coll. Surgeons. "Whitstable
( Beard su'orth) ; skull and bones in British Museum. The Hnmber,
near Hull, ISJiT ( Thompson) ; skeleton in Mus. HuU Phil. Soc.
Mouth of the Dee ; skeleton, Mus. lloyal Institution, Liverpool.
Dublin (Jacoh) ; skeleton, Mus. Coll. Surgeons : skull, Royal Dubhn
Society and Museum School of Anatomy. Belfast Lough, 29th Oct.
1845 ; skeleton in Belfast Museum of mede "20 feet long {Ann. cj-
Maef. N. H. 1846, xvii. 150), -with four teeth in lower jaw. Firth
of Forth, 29th Oct. 1839 ; .skeleton in Edinb. University Museum :
female 28| feet long, in company with young suckling female 9 feet
long.
In Fischer's ' Synopsis Manunalium," p. 514, this species occurs
under three names — -D. Dalei, I). Hyperoodon, and Z>.? spurins.
In the pi-evious edition of this Catalogue I regarded the Bottle-
head or Flounder's-head of Dale (the Hyperoodon Butzkopf of Lace-
pede) as distinct from the Bottlenose Whale of Hunter, the Balana
;132 ZIPIIIID.E.
rastrata of Chemnitz, and the Hyperoodon rostratum of Wesmael,
because in tlie former, according to the figure, the dorsal fin is more
in the middle of the back than in the latter ; but I now feel convinced
that this must have originated from an error of the artist. At the
same time there are such differences in the descriptions of the animal
given by various authors, that I think it not unlikely that there may
1)0 more than one species, but I have not been able to find any spe-
cimen to establish the fact.
Mr. W. Thompson has given, in the Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1846,
xvii. 150. t. 4. f. 1, the following description of a recently caught
specimen (he calls it H. Butzkopf): — ■
"Blackish lead hue, merely a lighter shade beneath, and not
white. Teeth, two on each side, in front loosely covered by the '
gums ; the front pair smaller ; blowers slightly crescentic, pointed
directly towards the head, and the eyes on the same vertical plane ;
eyes round ; a male : " and the following measurements —
ft. in.
Length, entire, straight 20 4
Length, entire, over curve 23 4
Length of nose 0 11
Length of gape 1 7
Length to eye 3 1
Length to pectoral fins 5 11
Length of pectoral fins 2 2
Length to dorsal fin 10 9
Length of dorsal at base 1 7
Girth, greatest 11 6
Width of pectorals 0 7
Width of caudal 5 6
Length of dorsal 1 0
The entire skeleton is preserved in the Belfast Museum.
The skeleton in Mus. Roy. Institution, Liverpool, has the skull
GO inches long, 18 inches from top of crest to palate ; the inter-
maxiUarics are convex, and distinctly to be seen to the front of the
blowers ; orbital crest erect, scarcely as high as the process at the
back of the blowers ; the nuchal vertebrae anchylosed, the first three
into one mass, with a long conical lateral process ; the dorsal process
of the two hinder separate.
Heterodon Dcdei (Lesson) is not from Dale's description of this
whale, but from Blaiuville's account of Delphi norhynchus muropterus.
Lacepede placed this species as the type of his Hyperoodon, and
refers DelpMnus hidentatus to DclpMmis I
Dr. Jacob, in his description of Cetodiodon Ennteri (Dublin Phil.
Journ. 1825), which was stranded at Killiney, near Dublin, Sept.
1824, observes that there are no teeth in the palate. He believes
that the three skulls in DnbHn, viz. of the skeleton in Mus. C'oU.
Surg. Dublin, a skuU in Mus. Royal Dublin Society, and a skull in
the Museum of the School of Anatomy, Peter's Street, Dublin, belong
to one species, similar to that figiu-ed by Cuvier (Oss. Poss.): they
I
1. nYi'EuooDON. 333
all have two teeth in tlic lower j.iw, liiddeii in the guras. In the
' Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 3. tigs, -i it 5, is a represen-
tation of one of the skulls of this species in the Dublin Museum,
from a drawing Idndly communicated by R. Ball, Esq.
By the kindness of ilr. S. Stutchbury I was enabled, in the
'Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 3. f. 1 (animal), f. 2 (tail),
f. 3 (blowers), to give a new figure of this sj^ecies, from a drawing-
made by ilr. W. H. Bailj- of a specimen taken at Aust Passage,
Oct. 1840. The measurements, on the drawing taken at the time,
are as follows : — i?. •
ft. m.
Length, entire, along the back 22 2
Length, entire, in straight line 21 0
Girth on widest part 12 6
Girth of part posterior to vertical fins 11 2
Girth 0%-er the eyes to centre of blowhole .... 8 'J
Girth at highest part of head (> (i
Girth at base of tail 2 11
Length of upper part of upper jaw 1 1
Length of lower jaw 1 8
Length of upper part of lower jaw 1 9
Length of lower jaw to eye 3 3
Length from tip of lower jaw to anterior part
of flipper 5 3
Length of flipper 2 3
Wid'th of flipper 0 8
Length from anterior part of flipper to vent . . 8 0
Length from end of tail to anterior part of
dorsal fin 9 8
Length from end of tail to posterior part of
dorsal fin 7 0
Breadth of dorsal fin 1 G
Length of dorsal fin 1 2
Breadth of tail 6 4
Depth of tail 1 8
Length of orifice of vent 1 8
The skeleton of this specimen is preserved in the Bristol Institution.
One stranded upon East Hoyle Bank, 1850; cut up at Hohdakc.
The blubber yielded 140 gallons of oil. Stomach contained a great
number of the hornj" beaks of some species of cuttle. In this in-
stance the beaks were inserted one within another, so as to ride
regularlj- imbricated in rows of ten, fifteen, or twenty together.
Another captured at the Little iloel, 1852. August 25, 1853, a
male was stranded upon East Hoyle Bank : length 21 feet ; from
angle of the mouth to the tip of the siiout 20 inches, from tip of
snout to the eye 42 inches, e)-e to spiracle 27 inches (I!). The pec-
toral fins were 21 inches long and 9 inches broad. Tail or propeller
(it) inches broad and 24 inches long. The dorsal fin about 10 or 1 1 feet
from tlie tail. The vent to the tail 7 feet G inches. Orifice of urethra
to anal opening 22 inches, l^ngtli of tlie snout 15 inches. The
334 ziPHiiDJi.
stomacli contained many hundred cuttle-beaks placed one within the
other, as in the other specimen. Another specimen, probably his
female mate, was seen swimming about the same locality for three
weeks, but floundered off. — Byerley.
Mr. Thomas Thompson (Mag. Nat. Hist. 1838, ii. 221) describes,
under the name oi Hiq^eroodon honfloriensis, a specimen stranded near
Hull in 1837 ; it has two strong, robust teeth at the extremity of
the lower jaw, cohered and entii'cly concealed by the gums. The
skull corresponds in its general form with the fig-ures in Cuvier ;
but the rise of the back part of the head is larger in projDortion to
the anterior rise than in that figure. The skull measures from the
snout to the base of the front rise 9 inches ; thence across the rise
to the base of the second rise 1 foot ; thence across the hinder rise
to the neck 1 foot 11 inches. The length of the skeleton is 17 feet
6 inches ; vertebrae 39, viz. 7 cervical, 9 dorsal (with ribs), 20 lumbar,
and 3 caudal. The skeleton is in the Museum of the HuH Philo-
sophical Society. It agrees in all particulars with Hunter's speci-
men in the Royal College of Surgeons. Mr. Thompson considers
Hunter's and Baussard's cetaceans identical, and Dale's the male of
the same species.
Mr. Crotch has fm'nished me with the following measurements of
^e female specimen taken at Weston-super-Mare, which was exhi-
bited at Bristol : — n, -
It. m.
Total length 26 0
From posterior origin of dorsal fin to insertion
of tail 6 0
Dorsal in width at base 1 11
Dorsal in height 1 5
Tail in diameter 7 0
Tail in depth 2 0
Cloaca to insertion of tail 5 3
Length of cloacal fold 2 0
From antei-ior of cloaca to pectoral 8 6
Length of pectoral 2 0
Height of pectoral 0 9
Height of body at anterior end of dorsal .... 4 0
Height of body at origin of tail 1 4
From gape to muzzle 2 0
Veiiical height of forehead from gape 1 8
Vertical height from insertion of upper jaw . . 0 10
From eye to gape 2 0
From eye to spiracle 2 0
Girth at the dorsal 11 0
From middle of cloaca to middle of navel .... 5 0
From pectoral to pectoral beneath 1 8
M. "Wesmael examined the palate of {]xe female Hyperodon stranded
at Borgsluis near Ziercczee, in Holland, and found the surface of it
quite smooth and without any appearance of the smaU, hard, acute
points mentioned by Baussard. The upper jaw was without any
1. IIYPEROODON. 335
teeth. The lower jaw, on the elevation of the gum, showed two
conical teeth, hidden in the gum, free from all attachment. These
teeth were hollow from the base to the summit and slightly curved
at the end, and the surface was traversed by three irregularly
festooned zones and a fourth zone near the tip. The blower was
crescent-shaped, concave in front, convex behind, with the tip slightly
recurved. The body was entirely shining black, like varnished
leather. Yertebraj 46 : cervical 7, soldered together ; 9 dorsal, the
first soldered by its bod}- to the cervical; 11 lumbar; 19 caudal.
The upper spinose apophysis is partly wanting on the eleventh caudal
vertebra, and the transverse apophysis is partly wanting on the
eighth. There are 8 chevron bones ; the two branches of the first are
not united. The tail is crescent-shaped, without any notch in the
centre.
Length, entire 6*70 metres.
Length to blowers 1-24 metre.
Length to eye .*. . 1-06 ,,
Length to point of dorsal 4-40 metres.
Length of pectoral 0-70 metre.
Length to vent 5-17 metres.
Breadth of pectoral 1-40 metre.
Breadth of face 0-86 „
Circumference 3-76 metres.
M. Wesmael obsers-es that five persons have described this animal
from personal inspection, viz. Dale, Chemnitz, Hunter, Baussard,
and Voigt ; and the principal points on which they difter are the
following : —
1. Tlie presence or absence of teeth in the lower jaw. Dale and Yoigi
do not mention them ; Chemnitz, Himter, and Baussard indi-
cate two.
2. The presence of small, hard, acute points in the palate is men-
tioned by Baussard alone.
3. The form of the blower. Dale and Baussard describe it as cres-
cent-shaped, with the points directed backwards. Yoigt says
it is concave, with the points directed forwards. Chemnitz and
Hunter are silent on this point.
4. The colour. Dale, Hunter, Baussard, and Yoigt describe the belly
as paler than the back ; and Chemnitz describes the body as
entirely black.
ko. The niuuber of the vertebrae. The specimen of Hunter, according
to M. G. Cuvier, was 21 feet long, and had 45 vertebiw, viz.
" 7 cervical (soldered together), 9 dorsal, 12 lumbar, and 17
caudal.
Baussabd. Dale.
Adult. Young. Female. Male,
ft. in. ft. in. ft. ft.
Length, entii-e 23 6 12 6 13 18
Length of beak 0 5
Length to blower 4 4 111
336
ZII'UIIUJ5.
IJaussard.
Adult. Ynuu;^'.
ft. in. ft. ill.
Length of head 1 4
Length of pectoral 2 0 1 U
Length to dorsal fiu 13 6 7 8
Length of dorsal fin 2 0 1 U
Length to vent 7 10
Width of pectoral 1 3 0 7
Width of caudal (5 10 ;5 2
Circumference lo 7 8 (»
Circumference of head 8 7
Height of dorsal 1 3 0 7
The three Hyperoodons recorded to have occurred on the English
coast appeared singly. Two, described hy M. Baussard, taken
at Honfieur, consisted of a mother, 23, and her young, 1 2 feet long.
Of several captured on 'the Irish coast, they, on two occasions, ap-
peared in i^airs. In one of the three instances, two of these whales
were secured at the same time. It would therefore appear that the
species was not gregarious. — Thompson, Ann. 6f Mug. Nat. Hist.
184G, xvii.
A specimen was captured in Ballyholm Bay, near Bangor, county
Down, on the Kith September, which was 24 feet long and 18 or 20
feet in girth at the thickest part. The entire iipper surface was
blackish grey, the under parts rather paler. The stomach contained
the remains of shells and what were called " the feet of fowls," which
Mr. Thompson thought might be the beaks of cuttlefish.
Dr. Jacob says that the oval cavity into which the oesophagus
opened " contained a large quantity of the beaks of cuttlefish, per-
haps two quarts." — P. Z. S. 1860.
A female ' whale ' and its young was caught near Whitstable, Kent,
and was well figured in the ' Illustrated News' for 18th November
18G0, from a drawing by the Ilev. G. Beardsworth, who procured for
the museum a complete skeleton of the older and part of the ske-
leton of the younger specimen, and also a portion of the food found
in the stomach. There was more than a half bushel of the beaks of
a cuttlefish, probably of the Octopus or sea-spider, and nothing else.
An immense number of Octopi must have been eaten to furnish
such a quantity ; for they are small and were packed close, often
one within the other. — See Gray, P. Z. S. 18G0, 422.
2. LAGENOCETUS.
The crests of the maxillary bones very thick and close together,
especially above, where they are flat-topped. The beak of the skuU
horizontal. The hinder edge of the skull lower than the tops of the
crests. Lower jaw straight.
Lagenocetus, Grm/, P. Z. S. 1803, 200 : 1864, 241.
Hyperoodon, sp., Gray, Cut. Cetac. 69.
'2. L.VOENOCKTUS. 337
Tho cervical vertebra) of Ldgenocetus hiiifrons, as in Hyperoodon,
are united into a single mass by the union of the bodies of tho vcr-
tebrte, the neural arches, and the latei-al processes.
The united neural arches of the first cervicals are produced, and
form a large cone nearly as high as the height of the bodies of the
vertebrae, which shelves down before and behind to the upper part of
the neui'al canal, and on the side to the base of the mass, or tho end
of the large lateral process of the second vertebra, the upper part of
the sides being marked with the long deep grooves through which
the nerves come out.
The atlas appears to have no distinct lateral processes, or, what there
are, so united to the very large, high, broad, single lateral process of
tho second vertebra as not to be distinguished from it, except by the
existence of the first groove for the exit of the nerves for the upper
parts of the body. The lateral process of the second vertebra is
massive, conical, and much produced below, on a level with the lower
edge of the articular cavity, giving the mass, when viewed in fi'ont,
an irregular triangular shape.
The third cervical has a broad, short upper lateral process, which
is only free from the mass at the end ; and this projection is the first
appearance of a distinct upper lateral process. The lower process
is like, but smaller than, the lower process of the second vertebra,
and united to the back part of it, making part of the large inferior
lateral prominence.
The foiu'th and fifth have each an upper lateral process similar to
the preceding, but of a much smaller size, being, as well as that of
the sixth vertebra, very small — only small bony plates. These ver-
tebra) have no distinct or marked inferior lateral process.
The seventh cervical, though united to the general mass by the
body of the vertebra, is yet well defined from the rest of the mass,
and retains the usual form of the separate vertebra; of the animals.
The neural arch is of the same form as those of the other cervical
vertebras, but much smaller, and not so high ; it is separate from the
large conical mass which they constitute, forming a pointed, rather
projecting arch at the hinder side of the mass. The upper lateral
process is similar in form to the upper lateral process of tlie two
or three cei-vical vertebra) tluit precede it ; but it is much larger
than these, and bent forwards at the end to unite with the ends
of them.
The lower lateral process is very thick and large, forming a largo,
short tubei'osity on tlie under part of the mass, but quite sejiaratc
from it. The articidating surface of this vertebra is oblong, erect,
rather higher than wide, -Nnth a deep suture from the centre to the
middle of the upper margin.
The front of the canal of the spinal marrow is triangular, about
as high as wide, with the angles rounded, the upper side being
transverse, and the lower ones converging. The hinder part of
the canal, on the contrary, is trigonal with the upper sides con-
verging, the lower side being rather wider than the height of the
z
338 zipniiD,i5.
canal, and about two-fifths of the width of the body of the seventh
cervical vertebra.
Fig. 65.
Front view of the cex-vical vertebrae of Lagenocetus latifrmis.
Fig. 66.
Back view of the cervical vertebra of Lagenocetus latifrom.
a. The seventh vertebra.
2. L.VGENOCETrS. 330
Lagenocetus latifrons.
Skull larg'o, heavy, solid ; the reflexed part of the maxillary bones
very much thickened internally so as nearly to touch each other in
front of the blower, much higher than the hinder part of the skull ;
lower jaw rather curved up at the tip ; teeth 2, soHd, conical, acute,
rather compressed.
Ilvperoodon latifrons, Grai/, Zool. Erehts Sf Terror, 27. t. 4 (skull);
"!>. Z. S. 1800, 424, 425 ; 'l8Gl, 313.
Hyperoodou (adult), Gervais, Zool. et PaUont. Franx;. t. 38. f. G, cop.
Ortnj, Zuol. Urih. Sf Terr.
Ilj-peroodon Rutzkopf (male), Erichson, Ann. Sr 3Iag. N. H. 1852.
Lagenocetus latifrons, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, 241.
Inhab. North Sea. Coast of Lancashire ; Orkneys ; Greenland,
a. Skull imperfect. Orkneys. From Mr. Warwick's collection. —
The skidl figured in ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 4.
Length of skull (wanting the end) . . 62 inches.
Height of skull behind 42 „
A skull from Greenland, pi-esented by Captain Wareham, is in the
Newcastle Museum. Height of occiput 25, of ridge 32 ; length of
skuU 1)2, to front of ridge 54, of beak 26 inches.
A skeleton with the skuU, from the Firth of Forth, 2i)th October,
1839, is in the College Museum, Edinburgh. The skull is 68 inches
long ; the crests very thick, far apart, and erect internally and
roimdcd externally. This is the skull of a female, 28| feet long,
accompanied by a young male. — See Thompson, Ann. 4" J/o^. N. II.
1846, xvii. 153.
A very imperfect skuU of this species in a garden on the borders
of Lancaster Bay, taken in Morecomb Bay.
" Professor Eschricht considers that Lagenocetiis is foimded on the
skull of an adult male of the common species (which he calls Hiipe-
roodon Biitzlr)2]f ),'hccaxisc the specimen of the animal with this kind
of skull which he received from Faroe was of that sex" (Gray, Proc.
Zool. Soc. 1860, 424) ; " and he exhibits them side by side, as the
same animal, in his museum (see Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1852, ix. 281).
This is an e\-ident mistake, from mistaking an accidental coincidence
for an established fact." — Grai/, Free. Zool. Soc. 1861, 313.
'' The foUoAving facts I think will dispel such an idea : — first, I
think I can prove that males and females have been seen and presei-ved
of biTth species ; and secondl}-, the structure and form of the two
skulls is so different, that it is much more likely that they shoidd be
referable to two very cUstinct genera than to species of the same
genus.
" I may state that I have examined four skulls of the Lagenocetus
latifrons, and Professor Eschricht has another.
" There is a skeleton with the skuU of an adult animal of this
species in the College Museimi at Edinbm-gh, which was obtained
from the Frith of Forth on the 2'Jth of October, 1839. Mr. William
Thompson (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1846, vol. xvii. p. 153) informs
us that this specimen was a female 284 feet long, accompanied bv a
z 2
340 ZIPHIIDiE.
young male. So there can be little doubt that there are females of
Hyperoodon Jatifrons as weU as males.
" It appears to be a northern species. As I have seen specimens
from Greenland, the Orkneys, and the coast of Lanarkshire, this is
the most southern example that has yet occurred to me. It is also
probably a much larger species than Hyperoodon rostratum, as the
skull from Greenland in the Newcastle Museum is 92 inches long,
while the largest skull of U. rostratum that has come imder my ob-
servation does not exceed 60 or 65 inches.
" It is only necessary to examine the figure of the two skulls of
Hyperoodon rostratum and H. Jatifrons in the Plates to the ' Voyage
of the Erebus and Terror,' to see how exceedingly diiferent they are
from each other, not only in the form of the skull, but also in the
form of the lower jaw. The skuU of H. latifrons not only differs
from that of H. rostratum in the thickness and solidity of the frontal
crest of the maxillary bones, but in the crest being much higher than
the hinder part of the skull ; while in all the skulls of //. rostratum
I have seen, the crest is of the same height with the frontal ridge.
"As regards Hyperoodon rostratum, Mr. Beardsworth states his
specimens to be a female and a young female. The specimen which
was shot at Weston-super-Mare, Mr. Crotch informs me, is a female.
I may also observe that the specimen of this species described by
Mr. William Thompson in the Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist. 1846,
vol. xvii. p. 150, is said to be a male : its skeleton is now in the
Belfast Museum. So there are certainly male and female of this
species also known." — Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1860, 424, 425.
M. Gervais (Zool. et Paleont. Fran§. t. 38. f. 6) believes that
Layenocetus latifrons is established on the skull of a very aged
animal, and he thinks that the crest thickens with age. He does not
seem to have observed the form of the hinder part of the skull. He
gives a reduced copy of the figure in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and
Terror/ instead of figuring a skull in the intermediate state of crest,
which would have proved that such a specimen existed and had been
seen by him.
B. Teeth in front of the lower jaio, cylindrical, fmiform, or conical. Beak
of skull conical, TJie intennaxillaries enlarged behind, forming a more or
less large canity round the blowers. Epiodontina.
3. EPIODON.
Head tapering, lower jaw rather bent up. Dorsal fin falcate,
three-fourths of the entire length from the nose. The beak of the
sknU depressed, tapering. The vonier forming a sunken groove.
Intermaxillaries forming a modeimolyTiTgh basin round the blowers.
Upper jaw toothless. The lower jaw elongate, tapering, rather bent
up and truncated at the end, with two conical teeth, and with a
sunken groove on the edge just behind them. " Cervical vertebrae
anchylosed." — Gervais.
Ziphius, Duvernoy, Attn. Sci. Nat. xv. 65.
Ziphius, sp., Cumer, Oss. Foss.y.
3. EPIODON. 341
Epiodou, Rajinvsque, Precis Somiol. 13 (1814) ; Anal. Nat. (no char.) ; /i^ A <V'
Bonaparte; Gray, P. Z. S. 18G5. ^^■^rT''! ,
Diodou (part), Lesson.
Alianui (part), Graij, P. Z. S. 1864, 242. " ' a^:t^'^
Cuvier remarks, describing the head of Z. cavirostris (Oss. Foss
V. 350. t. 27. f. 3), that " cette tete a, coinme on voit, de grands
rapports avec le Cachalot, et encore de plus grands avcc I'llyperoodon.
EUe ne difFcre de ce dernier que parce q tie les maxillaires ne se dres-
sent point sur les cotes dii muscau en cloisons verticales, et que
respt'ce do mur derriere les narines ne se borne jias a s'elever ver-
ticalement, raais qu'il se recourbe pour former un demi-dorae au- ,,-!^^
dessus de ces ca%ites." — Oss. Foss. v. 352. t. 27. f. 3. ,..,„ » JLv'^ »
Epiodon Desmarestii. -^ jt'VjvV**'™^'*^
Grey, white-streaked. Length 13 feet. ^""^ ..^ ^i*'*^' "^
Epiodon Urganautus,-R(y?«rsy?<(>,P/Y'<:'/s6'o??!eo/.13,1814(no character).
Delpliiuus Epiodon, Desm. Mamm. 521 ; Fischer, Si/n. 516.
Ileterodon Epiodon, Lesson, Man. 420.
tT^ipliius cavirostris, Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 350. t. 27. f. 3 ; Duvernoy, Ann. t
Sci. Nat. 1850, xv. ; Arch. Naturg. 1852, 62 ; Gervais, Ann. Set. Nat. y\f^
_xiv. ; Zool. et Paleont.Frang. t. 38. f. 1 (Heraut), f. 2 (Martigiie), 0 ^ ^
t. 39!f. l-5"(Wd)7"^'----^~-^-^— --~^' " '"' ^~"'° ' \cxr^ "^
Ziphius (l)ioplodon ?) ca"\'irostris, Gervais, Compt. Pendus, xxxi. 510, N fllW-^ 1
xxxii. 358 ; Ann. Sci. Nat. xiv. 5 ; Arch. Naturg. 1852, 34. \^V '
Delpliinus Desmarestii, Risso, Fur. Merid. iii. 24. t. 2. f . 3 ; F. Cuv. V^'''^
Cetac. 159. Ia- V L -
Ilvperoodon de Corse, Doumet, Bull. Soc. CuviSr. 1842, 207. 1. 1. f. 2, "^ 1) , , "
Delphinus Pliilippii, Cocco, Frichson, Arch. Nat. 1846, J04jL 6. f. 6^_ \ (' ' A . ,.
rij'])eroodon Doumetii, Grag, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 68. — *">- ,' \Ji-
Hyperoodon Gervaisii, Duvernoy, Ann. Sri. Nat. 1851, xv. 67. '\ TV
l']piodon Desmarestii, Bonap. P'aun. Ital. ?; Grag, P. Z. S. 1865. i^" *("
(Diodon) Le Diodon de Desmarest, Lesson, Buffon, i. 124. t. 2. f. 2. j If^N^^
T
I
Orca (Desmarestii), IVagler, N S. Amph. 34
Ilj'peroodon Desmarestii, Grag, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 69.
Aliama Desmarestii, Grag, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, 242.
Hyperoodon, Gervais, Comides Rendus, 1850 (7tli Oct.), xxxi. 510, . >-X-*^
"xxxii. 358. ^^.,^^„^-^T/M. ^ft-rvz^^'rU J~<:,c.^if r^*^^ ■ ^^^^^^
Inhab. Mediterranean. Coast of Frontignan, dcpartcmcnt de 1^6^
I'Herault, May 1850 ^Gervais). Messina {Cocco). Nice (i?/sso).t^^^^^**"' ^^
Sicily (liafuiesqae). //^ ■'^^^
" Steel-grey, with numerous, irregular, white streaks ; beneath ^'"^
white. Body thicker in the niidcUe ; tail slender, long, keeled V*-"- - =•-■
rounded on the bcUy ; head not swollen, ending in a long nose; *" N^/^'TA ^
upper jaw short, toothless, loM'cr much longer, bent up, and Avith ' i-'^ ^ ^
two large conical teeth at the end ; teeth nicked near the tip ; the^ 1 Chj^ \
eyes small, oval ; blowers large, semilunar ; pectoral fins short ; dorsal'/
rather beyond the middle of the back, nearly above the vent ; the
caudal fin broad, festooned. Length nearly 16 feet. It differs from ^
D. Diodon of Hunter in the forehead not being swollen, and in the
lower jaw being produced and bent up, the jjcctoral being pointed,
the dorsal more ol)tuse, and tlie liody being wliite-streaked." Tnhab.
342 zipniiD^.
Nice : common, March and September. — Risso, Europ. Mericl. iii. 24.
t. 2. f. 3 ; F. Cm. Cetac. 159.
" Jaws toothless, but paved with small, long and acute tubercular
granulations ; lower jaw with two rather longish, acute, slightly
arched and longitudinally grooved teeth in front ; larynx with a
kind of funnel at the base of the tongue, like the beak of a duck, or
rather of a spoonbill, 5| inches long ; gape small ; beak conical ;
eyes small, near middle of head ; blowers lunate, -with the points
directed backwards ; pectoral fin 19 inches long, 6| wide ; dorsal
nearly 8 inches high, 49| inches from the tail ; the tail is broad,
lobes equal." Inhab. Corsica. — Doumet, Bui. Soc. Cuvier. 1842, 207.
t. 1. f.2.
According to Doumet's description, the dorsal fin of this species
must be further back than in any of the Dolphins, and the pave-
ment of the jaws is quite peculiar. It agrees with Dale and Baus-
sard's descriptions in the form of the blowers, but differs fi'om them
in the position of the dorsal fin.
This animal is only known by the above account extracted from
Eisso. F. Cuvier placed it in the restricted genus Deljihinus. Risso
appears more correctly to have com2)ared it with Hyperoodon ; but it
differs from that genus in several particulars, especially in the form
of the forehead and of the dorsal fin.
Lesson (Tab. R. A. 200) forms of this species and the Physeter
hidens, Sowerby, the subgenus Diodon !
• _ /\ Ziphhts cavirostris, Cuvier, has long been regarded as fossU. It
i^^~~Wv^ reaUy exists in the Mediterranean. The skull described by Cuvier
jW V^ yj/-^ (Oss. Foss. v. t. 27. f. 3) was found by the fishennen of the Gulf of
y\r Bouc. Others have since been obtained, and each of them has been
Y^*- I, L| described as a new species.
,\^-
4. PETEORHYNCHUS.
0^ 1 rx^ ^^ Skull subtrigonal, truncated behind, with a large concavity formed
fr,^ by the intermaxiUaries 'round the blowers. Beak of the skull elon-
V gate, tapering, conical, higher than broad, with the vomer swollen,
callous, forming an elongated, fusiform callosity between the callous
intermaxiUaries, which is truncated behind. Lower jaw slender,
tapering in fonn, without any teeth, or with two small teeth early
deciduous.
Petrorhynchus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 524.
The skuU beaked ; the brain-case hemispherical, margined behind
and on the sides by the prominent edges of the maxiUas, occipital,
and other bones, with a large oblong concavity under the prominent
enlarged nasal bones, in front of the deeply seated blowers ; the
inner surface of the concavity lined on the sides by the expanded
hinder ends of the intermaxiUaries, and edged on the sides by the
raised edges of these bones and the inner margins of the hinder parts
of the maxUlffi, the confines of the concavitj" being separated from
the side margins of the brain-case by a deep impression. The beak
^ ±
(7 1
II
/ \
I' ^
\ ■■
"4t
>-'-"*^
\ \ '
"^X
'/^
/ru.H^ ^^y^^^ /, ^/ /-^
4. PETKOlinYNCHUS. 348
elongate, slender, compressed on the sides, fringed on the ui)per part
of the sides by the edges of the enlarged callous intermaxillaries,
which contain between them a much-enlarged caUons vomer, which
tapers in front into the end of the beak, and is truncated behind,
tilling up the nan-owed front part of the frontal concavity.
The ujjper jaw toothless. The lower jaw slender, produced in
front, toothless ; it may have had two teeth in front in the young
state, as there are obscure indications of two pits.
The skidl is much more like the usual form of the skull of the
Delphinoid Whales than that of Catodon or Kogia, and somewhat like
that of an Jli/pcroodon without the elevated ridges of the maxillae on
the sides of the beak.
The peculiarity of the genus is the great development of the inter-
maxillaries and the large size and callous state of the upper surface
of the vomer.
The intermaxillary bones which fringe the upper part of the sides
of the beak are thick, hard, and shining, forming with the enlarged
vomer the upper part of the beak ; they are expanded behind so as
to form the large hemispherical cavity in the crown, with nostrils
and blowers at the base of its hinder part. The sides of this cavity
are lined internally with the expansion of the intemiaxillaries, which
are supported on each outer side by a waU formed by the elevation
of the inner edge of the hinder part of the maxilla. The wall of the
cavity is separated from the outer margin of the maxilla, which
fonns the inner part of the outer edge of the brain-case, by a deep
concavity.
The upper part of the spermaceti-concavity is arched over by the
thickened prominent nasal bones, and by the dilatation of the thick
hinder edge of the walls.
From the inspection of the drawing bj- Mr. Trimen of this skull, I
was incKned to regard it as a new species of Hyperoodon, forming a
jieculiar section of the genus, and which I had provisionally named
Huperoodon Capensis (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 359) ; but it proved
on examination to be an entirely new form, which appears to be in-
termediate in structure and form between Hyperoodon and Catodon.
It agrees with Catodon and Koijia in having a large concavity on
the crown of the skull, to contain the spermaceti or " head-matter,"
as it is called l)y the whalers, above the blowers, and with dfi/jieroodon
in having an elongated beak, with thick prominent nasal bones over
the blowers, and in lumng none or onlj- two or foui- deciduous teeth
ill the front of the lower jaw.
Wliat I believed, in the small drawing made by Mr. Trimen, were
the slightly developed lateral expansions of the maxillaries, which
are characteristic of the genus Ifi/j>irou<lon, prove on examination of
the skull to have represented the niucli thickened intermaxillaries
and the very large callous prominent vomer which is between them
on the upper surface of the beak. The skull, as is generally the
case in the Cetacea, is consideralily distorted, the left side being much
the smallest and least developed.
In Catodon and tlu' allied genus Koyia the spermaceti-cavity
occupies the wliole upper surface of the skull, and is surrounded by
344
ZTPITTID.T-:.
[■'io-. G
y <
^ ;
Skull of Petrorhynchus Capensis.
(By a mistake of the artist, the sides of the skull in the figure are i-erersed.)
4. rETRORHYNCnUS
Fig. G8
345
f-il^-
ykuU oi Pdrorhi/iichus Capoisi.s (side view).
(I'.v a mistake of the artist, the sides of the skull in the (iirure are revei-sed.)
346 ZIPHTID^.
an erect wall formed by the elevated hinder and lateral edges of the
maxilla). It is continued in front to the end of the broad expanded
beak of the skull. The blowers are in the base of the hinder part of
this concavity.
The intermaxillary bones are narrow, elongate, with the linear
vomer forming a sunken ridge between them on the upper surface
of the beak. In Catodon the hinder part of the intermaxillaries is
only slightly dilated, and forms but a small part of the base of the
crown-concavity, as shown in Cuvier's figure (Oss. Foss. v. t. 22.
f. 1-3) ; and from Mr. MacLeay's description they seem to form a
smaller part of the surface of the concavity in Kogia.
The skull of this genus resembles in several particulars the skull
of Ziphius cavirostris, figured by Gervais (Zool. et Paleont. Frauc^-.
t. 39) ; but the cavity on the crown of that species is only slightly
developed, though it is apparently rather more developed in the other
specimens figured on the plate t. 38 (f. 1,2) of that work ; and the
vomer is sunk in a groove as in the other Ziphioid genera, except in the
specimen figured at t. 38. f. 2, which has the most developed frontal
cavity; and in this there is an appearance of the vomer being larger.
1. Petrorhynchus Capensis
Inhab. Cape Seas
Hyperoodon Capensis, Grai/, P. Z. S. 1805, p. 359.
PetrorhjTichus Capensis, Graij, P. Z. S. 1865, 528 & figs, at 526, 527.
. * ■ 2. Petrorhynchus Indicus.
^^t/" Ziphius ludicus, Van Beneden, Memoires Courotmes et metres Memoires
yV^ ^«-' Acad, lioi/ale de Belqique, xvi. t. 1 (skull).
yi^ Aliania ludica, Graij, P. Z. S. 1865, 528.
Inhab. Indian Ocean. Skull in Mus. Louvain.
The skull of an aged animal, with the bones coalesced. " Le crane
est de forme triangulaire, assez semblable a un casque, tronque en
avant, et le rostre est fort et proportionneUement court, au-devant
des narines une large excavation est forraee par les intermaxillaires,
et les OS propres du ncz surplombcnt les fosses nasales a ce point que
les narines, lorsqu'on regarde la tete de haut en has, sent en grande
partie cachees. Les os maxillaires ferment une fosse large et pro-
fonde au-dessus des orbites et, a la base du crane, les os pterygoi'diens
s'etalent comme des ailes veritables moutrant toute leur surface ex-
terne creuse a la maniere de certaines coquilles.
" La tete vue par sa face posteiieure est fort large a la base, ctroite
et mcme pointue au sommet ; les occipitaux descendent fort bas de
chaque cote, de maniere que les condyles articulaires s'elevent a U7ie
certaine hauteur. Le rostre est fort massif et est un peu plus haut
que large, et les intermaxillaires ferment seuls tout le boiit. En
haut le rostre, au lieu d'etre ci'euse par une gouttiere, montrc tout
le cartilage vomerien ossifie et on distingue seulement des traces de
la partie de rintermaxillaire qui forme la voute. Le vomer est visible
sur la ligne mediane du palais depuis les os palatins jusqu'a la pointe
des maxillaires.
4. TKTllORTIYNCUUS.
347
" La machoiro inforieiire est assez haute en arritTC, fortcment
bombee sur le cote, etroite en avant. La peau des gcncives est noire,
toute la surface est couvertc de petites losangcs en saillie, (jui la
rendent raboteiise. Les dents sont en forme de iiiseaux ; ehaque
dent a six centimetres et dcmi de longueur sur deux centimetres et
demi de largeur ou d'cpaisseur, mais toute la dent est, pour ainsi
dire, racine." — Vmi Beneden, I. c.
Fis-. 09.
'■'fir
Skull and tooth of Petrorhynchus Indicus, from Van Ijeneden.
Misled by M. Yan Benedcn's description and figure, whicli are
here reproduced, in mj' paper in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological
Societ)-,' 18(;5, p. 522, I Avas induced to form ZijJtius Indicus into a
genus distinct from the Mediterranean and the Cape Whales. Since
that paper Mas prepared M. Van Beneden has visited England and
seen the Cape skuU, and considers it the same as or very nearly allied
to the one he described, and on his return he most kindly sent to
the British Museum and the College of Surgeons a cast of the beak
and the front end of the lower jaw of his specimen ; and there can be
no doubt that they are very ne;irly allied, if not specimens of dif-
ferent ages of the same species. For the present it is as -well to keep
them separate, pointing out the distinction between them. In Zijihiia
Indicus the very largely developed vomer gradually tapers off beliiiid
towards the blowers ; in the F. i'tqx'nsis it continues nearly of the
same thickness to the hinder end, and is there suddenly and i)er-
pendicularly truncated. It is only necessary to compare the two
tigui'cs to explain how I came to consider them distinct forms.
348
ziPHriP-T;.
C. Teeth in the side of the Imrer j'air, cninpressofL Benh of ahull siihri/Iiii-
(Irical, slender. Intermetxilhiries linear, slender, rather swollen on the
sides of the blotoers. Zipliiiua.
5. BERARDIUS.
Dorsal fin large, with a larger boss in front of it. The skull like
a Dolphin's, with frontal portion elevated. Teeth 2 . 2, strong, tri-
angnlar, compressed, vertically implanted at the extremity of the
lower jaw ; the two teeth of the same form as in Zlpliius, hut rather
smaller ; behind them a dental groove extends on the upper surface of
each mandibular l)ranch. The raaxillaries have the commencement of
the prominences ■\\'hich are found so large in the genus Hyperoodon.
Berardiiis, Duvernoy, Ann. iSci. N(d. 1851, 51. t. ; Arch. Nature/.
1852, 62.
I ^^- 1' "
Fig. 70.
Skull of Berardius Armtxii, from Duvemoy.
Berardius Arnuxii.
Black, greyish near the genital organs.
Berardius Arnuxii, Duvernoy, Ann. >Sei. Nat. 1851,51. t. (skull);
Arch. Natury. 1852, G2.
Inhab. New Zealand, Port of Akaroa, 184G. Length 32 feet.
Skull in Mus. Paris, length 4 feet.
6. ZIPHIUS.
Head contracted behind; nose produced, not separate from the
forehead ; eyes moderate ; blowers on crown, lunate ; teeth in the
middle of the lower jaw of male, two, large, compressed ; of female
two or three, small, subeyhndrical ; throat with two diverging fur-
rows ; body elongate; pectoral fins small, low down, oval, tapering;
dorsal falcate, behind the middle of the body. Skidl with nose elon-
gated, produced, keeled on each side ; skuU-cavity small ; forehead
)
0. Jiipniirs. 349
high ; hinder wing of the maxilla expanded, horizontal ; palate
smooth ; lower jaw broad behind, narrowed and bent in front of the
lateral teeth. Tympanic bones large, very thick, free edge open and
much twisted (see Van Beneden, Mom. Acad. Brux. 8vo, xvi. fig. at
p. 41 ; and Dumortier, Mem.).
Ziphiiis, Gray, P. Z. S. 18G4, 341.
(5' . Ziphius, Cuvicr, Oss. Fuss. v. 350 ; Gray, Zool. Erebus i^- Terror, 27 ;
Cat. Cefac. B. 31. 1850, 70 ; P. Z. S. 1804.
Diodon (pai-s), Lesson, Tab. R. A. ; Bell, Brit. Quad. 499.
Anodon (pars), Lesson, Tab. R. A.
Ileterodon (sp.), Lesson, 3Ian. 3Iamm.
UelphinorhjTichus (sp.), Gray, Ann. c^ ilafj. N. H. 184G.
Physeter (sp.), Soiv. Brit. 3Iisc. 1.
Mesiodon, I)uvernoi/, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1851, xv.
Diplodon (part), Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. Franq,
2. Nodus (sp.), Waaler, N. S. Amph. 34, 1830.
Delpliinorhyuchus, Blainv. ; Raj}}), Cetac, ; Gray, Zool. Ereb. iy Terror ;
Cat. Cetue. B. M. 1850, 73.
Delphinorhynchus (sp. ), F. Cuvicr, Cetac. 114.
Aodon, Lesson. CEiirr. Buffon.
Heterodon (sp.), Blainville ; Lesson, Man.
DelpMuiis (sp.), ^/awm/fc ; Desm. 3Iamm.
M. Dumortier considers the dentation on the skin of the upper jaw
to be representative of the homy protuberances on the membrane of
the palate oi. HiiperooJon. — 31em. Ac. Brux. xiii. p. 8.
The lower jaw of the yoimg female taken at Ostend had no ap-
pearance of teeth; but when the lower jawbone was examined it
exhibited, near its middle, a large alveolar groove, as if giving origin
to some teeth ; the larger specimen found at Havre had rudimentary
teeth at the base of the alveolar of the lower jaw, which is placed in
the same relative situation as in the Ostend specimen.
Cuvier (Begne Auim. cd. 2, 288) says that these animals lose their
teeth early. M. Dumortier thinks this is a mistake, and that, on
the contrary, the teeth are not cut through the gums until they
ac(]uire their full size.
The skeleton of the female is described and figured by M. Van
Beneden, Mem. Acad. Bruxelles, 8vo, xvi. 1863.
The skull (as remarked by M. Cuvier, see Van Beneden) much
more resembles that of Bclphinus than Ht/jJeroodon. The animal is
at once known from the latter genus by the head not being convex
and rounded in front, and by the teeth being in the middle and not
at the end of the jaws.
Blain\iUo, when he first saw the animal on the coast of France,
considered it the same as Dale's Ifi/peroodon, and Y. Cuvier follows
him ; but M. Cuvier pointed out, in the ' Begne Animal,' the dif-
ference in the form of the skull of the French animal.
This genus is very hke l)di)hinorltyncltus, but is easily known by
the teeth being in the middle of each side, and the peculiar form of
the lower jaw.
i[r. Bell, following Lesson in adopting his heterogeneous genus
Diodon, has considered Sowerby's whale a distinct genus from
350 ZIPJIUDM.
Hiiperoodon, but he observes, " whether tlic generic distinction of
the two be correct appears very doubtful." — Brit. Quad. 499.
Fig. 71.
Skull of Ztphiiis Soiverbiensis, (S . -Back of head cut off.
i^\K\
■^..3
V
6
Teeth of male short, truncated at the end. Ziphius.
1. Ziphius Sowerbiensis.
Black, grey beneath. Teeth obliquely truncated at the end.
Ziphius Sowerbienses, Graij, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1804, 241 (c? & 5).
Physeter bidens, Soioerhy, Brit. Ilisc. t. 1, 1806, and icon ined. in
Mus. Brit, (a male).
Diodon bidens, Bell, Brit. Quad. 497, fig. cop. Soicerhy.
Delphinus Sowerbii, Jardine, Nat. Lib. 1. 12, cop. Sowerbij.
Micropteron (male), Eschricht, Ann. 8f Maiji. H. N. 18-52.
D. Sowerbiensis, Blainv. in Desni. Nouv. Diet. 11. K. ix. 177.
D. Sdwcrljyi, Dcsm. Manim. 521.
Dclpliiiiorl'iynchus bidens, Gray, Ann. 8,- May. N. II. 1846.
lleterodon 'S(-iworbyi, Lesson, Man. Mamm. 4l9.
Ziphius Sowerbiensis, Gray, Zool. Erebus ^ Terror, t. 5. f. 3, 4, from
Blainv. draicinq, p. 5.3, of skull.
Diodon Sowerbffi'i, Bell, Brit. Quad. 497.
Diodon Sowerbi, Jardine, Whales, 192. f. 1.3.
Mesodiodon Sowerbyi, Duvcrnoy, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1851, xv. 55. t. 2.
f. 22 (skull).
Mesoplodon Sowerbiensis, Gervais, Zool. et Pal. Frang. t. 40. f. 1, t. .38.
I f. 3 (lower jaw); Van Beneden, Mem. Acad. Brux. xvi. t. 4; Mem. ,
Acad. Bell/, xxxii. 1800, 34. ,. / / ./ m-\
luK
Xx^ IL'^JaAC'^J V'i
\. U^ (-.
t
)
G. zii'iiirs. 351
Dauphin de Dale, Blainv. N. Bull. Soc. Phil. 1825, 139. t. at p. 125,
182G ; F. Citv. Mamm. Lith. t. (bad). ? .
5 . Delphinus Sowerbyensis (female), Eschriclit, Ann. ^- Mag. N.H. 1852.
Mesoplodon Sowerbiensis (female), Van Beneden.
Nodus Dalei, Waylei; N. S. Amjih. 34, 1830.
Delphinorbvuchus micropterus, DumoHier, Mem. Acad. Brux. 1839,
xii. t. l-3"'(g-ood) ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 114. t. 9. f. 1 (not good),t. 7 (skull);
Ora;/, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 73.
Delphinus micropterus, Cuv. Beg. Anim. i. 288.
Mesodiodon micropterum, Duvernoy, Ann. Sci. Nat. xv. 1851, t, 3.
(head). ')Ue^
Heterodon Dalei, Lesson, Man. Mamm. 419, from Bhinv.
Aodon Dalei, Lesson, (Euvr. Biiffon, i. 155. t. 3. f. 1.
Dioplodon Sowerbiensis, Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. FraiK^. i. 40. f. 1
(head from Havre).
Inhab. Coasts of Europe. North Sea ; Elginshire, 1800 (Brodie) ;
Havre, 1825 (Blainv.) ; Ostend, 1835 (Dinnortier).
a. Cast of skull from Mr. Sowerby's specimen in the Anatomical
Museum, Oxford. Presented by Dr. Acland.
Besides the beautiful figure of the male which was thrown ashore
on Elginshire in 1800, engraved in Sowerby's ' British Miscellany,'
there is a drawing of the head as sent by Mr. Brodie, made by
Mr. Sowerby, exhibited by him at one of Sir Joseph Banks's Sun-
day-evening parties, and now preserved in the Banksian collection
in the British Musum. The skull was preserved in Mr. Sowerby's
museum in Mead's Place, Lambeth, and when distributed at his death
it was purchased by the Rev. Dr. Buckland, the Dean of West-
minster, and sent to the Anatomical Museum in Oxford, whence
Dr. xVcland kindly sent it to me for examination.
While in Mr. Sowerby's possession, M. de Blainville, when on a
visit to England, made a slight sketch of the skull (engraved in
' Zool. Erebus and Terror,' t. 5), and, under the name of B. Soiver-
hiensis, gives the following description of it : — " Tete osseusse, la
machoii-e superieure est plus courte et infiniment plus etroite que
rinfcrieure qui la regoit ; en outre cette machoirc inferieure est
armce de chaque cote et au milieu de son bord d'un seul dent tros
fort comprimee et dirigee obliquement en arriere. L'orifice de
I'event est en croissant dont les comes sont tournees en avant." —
Blainv. Desm. Diet. H. N. ix. 177.
The above description and Blainvillc's sketch show that it belonged
to the genus Zipliius of Cuvier, before only known in the fossil state ;
and the examination of the skull has proved the accuracy of these
determinations.
Before discovering the drawing of the skull, I was induced, from
the lateral position of the teeth and small size of the fins, to consider
this species the same as the Delpliinorlninchus micropterus of the
coast of France and Belgium (see Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1846), bcUeving
the difference in the size of the teeth (which Mr. James Sowerby's
description appears to indicate) to be only a pcciiliarity produced
probably by the age of the specimen ; and fiu'ther study has induced
me to return to that opinion.
352 zipniiDJi:.
In my paper "On the British Cctacca," in the 'Annals of Nat.
Hist.' xvii. 82, 1846, I proposed to unite Fhi/seter hklens of Sowerby
with Delpliinus micropterus of Cuvier. The French naturahsts have
since almost universally come to the same conclusion. The difference
in the size of the teeth, which they believe to be sexual, at one time
made me revise my first opinion. I now think it probable that they
are the same ; at any rate it is a subject that wants further examina-
tion, for at present only one male and foiu" females of the two presumed
species have been observed by naturalists. — P. Z. S. 1804, 242.
The male was found near Brodio House, Elginshire, by James
BrocUe, who sent a figure and the skull to Mr. Sowerby, who figured
it in the ' British Miscellany' under the above name. It was 16 feet
long.
Dr. Fleming and Mr. Jenyns have confounded it with the Bottle-
head of Dale {Huperoodon hidens) (see Brit. Anim. p. 36, and Manual
B. V. A. p. 44).
The female caught at Havre on 22nd August, 1828, was about
11 feet long ; it lived two days out of the water, but it could not be
prevailed on to eat anything. They oftered it soaked bread and
other ahmentary sv;bstances. It emitted a low cavernous sound Like
the lowing of a cow. It was a female, and, from the state of the
ossification of the bones, evidently a young animal. The teeth had
not as yet pierced the gums. When living, the body was brownish
lead-colour, with the exception of the belly, which was bluish and
ash. The body was fusiform, attenuated at each end, the greatest
thickness being behind the pectoral fins, in the middle of the distance
between them and the dorsal. The head is much higher than broad,
and separated from the body by a sensible contraction ; the fore-
head much swollen and narrowed gTadually, and ending in a beak
with a flat and rounded tip. The upper jaw is much shorter and
narrower than the lower one. The blowers are on the top of the head,
in advance of the orbit, transverse, slightly curved, with the ends
directed towards the front, and not towards the tail, as in the genus
Hyperoodon. The mouth very broad, entirely deprived of teeth. The
tongue is adherent to the lower jaw and toothed on the edge ; a
similar dentition exists also on the skin of the lower jaw. The eyes
large, black, convex, edged with a gelatinous border, in the middle
of the side of the head. Earholes very small. The pectoral fin
towards the lower part of the chest, oval, elongate, blunt, small.
The dorsal fin elevated, falcate, nearly two-thirds of the entire
length, lower than the length of its base. Tail triangular, two-
lobed, falcate.
The female from Ostend (1835) had the head attenuated, con-
tracted behind. Nose produced, bald, not separated from the fore-
head. Eyes moderate. Lower jaw fitting into a groove in the edge
of the upper. Teeth few, small or rudimentary, in middle of lower
jaw, not cleveloped till late. Thi-oat with four parallel slits beneath.
Body elongate, rather swollen behind. Pectoral fin low down the
side, oval, narrow, smaU. Dorsal falcate, behind the middle of the
body, about two-thirds from the nose. Blowers on the crown, in a
(). ZTniTVs. 353
curved line, with the concavity in front. Tail with two falcate lobes,
flat, without any central prominence. Female sexual organs under
middle of dorsal. Skull triangular. Forehead very high in front,
and swollen behind. Intermaxillaries curved in front. Nose very
long, compressed at the hinder end, very narrow, slightly keeled on
each side. Hinder wing of the maxiUa expanded horizontally over
the orbits. Nasal bones encased in the frontals and intermaxillaries.
Temporal pit very small. Palate smooth. Lower jawbones elongate,
tapering, slender, nearly straight. The ear-bone is attached by an
apophj'sis to the base of the skull. " Vertebra) 38, viz. 6 cervical
separate, 10 costal, 11 lumbar, 11 true caudal. Metacarpal bones
cartilaginous." — Bumoriier, Mem. Acad. Brux. xiii. t. 10.
M. Dumortier found, near the middle of each side of the lower
jaw, an alveolus, as if for a tooth. His figure represents the pec-
toral as situated at two-ninths of the total length, and the dorsal at
five-ninths, from the end of the nose. The following are the mea-
surements of the two females that have been described : —
Blainv. ? Dum. 5
ft. in. metres.
Length, entire 15 0 3-45
Length of head 2 7 (nose) 0-33
Length to blowers 2 3 0-44
Length to pectoral 3 4 0-91
Length of pectoral 1 6 0-30
Length to dorsal 9 1 2-04
Length of dorsal 0 10 0-27
Length to eye . . 0-49
Length to the vulva . . 2-21
Circumference 7 6 2*00
Width of pectoral 0 6 0-12
Width of caudal 3 0 0-68
Height of dorsal Oil 0-27
Breadth of blower 0-10
The only male hitherto observed was thrown ashore on the coast
of Elginshire in 1800. It was 16 feet long and 11 feet in circum-
ference. A female was caught at Calvados in 1826; its skuU and
vertebral column is in the Museum at Caen. Another was taken at
the mouth of the Seine in September 1825 ; the skull, which was
described by De BlainviUc, is in the Paris Museum. The skeleton
of the one taken at Ostend on the 21st of August, 1835, 11 feet long,
is in the collection of M. Parct, near that city.
*• Teeth (of male) very long, produced, arched, and tnincated, icith a
conical 2irocess in front. Dolichodon.
2. Ziphius Layardii.
Ziphius Ijayardii, Gray, P. Z. S. 18G5, 3.")8.
The entire length of the skull, from condyle to top of rostrum,
3 feet 7 inches ; of the rostrum, from tip to notch, 2 feet 6 inches ;
2 a
B54
the width at th© widest part of the brain -case 1 foot fi inches ; the
length in a straight line, from the tip of the rostrnm to the crest
over the blower, 2 feet 11 inches ; the height of the skull, from the
hinder part of the palate to the crest over the blower, 1 foot 2 inches.
Fig. 72.
a, b. Skull and lower jaw of Ziphius Layardii.
from front.
c. Teeth of lower jaw,
The entire length of the lower jaw 3 feet ; the length from the con-
dyle to the hinder edge of the base of the tooth 1 foot 11| inches;
the length of the exposed part of the tooth along the anterior edge,
&^ inches ; the width, below the teeth, of the side of the lower jaw,
measured from the inner part of their base, 3 inches.
There is a partial hollow, as if it were the cavity of an old tooth
that had fallen out, on the margin of the lower jaw, behind the base
of the elongated arched tooth.
The skull which I described from the notes of Mr. Layard and
the drawing of Mr. Trimen under the name of Ziphius Layardii (see
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 358) proves on examination, as I decided
from the notes and drawing, to be a very distinct species of the
genus, allied to Z. microjpterus. The peculiar form of the teeth
(which are elongated and arched over the outer surface of the upper
jaw, so as to prevent the animal from opening its mouth beyond a
very Hmited extent), it has been suggested to me, may be only an
individual pecuharity or a malformation. I scarcely think this is the
case ; but even if it should be, it will not in the least militate against
the distinctness of the species, as the proportion of the beak to the
size of the brain-case, and the form of the beak and position and
form of the teeth (with a small point near the front edge of the tip),
f^M^ /^-^"^'
fifi^> h-'^''
I
7. DIOPLOBON. 355
arc sufficient to clearly characterize the species. Unfortunately the
lust-mentioned peculiarity is scarcely sufficiently indicated in the
figure.
The edges of the front lower teeth are absorbed or worn away by
the friction of the u})pur jaw against them, the vomer forming a
largo fusiform prominence on the upper surface of the base of the
beak, in front of the blowers, between the narrowed part of the
elongate, slender intermaxillaries, which are enlarged and thickened
beliind, forming the outer sides of the blowers.
In this respect it agrees with the figure of the skull of Dioplodon
SecheUensis from the Indian Seas, given by M. Gervais (Zool. et
Paleont. Frang. t. 40. f. 3-6) ; but the vomer is more prominent in
the Cape species. The Cape species has the slender, elongated,
tapering lower jaws, and a very much longer beak to the skuU, like
that of D. micropterus of Havre (Gervais, I. c. t. 49. f. 1).
I was informed, in 1864, that two Dolphins which agreed with
M. F. Cuvier's description and figure oi Belpliinorhynchus micropterus
had been taken on the coast of South Africa, and that the skulls were
then in the possession of a surgeon at the Cape. There is also a
third skuU, in a scmifossil state, in the colony.
7. DIOPLODON.
Lower jaw broad behind, suddenly narrowed in front before the
teeth. Teeth in the side of the lower jaw (of male ?), large, com-
pressed, considerably behind the back edge of the rather short
symphysis.
Animal unknown.
Dioplodon (part), Gervais, Zool. ct PaUont. Fratiq.
Dioplddon, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, 200.
Mesiodon (part), Duvernoy, Ami. Sci. Nat. xv. 58. t. 2. f. 4.
•»
Dioplodon SecheUensis. The Seychclle Ziphius. hJ ^/.
/■/^
Ziphius do S^chelles {M. Ic Due, 18-39), Mus. Paris.
Ziphius Sechollensis, Gray, Zool. E. *y T. 28. t. 6. f. 1, 2 (lower jaw).
Ziphius di'usirostris, Bluinv. Mtts. Paris. / 2- J'
Mt'scKUi)dt)n densirostris, Di/vernoy, Ann. Sci, Nat. 1851, xv. 58. t. 2. /
f. 4 (not D. densirostris, Desm.).
Dioplodon densirostris, Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. Frauq. t. 40. f. 3-6
(skidl) ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, 200.
Inhab. Seychelles. Skidl in Mus. Paris.
The skuU is very like that of Ziphius, but the nose-bones are
thicker, heavier, and higher. The teeth in the middle of the lower
jaw, as in the male Z. Soiuerhiensis, but larger and conii)ressed. The
hinder part of the lower jaw is very broad, the fi'ont half much nar-
rower and bent down in an arched manner.
2 A 2
itnfjil
350
Suborder IT. SIRENIA.
Body rather hairy. Muzzle bristly. Nostrils 2, separate, apical,
lunate, valvular. Fore limbs arm-like, clawed ; hinder compressed,
expanded, taQ-like. Teats 2, pectoral. Teeth of two kinds.
Cete II. (pars), Gray, Ann. riiil. 1825.
(Natantia) Sirenia, Illiger, Prodr. 139, 1811 ; Brandt, Symh. Sireno-
logia, 132, 1846.
Sirenia, Ch-ay, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 138 ; P. Z. S. 1864, 247 ; Selys-Long-
cJiamps, 1842 ; Schinz, Maimn. 491.
Mammiferes amphibies (pars), Cuvier, Tab. Elem. 1798; Dum. Z.
Anal. 1806.
Mammalia amphibia (pars), Bafin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
OnguligTades anomaux, Blainv. 1816.
Les Cdtaces herbivores, F. Cuv. 1829.
Cetacea herbivora, Gray, Bond. Med. Bep. xv. 309, 1821 ; Latr. Fam.
Nat. 1825, 64 ; Brandt, Mem. Acad. Petersh. 1833, 103.
Cete anomala, Fischer, Sr/n. Mamm. 1828.
Ceti hydr£eoglossi, § a, Wagler, N. S. Amph. 32, 1830.
Heterodonta, Ilydraula, on Sirenise, Lesson, N. Beg. Anim. 134, 1842.
Manatina, Beich. Syn. Mamm. Cetac. 15.
Tricheche, Oken, Lehrb. Nat. 684.
Pachydermata (part), Agassis, Proc. Boston Soc. N. H. iii. 209, 1850 ;
Knechiitd, Proc. Amcr. Journ. Agr. and Sci. 1851, 42.
GravigTadi'S, lllainriUc, Osteograph.
Phytophaga sou ex spiraculis, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40.
Manatida3 sen Mastothoracea, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40.
Amphibies triremes, Duvernoy, Tab. Anim. Verteb.
Sirense, Biijjpell, Verz. Senck. Samml. 186, 1845.
Quadrupeda, s. Tetrapoda, Nectopoda, et Pinnipeda (part.), G. Fischer,
Zoognosia, 15.
Fam. 9. MANATID^.
Muzzle bristly ; lips single ; front of upper and lower jaws each
covered with a hard, horny, porous, corrugated plate. Cutting-teeth
2 or 4 above, large, conical, and exserted, or small, abortive, and
early deciduous.' Canine none. Grinders f . f to f . f , tubercular,
the front one deciduous. Nostiils 2, separate, lunate, valvular.
Eyes s«R«H, ears none. Teats 2, pectoral. Stomach divided into
four cells, two of them appendaged.
Sirenia, Illiger, Prodr. Mamm. 181.
Manatida) et Dugongidaj, Gray, L. Med. Bep. xv. 309, 1821 ; Ann.
Phil. 1825.
Tricheeus (pars), Cuv. Tab. Elem. 1798.
ManatidiB (pars), Selys-Longchamps, 1842.
Ilalicoridffi, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825 ; List Mamm. B. M. 106.
Sirenia deutigera seu Halicoreaj, et Sirenia edentata seu Rhytinise,
Brandt, Symb. Sirenol. 132, 1846.
Amphibia tetrapia Odobenia, Amphibia Diopia, Bajm. Anal. Nat.
60, 1815.
Sirenise (pars). Lesson, N. Big. Anim. 154.
1. MANATUS. 357
Manatina, Rnchh. Si/ii. Mam. 15.
Los Lamantins, Duvcrnoy, Tuh. Anini. Vert.
Trichecus (part), Artedi, Gen. Pise. 79 ; Si/n. 109.
Halicorea;, Bratult, Mem. Acad. PMersb. 1833, 103.
Rytineae, Brandt, I. c. 1833, 103.
4
yUrz^ U.,^JU^ i^c^cX^ U^^rt^^-^ '^/i^-'/ii
Oxystomus, G. Fischer, Zoogn. iJJ.
f Sii-en, Artedi, Gen. Piscitiin, 81, fi'om SjTene ; BarthoUni Hist. Anat.
Rar.
Trichecliiis, Artedi.
The number of grinders varies according to the age or state of the I '
specimens. "^Tien complete they are f . f ; but the three front on
each side are often deciduous ; hence Home (Phil. Trans. 1821, 390)
describes them as |^ . ^, and Cuvier as f . |-.
Dr. Harlan obseiTos : — " Cuvier estimates the teeth at 30, nine
on each side ; in both my specimens they do not exceed 32, eight on
each side.''
In the very young skull in the British Museum, which has holes
for the rudimentarj- upper cutting or canine teeth, there are only 24,
viz. six on each side : and the two hinder on each side must have
been hidden in the gums. In the older skulls some have eight and
others nine on each side ; but in most of them only six on each side
350 MANATIDiE.
Suborder IT. SIRENIA.
-r . .i„ T^^j^fi^ Nostrils 2, separate, apical,
hi . . ™i
^^/
aWjX
V
lK>a^\ ^
**-♦->
'N
*^ *>i~A
;,
>^
Muzzle bristly ; lips single ; tront oi •.^^^,^^.^ . .
covered with a hard, horny, porous, corrugated plate. Cutting-teetn
2 or 4 above, large, conical, and exserted, or small, abortive, and
early deciduous.' Canine none. Grinders |- . f to f . f , tubercular,
the front one deciduous. Nostiils 2, separate, lunate, valvular.
Eyes swjiil, ears none. Teats 2, pectoral. Stomach divided into
four cells, two of them appendaged.
Sirenia, Uliyer, Prodi: Mcmun. 181.
Manatidfc et Dugongidse, Gray, L. Med. Rep. xv. 309, 1821 ; Ann.
Phil. 1825.
Trichecus (pars), Cuv. Tab. EUm. 1798.
Manatidfe (pars), Selys-Longchavips, 1842.
Ilalicoridaj, Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825 ; List Mamm. B. M. 106.
Sirenia dentigera seu Halicoreffi, et Sirenia edentata seu Rhytinise,
Brandt, Symb. Sirenol. 132, 1846.
Amphibia tetrapia Odobenia, Amphibia Diopia, Rajin. Anal. Nat.
60, 1815.
Sirenise (pars). Lesson, N. Rbg. Anim. 154. ^
1. MANATUS. 357
Manatina, Reichb. Syn. Mam. 15.
Lea Lamantins, Duver-noy, Tub. Anim. Vert.
Trichecus (part), Artedi, Gen. IHsc. 79; Syn. 109.
Ilalicoreffi, Brandt, Mini. Acad. PMersb. 1833, 103.
Rytineae, Brandt, I. c. 1833, 103.
Synopsis of tue G-eneea. ^ ,/^ ^ ^vyt
Grinders distinct. Manatina. ', .J.^t/J--^
1. Manatus, Tail rounded. Grinders f or f , tubercular ; upper cutting-^ ■^ ^ ' ' '
teeth moderate.
2. Halicore. Tail forked. Grinders |, Hat-tipped ; upper cutting-teeth
produced, tusk-like.
Grinders tione. Rytinina.
3. Rytina. Tail forked. Grinders none.
a. Grinders distinct. Manatina.
1. MANATUS.
Cutting-teeth 2, very small, rudimentary, early deciduous. Canine
none. Grinders | . §, with two or three transverse throe-tubercled
ridges. Lips bristly. Back with scattered hairs. Fins with four
rudimentary hoof-liJie nails. Toes supported with phalanges. Tail
rounded or truncated at the end. Pelvic bones deficient (?). Caecum
bifid at the tip. Cervical vertebra3 6, separate, distant.
Sirenia deutigera seu Halicorea, Brandt, Sirenohyia, 1847.
Manatus, Rondel. Pise. 490; AS'i!o;v, Prudr. 41, 1^80; Cuvier, R. A.;
Illiyer, Prodr. 140, 1811 ; Rafin. Anal. Nat. Gl, 1815 ; Gray, Cat.
Cetac. B.3I. 1.39; P.Z.S. 1857,59; 1864,247; Rousseau, May. Zoul.
1850, 293 ; Schleyel, Abh. 9.
Trichechus, sp., Linn. S. N. ed. 6. 39, ed. 10, ed. 12 ; Erxleb. Mam^n. 599.
Odobenus (pars), Brisson.
Trichecus manatus, Olen, Lehrb. Nat. 687, 1815.
? NemodenniLs, Rafin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
Oxystomus, G. Fischer, Zuoyn. 19.
P Siren, Artedi, Gen. Piscium, 81, from Syi-ene ; Bartholini Hist. Anat.
Rar.
Tricbeclius, Artedi.
The number of grinders varies according to the age or state of the |
specimens. When complete they are f . | ; but the three front on
each side are often deciduous ; hence Home (PhU. Trans. 1821, 390)
describes them as -^ . ^, and CuN-ier as f . |-.
Dr. Harlan observes : — " Cuvier estimates the teeth at 30, nine
on each side ; in both my specimens they do not exceed 32, eight on
each side."
In the very young skull in the British Museum, which has holes
for the rudimentary upper cutting or canine teeth, there are only 24,
viz. six on each side : and the two hinder on each side must have
been hidden in the gums. In the older skulls some have eight and
others nine ou each side ; but in most of them only six on each side
358 MANATID-5:.
are perfect, as the anterior one on each side drops out as the new
ones are formed behind, and in each of the skulls two hinder on each
side are in the process of development. (See also Owen, Cat. Osteol.
Mus. CoU. Surg. 478.)
All the three skeletons received from Du Chaillu had the cervical
vertebra) united in their natui^al situation. There were in each of
them only six cervical vertebrte, and not seven, as some authors
have stated.
1. Manatus australis. The Manatee.
Grey-black. Nasal bones distinct, imbedded in the skuU ; front
of lower jaw flat, with a central conical prominence near the lower
edge. Gonyx of lower jaw compressed, biiid. Eibs very thick,
solid, circular at the sternal end.
Manatus, Rondel. Pise. 490 ; Klein, Pise. ii. 32 ; Brisson, P. Anim.
49,352.
Kleiner Manati (Manatus minor ?), Zimmermann, Geog. ii. 426, 388.
Lamantin, Condani. Voy. 154 ; Buff on, H. N. xiii. 377, 424, t. 57.
Manati, Aldrov. 728; Johnston, 223; Charbet, O. Z. 159.
Manatlii, Clusie, Diss. Philolog. 8, 9.
Manati seu Vacca marina, Pay, Quad. 193 (skeleton).
Taurus marinus. Ant. Herrera, Nov. Ord. 12.
Manatus borealis, Fleming, Brit. Anim. 29.
Mermaid of Shetland Seas, Edinh. Nexv Phil. Journ. vi. 67, 1829 ;
Steioart, Elem. N. Hist. i. 125.
Trichechus manatus, Linn. S. N. i. 49 ; Gmelin, S. N. i. 60 ; Sehreher,
Sdugeth. t. 8, cop. Buffoti.
Manatus australis, Tilesius, Jahrh. i. 23 ; Ozeretskmcsky, Nov. Act.
Petrop. xiii. 375. t. 13; Fischer, Syn. Manini. 601; Peiehh. Syn.
Mamm. 16 ; Icon. Cetac. t. 23. f. 72, 73, from Humboldt, Anat. Cetac.
t. 27, 28, 29 ; Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1860, 139 ; P. Z. S. 1864, 247 ;
Ann. Sr Mag. N. H. 1865, 134.
Manatus Atlanticus, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40.
Manatus (Trichechus manatus) australis, Illiger, Prodr. 110.
]/[*iliJ^ fliiAJ^'- ^^ Manatus Americanus, Dcsm. Mamm. 607 ; N. Diet. N. H. xvii. 262.
ir» ^A/J^ U l-tjSl. t. 96; Home, Lectures Comp. Anat. iv. t. 54; Schomburgh, Reisen
[\i>h^4- I S^ Brit. Guiana, iii. 786; Castletiau, Peise, 114; Schrcber, Sdugeth.
L (Uv^"«^/''^'" t. 378, t. 380. f. 1, 2, t. 381. f. 3; Guerin, Icon. Mamm. t'46;
• ' ' ■ Lessoti, Cetac. 63 ; Gosse, Jam. 346 ; Jiiger, Nova Acta Acad. Leoj}.- ^ 1
^fis l^^ Carol, xxvii. 191; Vrolik, Bijdr. tot der Dierkunde, 185^53. X /
A L- Ijt^ * '' Manate de TOr^noque, Humb. ; Wiegm. Arch. 1838, 1. 18. t. 1, 2 J
\1 y,k^ (anatomy).
^.I2' ^ u) I Manatus latirostris, Harlan, Journ. Acad. N. S. Philad. 111. 390,
-r^ jti^'^ 1824 ; Fauna Amer. 277 ; Fischer, Syn. 502 ; Peichb. Syn. Matmn.
1^.1^ ^ Y.rW 17 ; Icmi. Cetac. t. 23. f. 74 ; Anat. t. 27. f. ; Wagner, in Schreb.
r Sdugeth. t. 379. t. 381. f. 2, 5.
i'^fj^ltjL *t • Manatus australis (Surinam), Schlegel, Abhandl. t. 5. f. 3 (old), 4, 5, 6
-f"^ W (young).
I,,^f (i< K&^^^/^ Lamantin d'Am^rique, Cuvier, Ann. Mus. xiii. 273. 1. 19. f. 1-4 ; Oss.
f ^^ _x*<c/ Foss. V. 242. 1. 19. f. 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Ot/ II u'tV^* / Jamaica Manatee, Home, Phil. Trans. 1821, 390. t.
^^ e/vJ'^ Guiana Manate, Penn. Quad. ii. 297.
0Lt-c«y . If- Manate de Surinam, Kruas, Miilhr, Arch. f. Anat. 1858, 390.
if . eJ^'- , Manate Clusii and Oronoko Manate, Penn. Quad. ii. 208.
.>^'
1. MANAXUB. 359
Manatus fluviatilis, Illiger ; Wagnei; in Schrcb. Smigcth. t. 279 (head
and jaws), cop. Itcichb. Icon. Cetac. t. 2.3. f. 75.
Peixe Doi or Vacca mariua, Kidder and Fletcher's Brazils, 555, fig,
Anat. Home, Lectures, t. 55 ; Cmier, Oss. Foss, v. t. 19 ; Blainv,
Osteogr, t. ; Wiegmann, Arch. 1838, 18. t. 2.
Inhab. Tropical America, ^nn'mam {Schlegel). Q¥ua {Ciivier).
Guiana, West Indies {Home). Jamaica {Shane). Florida ? Called
Manatee, that is, fish ox, by the Negroes at Jamaica {Gosse), Coju-
mero in Guiana, Peges huey on the lliver Amazons.
a. Foetus, in spirits. Jamaica, Mus. Sloane.
b. Skull, South America?
Blainv. Osteog. Ail. O. Manatus (latirostris), pi. 111,
c. Skidl, Jamaica. From Mr, Gosso's Collection,
d. Skeleton. Surinam, From Dr, Kraus.
e. Skull. Cuba. Presented by H. Christy, Esq.
/. Skull, West Indies,
Professor Owen (Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. ii. 464) describes
the skeleton and the dentition of a young female.
Colour {above) uniform bluish black, rough-grained ; cuticle peel-
ing in several places, showing the colour. Brighter and clearer
beneath. Umlcrparts slightly paler ; front of muzzle grey. Eyes very
small, not nearly so large as a man's ; pupil comparatively large,
circular, blue ; iris very narrow, scarcely a line wide, didl greyish
white. Flesh delicious-flavoured, without any oihness, something
between veal and pork, — Gosse, Jamaica, 344,
They are found in considerable numbers about the mouths of
rivers near the capes of East Florida, lat. 25°, The Indians kill
them with harpoons during the summer months. One Indian has
been able to capture ten or twelve during a season. They measure
from 8 to 10 feet, and are about the weight of a largo ox, — Burroivs,
Journ. Acad. N. S. Philad. iii. 392.
They are mentioned in Captain Henderson's account of Honduras,
I80d.— Harlan.
Feed on a water-plant {pana hrava) that floats on the borders of
the streams. From 8 to 17 feet long. — Kidder.
The animal mentioned by Stewart and Fleming is most probably
the American Manatee, which may, under extraordinary cii'cum-
stances, bl brought by the Gulf-stream to the coast of Shetland. I
have seen no specimens ; but the size precludes it being the liytina,
to which Fleming refers it,
" The carcase of one of these animals was, in 17S5, throAvn ashore
near Leith : it was much disfigured ; and the fishermen extracted its
Uvcr and other parts, from wliich a considerable quantity of oil was
obtained." — Stewart, Elem. N. H. i. 125.
'• Zethind Mermaid. Animal 3 feet long; upper part rescmbUng
a Monkey, ^vith short arms and distinct, not webbed, fingers ; lower
part like a fish ; skin smooth, grey, without hairs or scales ; breast
pectoral." (Laurence Edmonstonc, in Echnb, Magaz, Sept, 1823,
p. 343, copied in Fleming, Brit. Anim, 30.). — Graij, Proc. Zool. Soc.
18G4, 248.
360 MANATID^.
2. Manatus Senegalensis. The Lamantin.
Nasal bones none attached to the skull ; frontal bones thick in
front; uj^per part of front of lower jaw concave, with two small
separate processes in front below. Gonyx of lower jaw convex,
rounded. Ribs slender, compressed, high, rather compressed at the
sternal end. — See Gray, Ann. 6f Mag. Nat. Hist. 1865, xv. 134.
La Doima, AM. Zucchelli, Joiirnei/ in Congo, 146.
Lamantin, Adanson, Voy. Seneg. 143 ; Christol, Ann. Sci. Nat. xv. t. 7.
f. 13, 15, 16 (arm-bones).
LamentjTi (female), Barbot, Guin. 562. t. 7 (bad).
Lamantin du Senegal, Drnib. in Huffon, N. H. xiii. 431 (no figure) ;
Cuv. Oss. Foss. V. 254. t. 19. f. 4, 5 (skull); ? Bobert, Compt. Bmd.
Acad. Set. 1836, 363.
Trichecus Manatus Africanus, Okmi, Lelirb. Nat. 688, 1815.
Manatus Senegalensis, Desm. Mamm. 508 ; Lesson, (Euvr. Buffmi, i.
69 ; iV. Beg. Anim. 155 ; Fischer, Syn. 502 ; Schreb. Sauqeth. t. 381
(skull), t. 380. f. 3, 4; F. Cuv. Cete, t. ; Gray, List Mamm. B. M.
106; Cat. Cetac. B. M. 140; Edin. Journ. Sci. ii. 186; Lesson, Cetac.
69; Hamilton, Jardine, Nat. Lib. viii. 298. 1. 19. f. 2, 3 ; Beichb. Syn.
Mamm. 17; Anat. Cetac. t. 28, from Cuvier ; A. Smith, African Zool.
123 ; Oliphant, Bep. Brit. Assoc. Glasgow, 1855, Trans. 116, 1856.
Womanfish, Purchas, ii. 1446.
Round-tailed Manate, Pe7iti. Quad. ii. 296. ? 102.
Manatus nasutus, Perkins, Proc. Boston N. H. S. ii. 198 ; Amer. Journ.
Sci. ix. 13. t. ; Wyman, Proc. Boston N. H. S. ii. 192, 1850.
Manatus Owenii, iJu Chaillu, Proc. Boston N. H. Soc. 1860 ; Gray,
Aim. Sr Mag. N. H. 1861, 64.
Manatus Vogelii, O^ven, Proc. Brit. Assoc. 1856, 100 ; Baikie, P. Z. S.
1857, 33. t. 51 (skull); Ann. i^ Mag. N H. 1857, xx. 70; Fdin.
Ne%v Phil. Journ. n. s. iv. 1856, 345.
Manatus Senegalensis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1857, 59 ; Ann. ^ Mag. N. H.
1857, XX. 312 ; Ann. ^ Mag. N. H. 1865, xv. 134.
Anat. Cuvier, Ann. Mus. xiii. t. 19. f. 4, 6 ; Oss. Foss. v. 1. 17. f. 2, 3
(? skull); Schreber, Sauqeth. t. 381; Jardine, Nat. Lib. viii. t. 19.
f. 2, 3 ; Beichb. Anat. Cet. t. 28 ; Blainv. Osteogr. t.
Inhab. West coast of Africa.
\iilKv^tel a. Stuffed. West Coast of Africa. Presented by Messrs. Forster,
J gg^ f. Smith, and Co.
b. Skin. West Africa.
c. Skeleton. West Africa.
2. HALICORE.
Cutting-teeth ^ ; two inner upper and the four lower deciduous ;
the two outer upper conical, elongate, permanent. Canine none.
Grinders f . f , truncate, with two lateral grooves. Lips bristly ;
fore feet fin -shaped, clawless. Caudal fin lunate, sinuated. Body
hairy. Cervical vertebrae 7. Caecum undivided. Pelvic bones
distinct.
Dugungus, Tiedemann, Zool. i. 554.
Odobenus, Bajin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815.
Dugong, Lnccp.
Halicore, Illiger, Prodr. 140, 1811; Oken, Lehrb. 689, 1818; Schinz,
2. HALICORE. 361
403; Knox, Cat. Prep. JVhale, 35, 1838; /. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 404;
Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M,
Rosniariis (pars), Boddaert,
Triclieciis (pars), Erxleb.
Triclieclius (part), Artedi, Gen. Pise. 80; Syn. 108.
I'latystomus, G. Fischer, Zoogn. 19.
Cervical vertebrce 7, dorsal 19 (ribs 19), lumbar, sacral, and coccy-
geal 30, =56 ; V-shaped bones commencing between the thirty-second
and thirty-third vertebrte. Weight of craniimi and lower jaw 7 lbs.
Gozs., of bones of trunk 20^^ lbs., of pectoral extremities 31bs.,=
30 lbs. 10 ozs., the weight of an cntu-e male adult human skeleton
being only 12 lbs. The bones are extremely dense and of stony
hardness ; they contain no mcdidlary ca\'ity, but consist of a texture
nearly as close as ivory and capable of being pohshed. — Knox, Cat.
Prep. 35, 1838.
The tusks and teeth are " composed of two substances, a cortical
and a medullary ; the cortical, although holding the situation of
enamel, is similar to bone, and possesses none of the qualities of that
peculiar substance ; the medullary portion is extremely hard, of a
dense texture and homogenous appearance." — Knox, Cat. Prep. 36.
" The front portion of the upper and lower jaws is covered in the
recent state with a horny covering. The outer surface presents
numerous rough-looking elevations, many of them darker around
the circumference than in the centre ; these are arranged in rows of
seven or eight each, running from each side towards the mesial lino,
but with a slight inclination from behind forward. The whole sub-
stance is composed of bristles about one-eight of an inch in length,
arranged vertically, and agglutinated together by a substance of a
homy nature. Since examining the Dugong, now seven years ago,
from which the preparations nos. Ill and 112 were prociu-ed, I
have been convinced that SteUer was simjjly desciibing a similar
substance, no doubt on a larger scale, as the animal is said to reach
26 feet. The substance is neither teeth nor analogous to teeth, and
we might with the same propriety describe the rough and semi-
horny substance covering the osseous palate of the sheep, cow, &c.,
as a tooth. As a proof that it is not analogous even to teeth, the
surface of the lower jaw contains rudimentaiy teeth imbedded deep
in the osseous texture." — Kno.v, Cat. Prep. 37, 1838.
Cervical vertebra; 7, all fi-ee ; first and second no lateral process ; third
to the seventh thin, with small lateral processes. — Mus. Edinh. 47.
Dr. Knox suspects there are two species, one with what Sir E. Home
calls the permanent, and the other with what he, erroneously, as Dr.
Knox suspects, calls the milk tusks. — Trans. Roij. Sac. Edinh. ii. 395.
1. Halicore Dugong. The Indian Dugong.
Halicore australis, Oicen, Jukes s Voi/. H.M.S. Fly, ii. 225. f. 1. t. 27.
f. 3. 328. f. 5 ; Mdcr/illirray, Voy. 'Hattlesnake, i. 48.
II. (Trichechus) Dugong, Il/ir/cr, Prodr. 140 ; Schreb. Siiuyeth. t. 380.
f. 5, 6. t. 382, 383 ; Bi-ivhb. Syn. Mumm. 10 ; Icon. Cetac. t. 22. f. 70,
71, from F. Cuvier et Quay.
362 MANATIDiK.
H. Dugiing, F. Cuv. Mamm. Lith. t. ; Gu6rin, Icon. t. 46; Lesson,
JV. R. Anim. 154 ; Fischer, Syn. Mamm. 503 ; Gray, List Mamm.
B. M. ; Rousseau, Mag. Zool. 1856, 198 ; Volkmann, Anat. Anim.
t. 9. f. 1 (skeleton).
H. cetacea, Illiger, Ahhandl. Berl. Akad. 1813.
II. Indicus, Des7n. Mamm. 509 ; Schreb. ii. 267 ; Quay et Gaim. Voy.
Astrol. t. 27 ; Oicen, Jukes' s Voy. Fly, ii. 323, 325, 327.
H. Indica, Raijp, Cetac. 2Q. t. 1 (foetus, Mus. Zurich) ; A. Smith, South
African Zool. 122.
Ilalicore Sjren, J. Brookes, Cat. Mus. 40.
Tricliechus Dugong, Gmelin, S. N. i. 60 ; Erxleb. Syst. 599 ; Zimmer-
mann, Geoy. ii. 425 ; Voy. Pole Sud, Mamm. t. 20, 21 a, b, c, d.
Trichecus Dugong, Pucheran, Voy. Dmnont d' Urville, Mamm. t. 20,
20 a, 20 D, from Banda.
Dugungus marinus, Tiedem. Zool. i. 554.
Dugungus Indicus, Hamilton, Jard. Nat. Lib. viii. 300.
Indian Walrus, Penn. Syn. Quad.SSS; Shaw, Zool. i. 239; Quad. ii. 269.
Wliale-tailed Manatee, Pen)i. Quad. ii. 292.
Lamantin, Leynate, Voy.
Manati, Banks, Pennant Quad. 293 ; Voy. de la Caille, 229.
Le Dugong, Renard, Poissons des Ind. i. t. 34. f. 180 ; Bufmi, H. N.
xiii. 374. t. 56 (skull) ; Camper, iii. 479. t. 7. f. 2, 4 ; ( 'iiricr, Oss.
Foss. V. 252 ; N. Act. Petro2). xiii. 374 ; F. Cuvier, Mamm. Lithoq.
t. 97.
Dugong, Raffles, Linn. Trans. ; Phil. Trans. 1820, 174 ; Home, Phil.
Trans. 1820, 144. t. 12, 14, 314. t. 25, 31 ; 1821, 390; CojniJ. Anat.
t. 52 (yoimg), t. 53 (skeleton) ; Knox, Edinb. Jottrn. Sci. 1829, i.
157 ; Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. i. 389. 1831 ; Blaifiville, Comptes
Rendus Acad. Sci. 1837, March, 3. fig. (skull) ; Owen, P. Z. S. vi.
28, 1838 ; Christol, An7i. Sci. Nat. xv. t. 7. f. 12, 14, 16 (arm-bones);
Bischoff, Midler, Arch, fur Anat. 1847, 1.
Dugong des Indes, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. Astrol. Mamm. 143, t. 27 ;
Lesson, Cetac. 80.
Anat. Dauhenton, Buffon, H. N. xiii. t. 56 (skull) ; Home, Phil. Trans.
1821, t. 20; Pander et Alton, Robben, t. 5; Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 259,
t. 20, 1. 19. f. 6, 7 (mutilated) ; Volkmann, Anat. Anim. i. t. 9. f. 1
Blainv. Compt. Rendus, 1837, 3. f. ; Camper, iii. 479. t. 7. f. 2, .3, 4
Owen, Jukes' s Voy. Fly, ii. 323, 325. f. 2, 327. f. 4, 328. f. 6; Reichenb
Icon. Cetac. t. 26, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Inhab. Indian Ocean. Banda. Mozambique Channel {A. Smith).
North-west coast of Australia, called Ymig-un.
a. Animal, stuffed. Malacca.
h. SkiiU (adult). India. Presented by "Walter Elliot, Esq.
c, c. Two upper jaws. North-east coast of New Holland. Presented
by J. B. Jukes, Esq.
d, Skull. Presented by J. B. Jukes, Esq. (lower jaw wanting).
e, f. Two skulls. Moreton Bay. Presented by Capt. Stanley, R.N.
Voyage of H.M.S. ' Eattlesnake.'
(/. SkuU. Darnley Island, Torres Straits. Presented by the Earl
of Derby.
The skeleton of this animal is fully described by Professor Owen
in the ' Descriptive Catalogue of the Osteological Series in the Museum
of the College of Surgeons,' p. 459, nos. 2543-2631.
After careful study and comparison I have been unable to discover
2. nALTCORE. 363
any external differciieo, or character in the skull and skeleton, by
which I can separate the Indian from the Australian Dugong ; the
changes in the form of the skull and teeth are common to the speci-
mens of the two localities ; therefore I am inclined to believe that
the slight changes in the form of the bladobone and teeth which
have been observed have arisen from the age or sex of the specimen
described.
The skulls do not seem to be so liable to vary in form as the skull
of the Manatee of America and Africa.
Legnate mentions the Dugong as inhabiting the shores of the
Mascarin Islands " in great numbers. They attain 20 feet in length,
and feed like sheep in three or four fathoms of water, making no
attempt at escape when approached. Sometimes they were shot at
the end of the musket, sometimes laid hold of and forced on shore.
Three or four hundred were met with together, and they were so far
fi-om shy that they suiFered themselves to be handled, and the fattest
were thus selected. The larger ones were avoided, not only on
account of the trouble they gave in the capture, but because the
flesh was not so good as that of the smaller and younger ones." —
Penwj Cydopcedla, Whales.
General Hardvsdcke's figure of the Malay Dugong, which was taken
from life, represents the animal as uniform slaty black ; and M. F.
Cuvier's figure was a copy of this figure, taken by M. DuvauccUe.
In the ' Voyage of the Astrolabe ' the Dugong is figured pale ful-
vous, with white lower parts, and with fulvous blotches on the side.
This was probably from a dry skin.
Sir J. E. Tennant, in his work on Ceylon, gives a woodcut show-
ing the mode in which the female carries her young.
The Dugong is seldom caught at Singapore. About 8 or 9 feet in
length ; but how much larger they grow is not ascertained, as when
they exceed that size their superior strength enables them to make
their escape. — liaffics, Linn. Trans, xiii.
The Dugong is not numerous at Singapore, still less so to the
northward, and has but in few instances been observed in Kurla
moda, the mouth of the river which foi'ms the northern boundary of
the province of Wellcsley. It is called Duyon or Pa7-ampuan Laut
by the Malays. — Cantor, Malay Mamm. 60.
The Andaman Island is the most northern locality yet ascertained
of the Indian Dugong in the Bay of Bengal. It must be scarce there,
or the bones would be more frequently found to decorate those rude
lairs. They are common in the Gulf of Calpentyn, on the west coast
of Ceylon, where the ficsh is held in esteem, and they occur in all the
salt-water inlets from that gulf to Adambridge. They are also found,
and called " the Seal," on the shore and in the salt-water inlet of
the Concan, where they feed on the vegetable matter found on the
rocks, and bask and sleep in the morning sun. These are most
likely the seals mentioned by Forbes, in his ' Oriental Memoirs,' as
abounding in the salt water of Travancore. He described their skin
as covered with soft, oily haii', and having short ears.
Barchemitz says the males at Moreton Bay are a little larger than
364 MANATID^.
the females. They are often more than 20 feet long. They live
upon a green grass which grows upon the bank.
Peron observes, the sailors were alarmed by a terrific howling,
which resembled the roaring of a bull, but much stronger, and seemed
to come from the neighboming reeds. And Mr. Fraser, in Captain
Stirling's Surveying Voyage, 1826, notices that while attending to
the boat on the river, he " distinctly heard the beUowiiig of some
huge animal, similar to that of an ox, from an extensive marsh
further up the river." The roars were doubtless from the Dugong.
Dampier obsei-ved these animals in Australia, but he mistook
them for Hippojwtami ; but he only saw a head, half decomposed by
digestion, and the tusk doubtless helped to mislead him.
Peron mentions the existence of a Dugon on the Australian coast
in his ' Voyage of Discovery to Australia,' published in 1807, but he
only saw a few teeth collected by the sailors from a half-decomposed
specimen.
The late Dr. Eobert Tyler presented a skuU and some other bones
to the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. In 1827 he read
a paper on the Dugong or Dayoumy, on the bones of four different
individuals which he had picked up at Raffles Bay on the north coast
of Australia. (See Mem. of Dr. 11. Tyler, Corbyn's Indian Rev. 1838,
iii. p. 46, and Blyth, Report Asiatic Soc. 14.)
Known to the colonists in Morton Bay as the " Sea-pig." The
skin is thick and smooth, with a few hairs scattered on the surface.
Bluish on the back, with a white breast and beUy. The adult male
does not exceed 18 or 20 feet long. It chiefly feeds on marine
vegetables which it finds at the bottom of the inlets m comparatively
shallow water, where it is easily captured. The flesh resembles
good beef, and is much esteemed. The oil obtained fi'om its fat is
peculiarly clear and limpid, and free from any disagreeable smell
found in most animal oils. The blacks devour the carcase roasted,
after expressing the oil for sale to the colonists. — Abridged from
Sklneg's Three Colonies of Australia, 1852, 337.
The author of - Ramble at the Antipodes,' 1859, described the
flesh of the Dugong, or Yangan of the aborigines, as excellent,
having the taste of tender beef, and, when salted, nearly resembling
bacon.
The Australian Dugong is met ydth. on the north coast of that
island continent within the Great Burrow Reef at Swan River on the
western side, at Moreton Bay on the eastern, and in Port Essington
and Shasta Bay on the north coast. But it may be doubtful if they
are all the same species. Professor Owen's H. anstralis is described
from the animal found in Port Essington (see Cat. Osteol. Series
Mus. CoU. Sui'geons).
2. Halicore Tabernacnli.
" Tachas vel Thachiisa, 3Iuscs, in Kiodiis, xxv. 5," Riippell.
Halicore tabernaculi, BUpju'll, Mus. Scnckmib. i. Il3. t. 6.
II. Dugong, var., Meichb. Si/n. Mamm. 16.
3. RTTINA. 365
II. Ilenipricliii (Nake), JHhrenb. Symb. Phys. ii.
H. Lottum, Ehrcnh. Symb. Pliys. i.
Inhab. lied Sea.
Observed by Dr. Riippell " swimming among the coral banks on
the coast of Abyssinia, near the Dalae Island." The fishermen har-
pooned a female, which he dissected. It was 1 0 feet long.
The Arabs stated that they live in pairs or small families ; that
they have feeble voices, feed on ahjce, and that in February and March
bloody battles take place between the males, which attain to 18 feet,
&c. — Penny Cychpcedia, art. Whales.
This is probably the same as the Dugong from India and AvistraUa ;
but I have not had the opportunity of comparing the skull and skins
as in that species.
b. Teeth none. Rytinina.
3. RYTINA.
Cutting-teeth, canines, and grinders none. Muzzle blunt, hps
double, outer upper bristly. Ears none. Eyes covered with a
blinking membrane. Skin covered with a thick, brittle or ea.sily
cracking fibrous epidermis. The fore feet with claw-Uke callosities,
not supported by phalanges. The tail horizontal, bifid. Teats two,
pectoral. Pelvic bones distinct. Stomach simple.
Sirenia edentula seu RhytinesE, Bramlt, Symb. Strenol. 1849.
Manate seu Vacca marina, Steller, Acad. Petrop. Nov. Comm. ii. 294.
1. 14.
Rytina, lUiger, Prodr. 141, 1811 ; Oken, Lehrb. Nat. 685 ; Wugler, 33 ;
Beer, Me'm. Acad. Petersb. 1840, 111 ; Sirenohyia, 1849.
Rhytina, Brandt, Mem. Acad. Imp. Petersb. vii. 184G ; Symb. Sireno-
loyia, 184(3.
Rityua, Lesson, Noav. Ebg. Antm. 155, 1842 (misprint).
Stellerus, Desm. ; Cavier, P. A. i. 275.
Hydrodamalis, Petzms.
? Uystomus, G. Fischer, Zoogn. 19.
Nepus, Gutth. Fischer von Tf'aldheim,
SteUere, Cuvier, Peg. Anim.
Dr. Knox (Cat. Prep. TVTiales, 37, 1838) shows that the substance
in the palate which Steller describes, and which has been mistaken
for teeth, is only a horny skin of the bent-down portion of the two
jaws, common to this animal and the Dugong. This suggestion has
been adopted by F. Cuvier (Cetac. 377) and Brandt in his ' Sireno-
logia.' The latter figiires them, and exhibits their structure ixnder
the microscope. This horny substance bears evidently a considerable
analogy to the baleen of the common whale.
Eytina gigas. The Morsl-aia Korova.
Black.
Manate seu Vacca marina, Steller, N. Act. Petrop. ii. 294.
Tricbecus Manatus, Midi. Prodr. Z. Dan.
Trichecus (Mauatiis) borealis, Gmelin, S. N. i. GO; Oke>i, Lehrb. Nat. 685.
^.M
366 MANATIDJE.
Nordische Seekuh (Rytina), Beer, Mem. Acad. Pcteisb. 1840, 111.
Manatus gigas, Zimmerm. Geog. ii. 426.
M. borealis, Tiksius, Jahrb. i. 23 ; Pallas, Zool. Rosso-Asiat. i. 272.
Manatus SteUeri, Ozeretskotvsky, Nov. Act. Ac. Petrop. xiii. t. 13. f.
(embryo).
Rytina Stelleri, Illigcr, Prodr. 141 ; Besm. N. Diet. H. N. xix. 574 ;
Rekhb. Syn. Mamm. 15 ; Icoti. Cetac. t. 22. f. 69, from Steller ;
Anat. Cetac. t. 25, from Brandt ; Alex. v. Nordtnann, Beitrage zur
Kenntniss cles Knochenbaues der Rhytina Stelleri, Helsingfors 1861,
33 pp. and 5 tab. ; Act. Soc. Set. Fenn. vii. ; Arch. Naiurg. 1862,
153 ; Nordtnann, Paldontologie Siid-Russland\s, Helsingfors 1859-60,
328.
Stellerus borealis, Desm. Mamm. 510 ; Lesson, Cetac. 88 ; Jardine, Nat.
Lib. viii. 307.
Rytina borealis, F. Cuvier, Cetac. 41.
Rityna Stelleri, Lesson, N. Reg. Anim. 155.
Rhytina borealis, Brandt, Mem. Acad. Petrop. 1846 ; Synib. Sirenolog.
141. t.1-4 (skull), t. 5 (ideal figure); Rousseau, Mag. Zoo/. 1856, 199.
Stellere, Ciivier, R. A. i. 275; Oss. Foss. v. 256.
Whale-tailed Manate, Penn. Quad. ii. 292.
Tnhab. Arctic Ocean. Behring's Straits. Skull (imperfect), Mus.
St. Petersb.
a, b. Two ribs from Behring's Straits. Received from the Museum of
the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.
SteUer, who first discovered the Rytina during Behring's second
expedition, in 1741, when ten months were passed upon Behring's
Island, the only spot where this remarkable animal is known to
have existed in recent times, estimated its numbers as then so large
as to be sufficient to feed the whole population of Kamtschatka.
But the hunters and adventurers foUowing in SteUer's track along
the chain of the Aleutian Islands, who were in the habit of wintering
on Behring's Island, and of provisioning their ships with these
animals, made such havoc with them that, as we are informed by
Sauer, in his narrative of Behring's third expedition, which remained
five years in those seas, from 1789 to 1793, they were at that time
totally extinct, the last known individual having been killed in 1768.
(Beer, Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. 1840, iii. 53, quoted Nat. Hist. Eev.
1865, 15 ; see also Owen, Palseont. 400.)
A skeleton, wanting the hand-bones, some of the caudal vertebrae,
and the epiphyses of the shoulderblades, humerus, ulna, and radius,
was discovered and dug up by two Aleutians and sent to the National
Museum of Helsingfors, where it has been described and figured by
Dr. Alexander von Nordmann.
According to Nordmann, there are three skeletons of this animal
in Russia, — one at the Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg, the
second at the Museum at Helsingfors, and the third at Moscow.
(See BuU. Acad. Roy. Belgique, xiii. 341, 1862.)
The Sea-ape, Penn. Qimcl. ii. 301 (Trichecus Hydropithecus, Shaiv,
Zool. i. 247 ; Manatus Simia, Illir/er, Ahli. Berl. Alcad. 1813 ; M. ?
Hydropithecus, Fischer, Syn. 502, all from Steller), is perhaps another
animal of this family, if it is not a Seal ?
I
367
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
After Halicyon Richardi (pcigc 30), add : —
Halicyon? Californica.
A Seal without ears, with large, pale riugs, which are more or less
confluent.
Inhab. California.
This Seal is thus described by Hutching.
The Hair Seal (Phoca jubata), Hutching, Scenes of Wotuler and Curi-
osity in California, 189, fig.
" Inhab. California, near St. Francisco. Tarallone Islands.
" There are several kinds of Seal that pay a short ^-isit to the
Tarallone Islands at different seasons of the year, one of the most
beautiful of which is the Hair Seal of the Pacific (P. jvhata). This
Seal, with which the coast of California abounds, is by no means
rare, as almost all the coasts in high southern and northern lati-
tudes abound Avith it" (p. 189). It has no affinity to the Phoca
jvhata of the Systematic Catalogue.
Trichecus Rosmarus (p. 36).
Add to description of Morse : —
The Morse sits with its hind Hmbs bent foi-ward, resting on its
fore Hmbs with their ends bent outwards. The animal is repre-
sented in the proper attitude in old Danish plates, and in Cook's
' Voyage.' Buflf'on, misled probably by some animal-preserver, repre-
sents the body much elongated, and with the hind legs extended
backward on the sides of the tail, hke the general run of earless Seals.
(See Hist. Nat. xiii. t. 54.) The Morse, which is an earless Seal, in
this respect differs from the rest of the groiip, sits in the same manner
as the eared Seals of the family Arctocepludina (p. 44), and in this
habit seems to form a link between the two grouj^s of Seals.
Cystophora AntiUarum (page 43).
Seal, IlilVs Jaynaica Almanack, 1843.
The Pedro Seal (Phoca Wilkianus), Gosse, Nat. Sojourn in Jamaicaf
307, 308.
Inhab. Jamaica. Pedro Kays (WiJlcie, 1846),
" Cutting-teeth j, canines j-f^, grinders ^-^=32. The molars are
five-lobed, and conical. Bristles numerous, strong, very tlexible, of a
368 ADDITIONS AXD CORRBCTIONS.
bluish hue, with transverse bars of grc}\ The colour of the back is
an intense and uniform black. The hair is short and stiff, and ex-
tremely and curiously close. The palms of the flippers are bare.
The fore paw has much more the form of a foot than of a hand, the
first finger, answering to the thumb, being the longest. There are
nails only on the fore paw, those of the hinder being rudimentary.
The eyes are large, black, and full ; the irides crimson, and small."
(See Gosse, p. 309.)
" The measurements of this specimen were as foUows, in feet and
inches : — Total length along the back from the snout to the tail 4' 2",
from snout to insertion of fore paw 1' 6", from insertion of fore paw
to hind paw 2' 10" ; breadth of back at fore paws 1', from one fore
paw to the other 1', from one fore paw to the other extended 2' 6",
of head across ears 7", of nose 4|" ; length of fore paw 10", of hind
paw 11", of head 9", of tail 3" ; circumference of the body over fore
paws 3' 2", at hind paws 1' 6"."
" One of the skins obtained by Mr. Wilkie was given to Mr. Gosse,
and transferred by him to the British Museum. As the skull was
not preserved, the actual identity of the species with the smaller
specimen described by Mr. Hill cannot with certainty be established.
The length of this skin from nose to tip of the tail is 6 feet 6 inches,
circumference at the fore paw 3 feet 4 inches. Length of the fore
paw llg, of hind paw 10|, of tail 2 inches." (See Gosse, p. 314.)
SubfamUy 5. ARCTOCEPHALINA (page 44).
These Seals, unlike those of the former groups, walk about more
like other quadrupeds — that is to say, stand on the limbs, and use
them (not the muscles of the abdomen) in progression. When
walking they raise their body from the ground, resting on their
limbs, the front limbs being erect to the wrist, with the hands bent
out. When at rest, the hind part of the body is bent under, and the
hind limbs are extended in front on the sides of the body.
The animals are represented at rest by Dr. Forster, who accom-
panied Captain Cook ; and his figures were engraved by Buff'on ; but
these figures scarcely prepare one for the great power possessed by
these animals. I saw one lately alive at Cremorne Gardens, where
it was erroneously called a " Sea-Bear."
Mr. Gould, in his ' Mammalia of Australia,' figures the Arctoce-
phalus hiatus, probably from a stuff'ed specimen, resting in the same
manner as the common earless Seal, with the hind limbs extended
out behind on the sides of the tail — an attitude that was never
assumed by the Arciocephalus exhibited at Cremorne ; and indeed
the articulation of the thigh-bones to the pehds of this animal and
the Morse shows that such an attitude cannot easily, if at all, be
assumed by them. They have, unlike the earless Seals, a prominent
scrotum.
Arctocephalus Monteriensis (page 49).
The following is probably one of the Californian species of this
ABDITI0N3 AND COREECTIONS. 369
genus. Hutching's figure 1 represents the animal in the posture often
assumed by the living specimen of the genus shown at Cremorne.
Sea Lion of the Turallone Islands, Ilutchiiuj, Scenes of Wonder and
Curiosity in California, 187, f. 1 & 2.
Inhab. California : St. Francisco. Turallone Islands.
" Upon the rock adjacent to the sea repose in easy indifference
thousands, yes thousands, of Sea Lions (one species of the Seal), that
weigh from one to five thousand pounds each. When we were
within a few yards of them the majority took to the water, while
two or three of the oldest and largest remained upon the rocks
' standing guard ' over the young calves that were either at play
with each other or asleep at their sides.
'*' Most of these young Seals are of a dark mauve colour ; but the
old ones are of a light and bright brown about the head, and gradu-
ally become darker towards the extremities, which are about the
same coloiu' as the yoimg calves'. Most of the male and young
female Seals leave these islands during the month of November, and
generally all go at once, returning in April or May the following
spring, while the old females remain here nearly alone throughout
the winter, a rather ungaUant proceeding on the part of the males."
—Hutching, I c. 189.
Otaria leonina (page 59).
Buffon figured the Sea Bear and Sea Lion from the drawings of
Dr. E.. Forstcr, who accompanied Captain Cook in his voyage round
the world. He also gives an account of their habits from Steller
and Captain Cook's voyages. In his work the position and form of
the ears, the peculiar structure of the feet, the external scrotum, and
other particTdars of the structure of the group are noted. Among
other particulars of their habits, he states that the females he on
their backs on the sand of the shore when they receive the caresses
of the males, that an old male heads each herd, which consists of
spveral adult females and their young, and that the males fight
fiercely among themselves to increase the number of the adult
females in their herds.
Forster's drawings, copied by Buff'on (Suppl. vi. t. 78), correctly
represent the animals when at rest, with their hind feet bent for-
ward ; but they do not show the peculiarity (nor is it recorded in his
notes) that the animal walks on tlie edge of the palm of the fore fin,
with the fingers extended, raising the lower surface of the body from
the ground. In this respect the cared Seal agrees ^Wth the Morse as
figured by G. A. at Hessel in 1613, and by Captain Cook in his last
' Voyage.' (See Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1853, 115, 116.)
There was exhibited at Cremorne, as a Sea Bear, an eared Seal ;
but it was not easy to determine the genus or the species, as it was
not possible to examine its teeth and palate. The external colouring
most resembled that oi Arctncephalus lohatus from Australia ; but the
exhibitors said that it came from Cape Horn : if so, it was probably a
small Otaria leonina. Unfortimately little reliance can be placed on
2 B
370
ADDITIONS AND COREECTIONS.
the statements of such people, as they seem to delight in making a
mystery of the country from which they derived their specimen, pro-
bably fearing that some one else may procure one for exhibition.
Thus all the specimens of the "Talking Fish," or Monk Seal {Monachus
aJhiventer) of the Mediterranean and Madeira, are always said to be
brought from South America. Ycry good figures of this animal, in
various attitudes, and an amusing account of its manners, are given by
the Eev. J. G. Wood in the ' Boys' Own Magazine,' vi. 213, 18G5.
Balssua Mysticetus (page 81).
There is a beautiful skeleton of an adult female (a full-formed
foetus was taken from the womb) in the Museum of the Royal
CoUege of Surgeons.
Mr. Flower informs me that this skeleton entirely invalidates the
late Professor Eschricht's observations on the distinction between
the skeleton of the male and female whales ; but it is to be observed
that Professor Eschricht never saw the skeleton of the adult female.
The figure of the " Bonnet of the Whale," at page 95, is unfortu-
nately, as it was also in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,'
1864, 170, placed wrong side upwards, the straight upper edge being
the one affixed to the skin of the head of the whale, a portion of the
skin s^illj adhering to the bonnet.
Fig. 73.
BalsBna Sieboldii (page 96).
Mr. Joseph AUen, of Stoke Newington, has a Japanese work, in
two volumes, on whale-fishing in those waters. The first volume
contains an account of the way in which whales are caught on the
coast of Japan, with plates of the boats, nets, and the manner of
boiling out the oil from the blubber and the bones, which they seem
to chop up for the purpose. The second contains an account of the
anatomy of the Right Whale and the Long-finned Whale, and of the
apparatus used in whale-fishing, illustrated with figm-es of the bones,
viscera, and of the barrels, knives, and harpoons used in the fishery,
the figures of the knives and harpoons being the size of the instru-
ments used.
ADDITIONS AND COKRECTIONS. 371
Caperea antipodartun (page 101).
There is a nearly complete but not articulated skeleton, of a whale
taken on the coast of New Zealand, in the court of the Museum of
Comparative Anatomy at Paris, which M. Serrcs has named BaJcena
australis ; but Professor Lilljeborg observes that " it is an entirely dif-
ferent species, and without doubt the Eahalcena antipodarinn of Gray.
The bladebonc is of a very distinctive form, and has the rudiment of
an acromion. The car-bones are lost." The bladebone, according to
the di-awing that il. Lilljeborg sent to me, " is triangular, as wide at
the upper end as the length of the bone, and the rudimentary acro-
mion is a small protuberance about one-third from the upper edge."
— Letter from Professor Lilljeborg, 1865.
The beautiful preserved skeleton, with all its whalebone, in the
Paris Museum, wliich was prepared by a Captain of the French Navy
on the coast of New Zealand, greatly resembles the skeleton of the
Cape whale described by Cuvier as B. australis. It has the smaller
head, square nasal bones, and simple (not forked) first rib of that
animal. In the latter respect it differs entirely from the skeleton of
B. australis in the Leyden Museum. — W. Flower s Notes, Oct. 1865.
MACLEAYIUS (pages 78 and 103).
It appears from further information and additional jAotographs
that I have received from Mr. Krefft, that I misunderstood his letter
and the photograph ; and the section that I have formed in the family
Balcenidce for a genus with a separate atlas, and the observations I
have made on it, are all a mistake : the atlas bone is entirely
soldered to the rest of the mass, as in other Baleenidce. This is to
be regretted ; but still the form of the atlas is so distinct from that of
any other known genus of Balcenidce, that I beheve the Australian
Right "VSTialo will be a distinct genus, to which the name Macleaijius
may be properly applied, and it is no doubt a true Balcenida.
Mr. Krefft has sent the two following figures (p. 372) to further
illiistrate the mass of cervical vertebra; to which the name Madeayius
Australicnsis has been attached.
The additional photographs confinn the opinion that the cervical
vertebraj are allied to those of the family Bcdcenidce — so much so that,
if Mr. Krefft had not sent it to me figui'ed with separate atlas placed
in front, I should have believed that the mass was the atlas and
cervical vertebra; of a Balcenida agglutinated in a single body, as is
usual in that family.
This similarity did not strike me so forcibly until I saw these
additional views, especially the one that shows the hinder part of
the lateral processes of the anterior cervical vertebra of the mass,
fig. 74. .
In describing from drawings and photographs, one labours under
considerable difficulties ; yet such is the extraordinary absence of
knowledge on the subject of the larger whales, that it is better they
should be noticed and figured until more complete skeletons can be
obtained.
2b2
372
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
Species described from photograplis of bones are at any rate much
"better established than the many of Dolphins and "WTiales which the
French zoologists have described from figures taken when the ani-
mals were swimming in the sea at a greater or less distance from
the ship, which encumber our catalogiies ; for they are described
from tangible natural bodies that can be identified when more per-
fect specimens are obtained.
" The back view of the mass, the atlas anchylosed to the other cervical.
Fit?. 75.
"An oblique vii w of the mass, from the same specimen."
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 373
The atlas vertebra (which is represented in front of the mass) is
very unlike the atlas of any other known genus, as stated in my
former paper : it is characterized by its broad, extended, and trun-
cated lateral jiroce^ses arising fi-ora the middle of the sides of the
body, and especially by the neural arch being broad, and furnished
with a high, sharp keel produced into a spine on the middle of the
hinder part of the uj^per edge.
The second and third cervical vertebrae have thick, short, blunt
upper and lower lateral processes, far apart on the upper and lower
parts of the body. The two upper ones are anchylosed together into
a mass ; the two lower ones are separated at the end, thick, promi-
nent, rounded at the sides, and seem, in the front view (fig. 10), to
project under the lateral processes of the first cervical vertebra.
The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh cervicals are thin, and have very
thin lanceolate upper lateral processes, which are anchylosed together
and are partly fi-eo down the sides of the bodies of these vertebrae.
The lower lateral processes are rudimentary, only prominent tubercles.
The first and second dorsal, as in Balana, seem to be more or less
anchylosed to the cervical vertebrae.
The united vertebras have peculiar characters which separate them
from the cervical vertebrae of any Balcenida known, so that they
indicate a new form of Right Whale.
Megaptera longimana, var. Mooeei (page 122).
The skeleton of the specimen which was taken in the estuary of
the Dee, 18G3, has been mounted, and is exhibited in the Free
Museum at Liverpool.
Poescopia Lalandii (page 126).
Professor Yan Benedeu (Bull. Acad. Royale de Belgique, xviii.
1864) has published an essay to prove that the Cape Humpbacked
Wliale is a distinct species from the Greenland Long-armed Whale.
He has described and figured some of the peculiarities ; but he has
overlooked the fact that the presence of the " bosse" or hump was
recognized by the early whalers, and Dudley, in the middle of the
last century, called them "Bunch or Humpbacked Whales:" he
seems to believe that Professor Eschricht discovered it. It was ex-
traordinary that so accurate an observer as my late friend Professor
Eschricht did not observe the diflV'rcnce between the skeletons de-
scribed and figured by Budolphi and himself and the figui-es of the
bones of the Cape Long-armed Whale figured by Cuvier.
Eschrichtins robustus (page 133).
Eschriclitius robustus, Grmj, P. Z. S. 1805, 42 (figm-e of vertebra).
Mr. Pengelly has kindly informed me that a second cervical ver-
tebra of tliis whale was picked up, washed asliorc at Babbieombe Bay,
eaiiy in June ISGo.
374 ADDITIONS AND COREECTIONS.
Physalus antiquorum (page 144).
Dr. Murie, in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 206, gives some details of the
anatomy of this species, with figures.
A specimen, apparently of this species, was cast ashore on the
beach at Pevensey in November 1865. Mr. W. Flower, who went to
examine it, informs me " it is 67 feet long ; the baleen is very light-
coloured, almost like that of Balcenojjtera rostrata on the inner hairy
side, but slate-coloured externally." The cuticle is nearly aU off,
and it smells abominably.
Professor Lilljeborg informs me there is a stuffed skin and the
skeleton of a young common Finner {P. antiqnorum), taken at the
mouth of the Seine in 1847, in the Paris Museiim, which is 14 metres
(above 40 feet) long. The lateral process of the second cervical ver-
tebra in this specimen has the two lobes united so as to form a ring
on one side, and the lobes truncated and separate on the other, " as
in BenedeniaJ'
This form of the second cervical is to be observed in all the young
specimens of Physalus ; but that does not prove that Benedenia is a
young Physalus.
After the remarks on Physalus Duguidii, (at page 160) add : —
* The lateral rings of the cervical vertehroi as long as the diameter of the
body of the vertebrcp.
1. P. antiquorum, p. 144.
2. P. Duguidii, p. 158.
** Tlie lateral rings of the cervical vertebra shorter than the diameter of the
body of the vertebres.
3. Physalus Patachonicus.
The neural canal almost half as wide as the diameter of the body
of the vertebrae. The lateral processes of the atlas subcentral, sub-
cylindiical, blunt. The rings of the second, thii'd, and fourth cervical
vertebrae shorter than the diameter of the oblong bodies. The upper
lateral processes of the sixth cervical bent down.
Physalus Patachonicus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 190.
Balffinoptera Patachonica, Burmeister, P. Z. S. 1865,195; Ann. SfMag,
N. H. 18G5, xvi. 59. f. 1-11 (figures of bones).
Inhab. Eiver Plata. Museum of Buenos Ayres. — Burmeister.
" I now send you di'awings of the Whale in the Buenos Ayres
Museum, drawn by myself, and, as I believe, exact to nature.
" Fig. 76. The skull. We have two specimens — one complete,
the other consisting only of the hinder part, without the jaws. In
the former the upper jaws are no longer in position, but separated
from the cranium, and therefore little importance can be attached to
the width of the opening between the intermaxillary bones in the
anterior part of the cleft between them ; it may be somewhat ex-
ADDITIONS AND COEEECTIONS.
375
aggerated. All the other parts are entirely exact from nature, and
well preserved.
Fig. 70.
Skull seen from above.
" Length of the intermaxillary, 7 feet 2 inches ; length of the
maxillary, 7 feet ; length of the mider jaw, 10 feet 2 inches. Breadth
of the frontal bones between the orbits, 5 feet ; breadth of the vertex
behind, 2 feet 8 inches.
Fiff. 77.
First corneal vortubra.
376
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
" The baleen is entirely black, without any other colour. "We hav-e
two kinds in the Museum — one 5^ feet, and the other 1 foot 8 inches
in length. This last only may be from the Bcdimoptera ; the other
perhaps from a Balcena, because it is much more slender and more
fiinged.
" Comparing my drawing (fig. 76) with that of Cuvier from the
Cape Bal(m,o])tera (Oss. Foss. pi. 26. fig. 2), you will find that the
suture between the frontal bone and the parietal is situated much
Fig. 78.
Second cervical vertebra.
Fig. 79.
Fourth cervical vertebra.
more towards the external part of the frontal bone, being in my skull
exactly in the angle where both bones are united, and therefore not
seen from above in my di-awing. Another diifcrencc of the species
ADDITIONS AND COKRECTIONS.
377
is indicated by the longitudinal carina in the vertex of the Cape spe-
cies, there being no trace of such carina in either of my specimens.
" Unfortiniatoly the tympanic bones are 'wanting in both, and I
can tell you nothing of them. But the zygomatic bone is preserved,
and is of the same form as that figured in Cuvier's work, figs. 1 and
3, but somewhat smaller than the latter figure.
" The seven cervical vertebrae are free, separate from each other,
and the body of every one has the epiph3'ses on each side, the sjiccimen
being that of a young individual. But in the atlas and front side of
the axis these epiphyses do not exist. I send you drawings of the first
(fig. 77), the second (fig. 78), the fourth (fig. 79), and the sixth (fig. 80)
Fig. 80.
Sixth cervical vertebra.
vertebrae : the third exactly resembles the foui-th ; and the fifth only
differs in a small opening in the lateral arc, indicated in my di-awing
of the fourth, on the left side. The seventh has no inferior process
at all, but a much stronger superior one, of the same form. All the
five vertebra after the second are very thin, 2 inches in diameter, —
the third being the thinnest of all, and the following ones somewhat
thicker ; the seventh is 2^ inches in thickness.
" Of costal or dorsal vertebra we have fourteen, very well indicated
by the flattened ends of the transverse processes being united with
the ribs. The first of these dorsal vertebrae is very thin, 3 inches in
diameter ; and the second somewhat thicker, 3| inches ; after these
the bodies are much stronger, from G to 8 inches in diameter. The
three first dorsal vertebra} have transverse processes more rounded,
and directed forward. After the third they are more flat and broad,
and directed transversely to the sides. After these fourteen vertebra^
follow twehe others with thinner transverse processes, rounded and
378
ADDITIONS AND COEKECTIONS.
sharp at the end, and with bodies of much larger diameter — from
10 to 12 inches. Then follows a strong vertebra, the thirteenth,
12 inches in diameter, with a smaller and shorter transverse process,
which seems to me the first caudal ; but as the epiphysis is wanting,
there is no attachment for the haemapophysis on its hinder end. In-
deed its body is flattened on the under side, not carinated as the body
of the antecedent ; which also seems to me to prove that it is the
fii-st caudal. Of hsmapophyses we have four in the Museum, of
unequal size, the first 5 inches high, the largest 8 inches, and 3 to
4 inches broad between the laminae.
" The ribs are not perfect as regards number, but the first seven
or eight are preserved. I send you drawings of the upper and lower
extremities of the first four (figs. 81-84).
Fiff. 81.
Fig. 82.
Fig. 83.
Fig. 84.
" The sternum is wanting ; and of the os hyoideum we have only
the corpus, of precisely the same form as that figured in Cuvier's
Oss. Foss. pi. 25. f. 14.
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
379
" Of the pectoral fin we have only the scapula, of which I send
yon a drawing (fig. 85) ; both processes are well developed and some-
what compressed.
Fig. 85.
Scapula.
" The animal was found some leagues from Euenos Ayres, on the
banks of the river Plata, where it came ashore some thirty years
ago. It was brought to the gardens of Rosas, at Palermo, where the
skeleton was exhibited a long time, tiU, after the fall of the tyrant,
it was transferred to the Museum. The parts now deficient were
then lost.
" I suppose that the species might be the same as that you have
indicated in your synopsis as Bulmioptera austraUs, Desmoulins
(Voy. Ereb. and Terror, Mamm. p. 20) ; but as I have never seen
that animal, I am unable to speak concerning its external appearance.
Thei'efore I believe it is better to describe the species in question
under a new name, and I propose to you, if you please to accept it,
that of Balcenoptera 2>ctt(tchonica."
" P.S. — I have told you nothing of the under jaw of Balcenoptera
patachonica, because the surface of the bono is much destroyed by
long exposure to the air, rain, and sun ; but the hinder part, with
the coronoid process, is represented in fig. 86." — Burmeister, Proc.
Zool. Soc. 1865, 191-195.
Fiff. 86.
380 AUDITIOXS AND CORRECTIONS,
Physalus Sibbaldii (page IGO).
Section *** of the genus, and the description oiPhi/salus Sibbaldii,
are to be removed, as Jlr. FloAver, who has examined the skeleton at
Hull, has determined that it is either the same species as, or very
nearly allied to Cuvierius latirostris, p. 165.
Cuvierius latirostris (page 165).
Change name to Cuvierius Sibbaldii, and add: —
Physalus Sibbaldii, Grat/, P. Z. S. 1847, 92 ; Catalogue of Seals and
Whales, 160; Flower, P. Z. S. 1865, 472.
Mr. Flower, in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' 1865,
p. 472, observes that the skeleton on which Dr. Gray established
Physalus Sibbaldii, preserved in the museum of the Literary and
Philosophical Society of Hull, is quite distinct from the common
Fin-Whale (Physalus antiquorum. Gray), and agrees very closely
with the skeleton at Utrecht (now in the British Museum) which he
described under the name oi Physalus latirostris (P. Z. S. 1864, 410),
and states that he proposes to " withdi-aw the specific name of lati-
rostris in favour of the prior one given by Dr. Gray."
He gives a sketch of the principal characters, showing where the
Hull skeleton agrees with and differs from that of Physahis anti-
quorum. The Hull and Utrecht skeleton are nearly in the same stage
of growth. The general size and proportions of the two specimens
very nearly correspond, the Hull one being rather the largest ; it is
stated to have the total length of 47 feet, the cranium being 10| feet ;
while the Utrecht specimen is about 43 or 44 feet, the skull being
9 feet 10 inches. If full-grown the specimens would probably reach
the length of 60 feet, being rather less than that of P. antiquorum.
Both skeletons have 64 vertebra3; in P. antiquorum the vertebrae
never appear to exceed 62. The foramen in the transverse process
of the axis is smaller in the Hull than in the Utrecht specimen —
probably only an individiial variation.
The rostral portion of the skull is not quite so wide in proportion
in the Hull as in the Utrecht specimen ; tlie breadth across the middle
of the beak in the latter is to the length of the skull as 27 to 100, in
the former as 26 to 100. The actual breadth (measured across the
upper surface following the curve) in the HuU specimen is 33 inches,
each maxillary being 10 and the premaxillary 5 inches, the space
between the latter 6 inches. The nasal bones in both skeletons differ
from P. antiquorum in being slightly hollowed on the upper surface
at the anterior margins. This character is most strongly marked in
the HuU specimen.
The stiflo-hyals are thicker, especially near the lower end, in both
the skeletons than in the common Fin-Whale.
The sternum, which is so remarkable in the Utrecht specimen for
its almost rudimentary state, is wanting in the Hull specimen, but
may have been overlooked from its small size. The HuU specimen
has 16 ribs : if this is the normal niunber in the species, it is a good
specific character, as P. antiquorum has never been recorded to have
AimiTIONfl AND COUKF.CTIOXS. 381
more than 15. The first rib in both the HuU and Utrecht specimens
dift'ers from P. antiquorum in wanting a well-developed capitular
process. In the Utrecht specimen this process is present in the
second, third, and fourth ribs — longest in the third. In the Hull
specimen it is found in the second, third, fourth, fifth, aud sixth
ribs, being longest in the third and fourth. In P. antiquorum it is
usually longest in the second, and obsolete in the fourth.
The phalanges of the digits in both skeletons are articulated arti-
ficially, and yet they correspond exactly in number and arrangement,
except that the Hull specimen has an additional bone on digit III.
The numbers are, II. 4 ; III. 5 (Utrecht), 6 (Hull) ; IV. 5 ; V. 3,—
an arrangement somewhat different from that of P. antiquorum. One
of the most striking and characteristic differences in this part of the
skeleton is the greater length of the metacarpal bones and phalanges,
which in both the Hull and Utrecht specimens, not only relatively
but even actually, exceed those of the full-grown P. antlquormn of
70 feet in length.
The hahen, which is not preserved in the Utrecht specimen, in
the Hull specimen is in excellent condition, and shows a striking
difference from that of the common Fin- Whale in being of a unifonn
deep black, instead of dark oKve-brown or horn-colour variegated
towards the ends of the series with patches and stripes of a lighter
colour.
After description of Sibbaldius Schlegelii, (at page 186) add : —
Sibbaldius ? antarcticus.
Sibbaldius antarcticus, Bunneister, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1865,
Inhab. coast of Buenos Ayres, near the mouth of the river Salado.
(Bladebono in Mus. Buenos Ayres.)
The bladebone (the only portion of the skeleton saved) flat, nearly
one-third of a circle, half as high as broad ; the outer margin is
regixlarly curved, with an indication of an obtuse angle on the hinder
part of the cii-cumference ; towards the glenoid cavity it becomes
much thicker, and has here the thickness of the diameter of the
glenoid cavity. The outer surface is somewhat excavated, with the
indication of an obtuse radial crest on the beginning of the hinder
half. The inner surface is flatter, and has five large and three short,
obtuse, radial, elevated lines. The front margin is thin, with the
indication of an obtuse angle in the upper half, and under that
angle are two descending small spines. The hinder margin is some-
what curved to the interior, but more straight in the middle of its
course.
The acromion is a very large, compressed process, which is some-
what broad and rounded at the end, and with two obtuse humps on
the under margin near to the base. The upper margin is very short,
and continued on the outside of the bladebone as a sharp, prominent
crest. The coracoid process is only half the size of the former, and
obliquely truncated at the end. The glenoid cavity is a broad ellipse,
382
ABDITIONS ANB CORRECTIONS.
14 inches long and 11 inches mde, but somewhat more curved on
the outer than on the inner side.
The bladebone is 6 feet broad from before backward, and 3 feet
high from the glenoid cavity to the upper margin. The acromion is
I foot 7| inches long and 7| iaches broad. The coracoid process is
II inches long and 5 inches broad. The acromion is 7 inches broad
in the middle, and 9 inches at the end, before the curved margin.
Fiff. 87.
After generic description of BAL.aENOPTEE,A, (at page 188)
add: —
Subgenus 1. The lower lateral processes of the third to the seventh cervical
vertebree with an angular projection on the lower edges. Fabricia.
At the end of remarks on Balaenoptera rostrata, (at p. 194) add : —
Subgenus 2. TJie lower lateral processes of the third to the sixth cervical ver-
tebree slender, regidarly curved, withoid any prominent angle on the
lower edges. Swinhoia.
2. Balaenoptera Swinhoei.
Inhab. sea near Formosa.
a. Part of the skeleton, viz. : — Upper maxillaiy bone, left side (the
upper surface is 6 feet 6 inches, under edge of the same bone
7 feet 8 inches) ; three cervical vertebrae ; eight dorsal vertebrae.
ADDITIONS AND C0HKECTI0N8.
383
seven of which are more or less imperfect ; eight ribs, all with
simple heads.
Mr. Swinhoe has sent to the British Museum part of the head,
three corneal vertebraj, the first and seven other dorsal vertebrae, and
eight ribs of a largo Finner Whale -which was thrown ashore on the
coast of Formosa. The bones are nearly of the size of similar bones
of the European Finner {Phijsalus antiqiioritm), which often reaches
to the length of 60 or 70 feet, and they most probably belong to an
animal nearly of that size.
The second and third cervical vertebrae are united, as in the small
Finner (BaliPnojytera rostrata) of Europe, while in all the larger
Finners which are as yet known these two bones are always free.
Fiff. 88.
Fisr. 89.
Fig. 88. Back view of the second and third cervical vertebrae united
by the neural arches.
89. Side view of the same vertebrte.
This union of the second and third cervical vertebrae is one of the
characters by wliich the genus Balcenoptem is separated from the
genus Fhysalus. The front part of the neural canal has the sub-
384
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
circular form of that in the genus Balcenoptera, and not the trans-
versely oblong form of the neural canal in Physalus. I am therefore
inclined to refer these bones to the genus Balanioptera until we are
able to know more of the skeleton and the external form of the
animal.
Fiff. 90.
Fig. 91.
Fig. 90. The back view of the sixth or seventh cervical vertebra.
91. Side view of the same vertebra.
I am, however, inclined to believe that when the animal and its
skeleton are better known it will be found to have some particular
characters (as the form of the bodies of the vertebroB), since the
lateral processes show some alliance to the genus Physalus. It is to
be regretted that the number of the vertebras, the form of the lumbar
vertebrte, and the form of the first ribs were not observed ; and they
are all required to determine with certainty to what genus the animal
ADDITIONS AND COERECTIONS.
385
must horerftcr be referred. It may for the present be designated
Balcenoptera Swinfioei,
Fig. 92.
.<;^ftt
Fig. 93.
Fig. 92. The back view of the first dorsal vertebra.
93. Side view of the same vertebra.
The second and third cervical vertebrae are imited by the anchy-
losis of the neural arches. The second cervical vertebra has large,
broad, truncated lateral processes with a large, oblong, subcentral
2c
380 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
perforation; the lateral processes are each two-thirds of the trans-
verse diameter of the articulating surface of the body of the vertehrse.
The neural canal of the second cervical vertebra subcircular, rather
less high than broad, and not quite so wide as half the diameter of
the front surface of tlie body of it. The third cervical vertebra has
a thin, oblong, transverse body, which is broader than high ; the
lateral processes are slender, truncated at the end, not so long as
the transverse diameter of the body, curved towards each other at the
end, but not united so as to form a ring. The neural canal of the
third cervical vertebra is oblong transverse, rounded above, as wide
as half the transverse diameter of the body of the vertebra, and about
one-third broader than high. The rest of the cervical vertebra are
free, not anchylosed either by the body or neural arch. The sixth
or seventh cervical has a thin body, with slender, nearly straight
upper lateral processes, and only a very short tubercle on each side
below. The first dorsal vertebra has a veiy high dorsal spine ; a
rather small, oblong body, and a strong lateral process on each side
above, which is expanded at the end. The eight ribs have simple
heads.
These bones seem to show an animal three times as large as the
Balcenoptera rostrata of Europe.
CATODONTID^ (page 195), add :—
While the Catalogue has been going through the press much new
information respecting these animals has been received, especially the
knowledge of the animals of two species oiKogia, showing its affinity
to the Plujseter of Sibbald, and of a new genus of Sperm Whale, and
the opportunity of examining the skeleton of a Sperm "WTiale from the
west of Scotland and of one fi-om Australia.
In the place of the Synopsis of the Genera at p. 195, substitute : —
I. Head compressed, trtmeated in front. Bloioers in front of the upper
paH of the head. Skidl elongate. Dorsal hump rounded. Pectoral
Jin short, trimcated. Catodontina.
1. Catodon. The atlas oblong, transverse, nearly twice as broad as high ;
the central canal subtrigonal, narrow below.
2. Meganeitron. The atlas subcircular, rather broader than high ; the
central canal circidar, in the middle of the body, widened above.
II. Head depressed, rounded infro?it. Blowers at the bad; <f the forehead.
Ilouth small, inferior. 'Dorsal Jin compressed, falcate. Pectoral
elongate, falcate. Physeterina.
3. Physeter. Head large, elongate, rather depressed in front.
4. KoGiA. Head moderate, blunt, and high in front Skull short and
broad. The septum that divides the crown of the skull very sinuous,
folded so as to form a funnel-shaped concavity.
5. EuPHYSETES. Head moderate, blunt, and high in front. Skull short
and broad. The septum that divides the crown of the skull simple,
longitudinal, only slightly curved.
ADBIIIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
387
At page 196, add to characters of Section I. : —
The pectoral Jin short, broad, truncated. The deep cavity on the crown of
the sJmll surrounded by perpendictdar walls formed by the doubled-up
maxillaries and occijnct. Catodontina.
Add to genei'ic characters : —
The athis oblong, transverse, nearly twice as broad as high ; the
central canal subtrigonal, narrow below (see fig. j). 207).
The cervical vertebraj in C'atodon are united into a single mass by
their bodies, the neural arch, and the lateral processes. The lateral
processes of the anterior vertebrse are produced, and form a thick,
subconical, triangular prominence on each side of the mass ; the front
surface is nearly flat ; and the lateral processes of the hinder vertebrae
are shorter and shorter to the last. The hinder surface shelves from
before backwards, and is arched over with some conical prominences,
which indicate the lateral processes of the different vertebrae of
which the mass is formed. The fii'st dorsal vertebra is sometimes
partially anchylosed with the seventh cervical vertebra. The arm-
bones are very short.
Catodon macrocephalus (page 202), add to synonyms : —
Physeter macrocephalus, Murie, P. Z. S. 1865, .390. f. 1, 2 (figures of
deformed lower jaws).
The skeleton in the Paiis Museum, which was purchased in London,
appears to be made up of the bones of several animals, as it has more
vertebra} and ribs than any of the skeletons which have been pre-
pared from a single specimen. It is veiy imjierfect in other respects,
wanting the phalanges, &e.
The British Museum has received the skeleton of an adult Sperm
Whale that was cast ashore at Wick, on the coast of Scotland.
The MiLseum of the Royal College of Surgeons has received the
skeleton of a Sperm Whale taken on the coast of Australia.
Mr. Flower, from the examination of the skeleton at Burton Con-
stable, the one from Scotland in the British Museum, and the one
from Australia in the Royal College of Surgeons, believes that they
are most probably all one species. The Sperm Whale is essentially
an inhabitant of the tropical seas ; the specimens which reach the
shores of Europe and the Southern Ocean are probably only stray
animals thrown out of their usual course by accidental circum-
stances ; and this explains why they only occur at distant periods.
After end of Catodon (page 2Ki), insert : —
2. MEGANEURON.
Animal unknown.
The atlas is thin, high, being only about one-fourth wider than it
is high ; the lower and lateral margins are arched, the lower edge
being the most so. The neural arch is low, transverse, with a ncarlv
2c 2
388
ADDITIONS AND COKRECTIONS.
straight lower edge ; it is thickest in the middle. The upper surface
is shelving on the sides, with an angular central prominence. The
central aperture is very large, nearly circular, and dilated above
into an oblong transverse aperture, which is rather wider than the
widest part of the central circle. The front articulating surface is
horseshoe-shaped, continued to the upper outer angle, and obliquely
shelving off on the upper edge to the base of the oblong part of the
aperture. The articulating surface of the hinder side is similar ;
but the articulating surface is shorter at the sides, and transversely
truncated in a line with the middle of the upper, oblong, transverse
opening (figs. 94, 95).
Meganeuron, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 440.
Inhab. Australia.
Fig. 95.
Fig. 94.
Fig. 94. Front of atlas of Meriuneiiron Krefftn.
95. Hinder side of ditto (reduced).
"In a letter which I lately received from Mr. Gerard Krefft, the
intelligent Secretary and Curator of the Australian Museum, he sent
me some photographs (taken like those he formerly sent by Mr. Henry
Barnes) of a separate atlas vertebra and of the second and other
cervical vertebrae united into one mass of a species of whale, which
are contained in the museum under his charge. The two bones,
though not united, fit one another so exactly that Mr. Krefft has no
doubt of their having belonged to the same animal ; and the photo-
graphs sent justify this conclusion. However, should there be any
mistake in this matter, it will not in the least invalidate the con-
clusion that I have come to, from the examination of these photo-
graphs, that they indicate the existence of a second species of Sperm
Whale in the Australian seas, very distinctly characterized by the
subcircular form of the atlas vertebra and of the neural canal in it.
"The mass formed by the second and other cervical vertebra is
somewhat similar to these bones in the skeleton of the Australian
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
389
Catodon lately received by the Royal College of Surgeons, which I
hope will shortly be described by Mr. Flower, the energetic Curator
of their Museum, who, in his late paper on the Bcdcenidce, has shown
how well he can describe and determine the species of whales." —
Grai/, P. Z. S. 1865, 439.
Mr. Krcfft seems to have changed his mind on this subject ; for in
a letter just received, containing further remarks on these photo-
graphs, and some additional ones, he names the mass of vertebrae as
belonging to Catodon australis.
Meganeuron Kreflftii?
" The second and other cervical vertebrae are all united together
into one mass, anchylosed by theu- bodies, lateral processes, and neural
arches. The neui'al arches form a triangular mass, which is strongly
keeled on the central line ; and the keel is stronger and produced
into an acute point at the hinder end (figs. 96, 97).
Catodon (Meganeuron) Ivi-efftii, Grai/, P. Z. S. 1865, 440.
Fig. 96.
Hind ■v-iew of cervical vertebrae of Meganeuron Krefflii ? or Catodon
australis.
" The lateral processes of the second, third, and fourth vertebrae are
produced and united into a broad, thick, angular process, which is
expanded at the side, giving the united mass a rhombic appearance,
the width of the side being about one-fourth more than the height
of the mass.
" There is a tubercle, which is most probably the end of the lower
lateral process of one of the anterior cervical vertebrae, at the lower
part of the hinder side of the fi'ont lateral expansion.
390
ADDITIONS AND CORBECTIONS.
"The three hinder vertebrae have no distinct lower lateral processes ;
their place is only marked by three slight ridges on the lower edge
of the hinder side of the mass. The upper lateral processes of the
hinder cervical vertebra? are small, slender, forming a strap-like sec-
tion, rather tapeiing towards and truncated at the tips on the side
of the apertui'es for the passage of the nerves for the neural canal.
The neural canal is rather large, oblong transverse, the height being
about two-thirds of the width ; it is rather larger and higher behind.
Fig. 97.
Side \'iew of the hinder side of the cervical vertebrEe of Mcganeuron
Krefftii? or Catodon ausfralis.
" The hinder surface of the body of the last cervical vertebra is
oblong transverse, about two-thirds of the height of its width at the
widest part ; the lower edge is rounded and rather angularly pro-
duced in the centre, and the upper margin transverse, with a slight
central depression ; the surface is concave, with a central, linear,
perpendicular depression." — Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 440-442.
Page 210, add to characters of Section II. : —
T7ie pecfnra? fin elongate, suhfalcafe. T7ie cavity on the croiim of the head
sitmdcd hdckirard, fornii'd hi/ the niaJiHaries, and divided as it were into
two equ(d parts by a central bong ridge, which is more or less twisted
towards the right side of the head. Physeterina.
The larger-headed genus Physeter has only been found in the
northern, and the shorter-headed genera Kogia and Euphysetes in
the southern hemisphere.
ADDITIONS AND COKRECTIONS. 391
4. KOGIA (page 215).
Substitute for generic characters :—
The animal -will be described bj Professor Owen, and is described
by Mr. Krefft.
The subcentral longitudinal ridge of bone that divides the con-
cavity of the cro^^^l into two parts is very sinuous, folded so as to
form a central funnel-shaped concavity. Beak as long as broad at
the base.
The atlas vertebra .
Kogia, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 529.
Mr.MacLeay objects to the " barbarous" name oi Kogia ; but there
is no generic name that cannot be objected to when a person wants
to give a new one of his own. I have been asked, what does
Euphijsetes mean ? should it not have been Euphycetes, -with a c ?
It is often thus with names that are intended to have a classical
derivation ; the purist thinks the name is not well composed (in this
way a large number of tlie names of the more modern genera of
Glires have been altered by Mr. Brandt), or the name does not well
characterize the animal, or has been used for some other animal or
even plant, or for a country ; indeed any argument wiU do when a
naturalist is desirous of having his name apj^cnded to a genus dis-
tinguished by his predecessors.
1. Kogia breviceps (page 217), add: —
Kogia brevirostris, Grai/, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 529.
2. Kogia simus.
Physeter (Euphysetes) simus, Oictn, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 511 (not
described) ; Trans. Zool. Soc. (ined., animal and bones), fj^^ p yjj J*" f ' ' '^^ '
Inhab. India. ifAvt r-r^-''*^
a. Cranium. India, coast of Yizagapatam, Madras Presidency. Pre- ^Arcf^
seuted by Walter EUiot, Esq., of Wolfslee.
3. Kogia Macleayii.
Euphysetes Macleayii, Knfft, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865 (iued.). y </3 nAf*'^^ '
Inhab. Australia. ^.r^^.^^acJ'i'lt^
" A colt whale : total length 10 feet 8 inches ; width of tail 2 feet
8^ inches, pectoral fin 1 foot 7 inches ; circumference of body behind
the pectoral fin G feet 2 inches, behind the eyes 5 feet 1 inch, before
the dorsal fin or hump 5 feet 3 inches.
" Black, yellowish beneath. Head with a short, thick, rather broad
snout, receding somewhat like a shark's; mouth small, upper jaw
toothless, showing two rows of holes communicating with each other
when the gums were removed, from which teeth may have been shed,
as they were not present when the gums were perfect, and therefore
cannot be for the reception of the teeth of the lower jaw.
" The skull is very like that of Euphysetes Grayii, but the sides of
392
ADDITIONS AND COEEECTIONS.
the spermaceti-cavity, which are so sharp in Gray's whale are rounded
off in the present species ; and the blowhole, which is fully 1 J inch
in diameter in Gray's whale, is not quite an inch in the new one.
" The ridge dividing the cavity in this new whale is almost formed
into ivory, and many spots of the same substance are imbedded here
and there in the less hard, darker, and porous bone.
" The lower jaw also resembles that of Gray's whale ; but the sides
are not so thin, and the teeth are longer, stronger, and curved back-
wards instead of standing out sideways. The rami in Gray's whale
are not much thicker than parchment. The teeth 13 . 13, the first
being almost straight, the last six hooked. The seventh tooth is
apparently the largest and strongest.
" The cervical vertebrae anchylosed ; the dorsal vertebrse 14, in-
cluding the anchylosed cervicals ; lumbar 9 ; caudal 21, the first ten
of which have chevron bones attached to them. Ribs 13 . 13, nearly
similar in size.
" The scapula, the hyoid bones, the sternum, and pectoral fins
diff'er considerably from those of Gray's whale ; biit these parts, being
in maceration, will be described hereafter.
" The two pehdc bones are irregular, subquadrangular." — Krefft.
Mr. Krefft has sent me several j)hotographs, representing the ani-
mal on the beach, and various views of the skull and other bones of
the animal.
I could not discover in the photograph any difference between this
skull and the skull from India ; at least, from the very slight inspec-
tion which I have had of the latter, they are both exceedingly like
the skull figured by De BlainviUe, and I should not be surprised if
they aU be found to belong to one species.
5. EUPHYSETES.
Animal described by MacLeay (quoted at p. 215, under Kogia).
The septum or longittidinal bony ridge which separates the con-
cavity on the crown of the skuU simple, only slightly curved. Beak
of skuU shorter than broad. The atlas vertebra thick, oblong, trans-
verse, narrower on the sides, vnth two thick, short, blunt lateral
processes, separated by a narrow deep notch ; the upper edge thick,
elevated, shelving into a cone behind.
I thought that the difference in the skull might be a sexiial cha-
racter when I received Mr. Krefft's account of the Kogia found on
the Australian coast ; but the difference in the form of the atlas, and
in other parts of the skeleton, has satisfied me there are two Aus-
tralian species, belonging to different genera.
Euphysetes, MacLeai/, {Wall) History of New Sperm filiate, 1851;
Gray, P. Z. S. I860, 529.
Kogia, sp., Gray, Cat. Seals Sf Whales, 218.
1. Euphysetes Grayii.
Kogia Grayii, see the Catalogue, p. 218.
Euphysetes Grayii, Gray, Proc. Zool. Sac. 1865, 529.
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 393
Inia Greoflfroyii (page 226), add to synonyms : —
Inia Geoffrensis, Gervais, Castehmu, Votj. Amer. du Sied, 90. 1. 19. f. 3.
Bouto, or Inia Geoff ro)jii. "When this rises, the top of the head is
the first part seen (at the blower), and immediately afterwards it dips
head downwards, its tail curving over, exposing successively the whole
dorsal ridge with its fin (?). It seems thus to pitch heel over head, but
does not show the tail first. They generally go in pairs. It is not
kUled willingly ; the superstitious people believe that blindness would
result from the use of its oil in lamps." — Bates, Amazons, ii. 264.
" The Bouto, the Tuciwi, and D. pallidus are all three found 1500
miles in the interior." — Bates, op. cit. i. 146.
DELPHINID^.
Page 230, Synopsis of Genera, add after Tuesio : —
4*. SoTALiA. Dorsal distinct. Beak of skull elongate, depressed. The
pectoral fin oval, obHquely truncated ; hand short.
After Synopsis of Genera, add : —
Delpliinidcn may be, perhaps, naturally arranged according to the
form of the pectoral fin.
I. Pectoral Jin elonr/ate, falcate, acute at the end; hand as long as the arm-
bones; two forearin-hones close together, only separated by a straight
line ; carpal bones moderate, 5 or 7, close together, only separated by
a thin cartilage. Delphinina.
A. Head more or less beaked ; beak of skull slender, as long as or longer
than the brain-cavity, ^-c.
1. PoNTopoRiA. 2. Stexo. 3. DELPHixrs. 4. Trasio. 5. Lage-.„^ /^iatt^y^
NOKHYNCHUS. 6. DeLPHINAPTERUS. '^ ^ _ ^ -
B. Head rounded in front, scarcely beaked, i^-c.
8. Pseudorca. 9. Grampus. 10. Phoc^na. 11. Xeomeris.
II. Pectored Jin large, broad, rounded at the end; hand shorter than the
arm-bones ; carpal bone single, immersed in a large cartilage; pha-
langes of index Jinger 5.
7. Orca.
III. Pectoral Jin ovate, obliquely truncated ; hand shorter than the arm-
bones ; forearm-bones separate ; carpal bones small, immersed in thick
cartilage.
12. Beluga. Dorsal none. Teeth deciduous.
12*. SoTALiA. Dorsal distinct. Teeth permanent.
TV. Pectoral Jin small, orate, rounded at the tip; hands shoiier than the
arm-bones ; carpal bones o, small, immersed in a large cartilage ;
phalanges of index Jinger o. Dorsid none.
13. MONOCEROS.
394 ADDITIONS AND COHEECTIONS,
After Steno compressus, (at page 235) add : —
4*. Steno Capensis.
The beak of the skiill elongate, rather compressed, tapering and
more compressed in front. Teeth '^f^, small, slender, about five in
an inch. Lower jaw slender, attenuated, and without any gonyx in
front; the symphyses nearly one-fifth the length of the jaw.
" Delphinus obsciirus, Grat/," Cat. S. A. Museum.
Steno Capensis, Grai/, P. Z. S. 1865, 522.
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope (Capt. Carew, South- African Museum).
Length of the skull 16, of beak from the notch 10, of the lower
jaw 13, of symphyses 2| inches ; width of the beak at the notch 3|,
of the brain-case at the hinder part of the orbit 6| inches.
The skull is somewhat like that of Steno attenuatus in the British
Museum ; but the beak of the skuU is long-er compared with the size
of the brain-case, and it is more gradually attenuated and slender,
and higher in front.
4**. Steno lentiginosus.
Beak nearly half as long again as the brain-ease, depressed at the
base, compressed at the end. Teeth gl^, about four in an inch.
Triangle far in advance of the notch.
Delphinus (Steno) lentiginosus, Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. vi.
Inhab. Indian Ocean.
a. Skull, from India, Vizagapatam. Presented by Walter Elliot,
Esq., of Wolfslee. Brain-case 8, beak 11 inches ; symphyses of
lower jaw one-fourth of the entire length of jaw.
4***. Steno ? Gadamu.
Beak of skull depressed. Intermaxillary bones half as wide as the
beak, hard, polished. Triangle one-half in front of the notch, about
one-fifth longer than the width at the notch. Teeth large, conical,
|i^, about three in an inch. Lower jaw slender, rather bent up in
front, without any gonyx.
Delphinus (Steno) Gadamu, Otcen, Trans. Zool. Soc. vi.
Inhab. Indian Ocean.
a, b. Skull, without back part. Vizagapatam. Presented by Walter
EUiot, Esq., of Wolfslee.
Steno attenuatus (page 235).
The skulls from Mrs. Ince and Mr. A. Pearson are not in good
condition, and the beaks are more depressed in front and not so
compressed, more like Delphinus, or rather Clymene.
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
395
Steno Tucuxi, (at page 237) add : —
Freshwater Dolphin, Steno Tucuxi, The Tucuxi, i?«fes, Amazons, i. 146.
It rises horizontally, draws in an inspiration, and then dives
down head foremost, which distinguishes it from the Bouio.
" I saw here, for the fii'st time, the flesh-coloured Dolphin {D. pal-
lulus, Gervais) in the Lower Amazons, rolling away in pairs, both
being of the same colour." — Bates, op. c'lt. i. 303.
" The pale flesh-coloured species {D. pallidus, Gervais) is also
abundant in the Upper Amazons." — Bates, op. cit. i. 146.
Delphinus pseudodelphis (Wiegmann, Schreb. Saugeth. t. 358 ;
Wagner, Schreb. Supp. vii. 332) appears to be a Steno with small
teeth. The beak is figured near once and a half the length of the
brain-ease, and the teeth 42 . 45.
DELPHINUS (page 239).
Add to generic characters : —
The fin moderate-sized, falciform, pointed at the end; the hand of
the same length as the arm-bones ; the forearm-bones close together ;
the carpal bones forming a mosaic, separated by thin cartilage ; the
index finger of six phalanges. — Van Brambeke, Mem. Ac. Belg. xviii.
1. 1. f. 3. --=-
The first and second cerrical vertebrae united by the bodies and
spinous processes of the neural arch, which is very much elongated
and keeled above. The lateral processes of the first medial, broad,
short, obliquely compressed. Hinder vertebrae thin.
Fig. 98.
(/^
/
Skull of Dclphinns.
1. Delphinus microps (p. 240). Correct specific characters to: —
Beak of .skull nearly twice as long as (that is to say, once and
three-fourths the length of) the brain-cavity, and three times and
three-fourths as long as wide at the notch. Teeth six in an inch.
This is the description of the skull, which is the tj-pe, figured in the
' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,' t. 25 ; a. of this Catalogue.
Skull very like D. Alojie, but head smaller and more globular, and
beak much more slender.
39G ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
1*. DelpMnus stenorhynchus.
Skull like former, but larger ; the beak of the skull fully twice as
long as the length of the brain-cavity, and three times and three-
fourths as long as the width at the notch. Teeth five in an inch.
Delphinus microps, h, Catalogue of Seals atul Whales, p. 240.
Inhab. ?
Skull very like D. microps, but beak much longer for size of head.
Lelphiuus Delphis (page 242), add : —
r, s. Skidls, large. Length 18f inches, beak 11| ; width at notch 3| ;
length of lower jaw 6 inches. Teeth five in an inch length.
Length of the beak of the skull thi'ee times its width at the notch,
and rather more than once and a half the length of the head.
After Delphinus DelpMs, (at page 245) add : —
3*. Delphinus major.
Skull larger than that of D. DelpMs ; the beak nearly twice as long-
as the head (or once and four-fifths the length), and more than three
times as long as wide at the notch. Teeth nearly five in an inch,
on the edge of the jaw, f ' ^^. The grooves on the palate very wide,
rather shallow, scarcely extending behind the hinder half of the
beak.
Inhab. ?
a. Skull. Length, entire, 21 inches, of beak 12 1^ inches ; width
at the notch 4-i- inches ; length of lower jaw 17|- inches.
3**. Delphinus Moorei.
Beak of skuU elongate, depressed, once and three-quarters the
length of the brain-cavity, and five times as long as wide at the
notch at the base. The intermaxillary bones rather convex. Teeth
small, slender, jg-^, five in an inch length of margin; the front
upper very small. The groove on the palate deep and wide, reaching
nearly to the tip, and wider and very shallow in front. The hinder
part of the palate in front of the inner nasal opening with a broad,
triangular, longitudinal groove having flat sides, and convex outer
sides. The bladebone rather produced behind the ridges, and trun-
cated at the lower part of the hinder edge. Coracoid process large,
subtrigonal, the front edge being truncated, the lower one oblique.
Length of skull ITg inches, of beak 11, of brain-case 6|, of lower
jaw 14| inches ; width over condyles 7, at notch 3 inches 7 lines, at
middle of beak 1 inch 1 1 lines.
The upper surface of the beak, a narrow lunule over base of beak
to the eye, the back, dorsal fin, and upper surface of tail black ; a
narrow lunule over the face-streak, the sides of the head, and sides,
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 397
including the pectoral fin, grey ; the chin and belly to the vent white.
Dorsal fins high ; tip ronnded.
Delphinus Moorii, Grmj, P. Z. S. 1865, 736.
Inhab. South Atlantic Ocean, lat. 34° S., long. 7° 3' W.
Length of a female from mouth to tip of tail 6 feet 3| inches, of
mouth 11 inches, of snout 5f , to eye 13, to snout-hole 13, to pectoral
fin 18|, to back fin 33 ; length from end of tail to back fin 32 inches,
to vent 20, to privates 21 ; diameter of back fin 14-| inches.
Fiff. 99.
Delphhms Moorei.
3***. Delphinus Walkeri.
The skuU similar to the former, so similar that it is not easy to /'•'7>»
point out any diiference in words. The teeth are rather more fi
numerous, viz. "^ —^^, rather smaller, being six in an inch length of ' ,
margin.
The hinder part of the palate, in front of the inner nasal opening,
narrower and very sharply keeled on the sides ; the sides of the
narrower and shallower central groove convex, smaller, and the /
outer sides of the keels concave and shorter. , ^f\ ^
The bladebone not so much produced behind the ridge, and with
an obUque hinder margin, without any truncation at the lower part.
The coracoid process is similar, but broader in the middle of its
length, the lower edge being nearlj- straight.
Length of skidl 1()| inches, of beak 11, of brain-case 6|, of lower
jaw \4\ ; width over condyles G inches 7 lines, at notch 3 inches
4 lines, at middle of the beak 1 inch 10 lines.
The back fin, snout, the dorsal fin, a wavy streak from base of
beak to eye, and upper surface of tail black ; sides of the face and » ,
body to near the base of the tail gi-ey, with an elongated triangular /Jl V '"'
patch beginning below the pectoral fin and extending near to the
base of the tail, the broadest part over the vent. Dorsal fin high, as
high as long at the base ; tip acute, bent back. Chin and beneath,
as high as the base of the pectoral fin, and to the vent, white.
Delphinus Walkeri, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 737.
Inhab. South Atlantic Ocean, lat. 35° 38' S., long. 10' E. A female.
398 ADDITIONS AND COEEECTIONS.
Length from end of snout to tip of tail 6 feet 7i inches ; the other
measurements are nearly the same as in D. Moorei.
The skulls show that these species helong to the restricted genus
BelpMnus, which has D. Delphis for its type. These have a very
deep groove on each side of the palate.
Fig. 100.
Delphinus IValkeri.
Both the figures of the animals belonging to these species have a
narrow black streak from the base of the upper part of the beak to
the eye ; but the colours of the sides of the animals are differently
distributed. There is also a veiy slight difference in the form of the
bladebones (and this cannot be sexual, as they were both females),
and in the form of the back part of the palate just in front of the
hinder entrance to the nostrils.
Considering that the colouring of the animals shows that they repre-
sent two species, one is stmck with the very small diiference exhibited
in the skull by species showing such marked external differences, ,
and can only conclude by thinking how hasty we have been when
we have referred skulls received from very distant parts of the world
all to Delphinus Delphis, and said that that sj^ecies had a very wide
geographical distribution — more especially when we consider that
these two species were obtained, the one in lat. 35° 38' S., long.
10' E., and the other in lat. 34° S., long. 7° 3' W.
Delphinus Janira (page 245), add: —
a. SkuU. Jamaica. Presented by J. H. Gurney, Esq. Length of
skuU 16 inches, of beak 9|- ; width at notch 3|. Teeth 47/,
five in an inch length of maxilla.
The beak of the skull twice and three-quarters the brr _.dth of the
notch in length.
After Delphinus Janira, (at page 246) add : —
Delphinus punctatus.
The beak of the skull once and a half the length of the brain-
ca\itj', depressed behind, and gradually tapering and rather slender
in front, in length nearly three times the width at the notch. Lower
jaw attenuated and slender, and rather bent up in front, without
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 399
any gonyx. Teeth small, slender, ^-^, five in an inch of mai-gin.
The palate flat ; the hinder part of the palate in front of the internal
nostrils broad, swollen, with a very shallow central groove with
rather convex sides, and very oblique, flat, external sides.
Length of skull 1.5| inches, of beak 9^, of brain-case 6|, of lower
jaw 12f ; width over condyles 6| inches, at notch 3 inches 4 lines,
in middle of beak 1 inch S lines.
The two bladcbones are rather different in general fonn, one being
more truncated behind than the other ; thej- are both truncated in
fi'ont, and in both the coracoid process is large, with a short upper,
and a long straight lower edge ; one has a long, regularly arched,
and the other an equally long, but sinuous upper edge, showing
that, considering the bladebone a specific distinction, some allow-
ance must be made for occasional variation.
The skull is much like some of the skulls I have named Chjmene
Boris ; but perhaps I have included several species under that name,
as some of the skulls differ in the form of the hind part of the
palate. The one hero described differs from all of them in having a
more slender and attenuated beak.
Dorsal fin high, rather acute at the tip. Black, sides with minute
white specks ; the sides of the body above the base of the pectoral
to the base of the tail blackish grey, which colour is obliquely ex-
tended as a lunate band from behind the vent to the back near the
base of the tail.
CljTuene punctata, Graij, P. Z. S. 1865, 738.
Inhab. North Atlantic Ocean, lat. 16° 40'N., long. 21°W. A female.
Length from end of snout to tip of tail H feet, to blowhole 1 foot
i inch, to tlie eye 1 foot i inch, to front of dorsnl fin 2 feet 8| inches,
to base of pectoral fin 1 foot 3| inches ; length from tip of tail to back
fin 2 feet 4|- inches, to vent 1 foot 6-J- inches ; diameter of body behind
back fin 1 foot 1^ inch, of snout 4-| inches, of mouth 9|^ inches.
Fiff. 101.
Delphinm pundatus.
Delphinus Alope (page 252), add : —
Inhab. Cape Horn.
h. SkuU, perfect. Cape Horn. Entire length lfi| inches, of beak 10^ ;
width at notch 3^ ; length of beak three times its width at the
notch, depressed. Teeth very slender, six in an inch length.
400 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
TURSIO (page 254).
Add to generic characters : —
Pectoral fin moderate, falcate, pointed at the end; hand same
length as the arm ; forearm-bones close together ; carpal bones close
together, with only a small quantity of cartilage ; index finger of six
phalanges.
Tursio Doris (page 255), add :—
Inhab. Cape of Good Hope {Layard). Skull in South- African
Museum. (See Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 522.)
Tursio Dorcides.
SkuU Kke that of T. Doris, but larger, thicker, and stronger;
beak thick, solid, shelving on the sides, once and' one -third the
length of the brain-case, twice and one-third as long as wide at
the notch ; palate flat. Teeth small, slender, jItjI, full five in an
inch.
Inhab. ?
a. SkuU.
Tursio Metis (page 256), add : —
h. Skull. Teeth two in an inch.
Tursio Cymodoce (page 257), add : —
h. Skull. Teeth three in an inch.
Erase Tursio Guianensis (page 257), as it forms a distinct genus
on account of the form of its fins.
Tursio truncatus (page 258), add : —
The first and second cervical vertebrae united by their bodies and
the spinous processes of the neural arch, which is very much elon-
gated and keeled above ; the lateral processes of the first broad,
short, obliquely compressed ; hinder cervical vertebrae thin.
Belphmus brevidens (Gervais, Zool. et Pale'ont. Frang. t. 9. f. 4, 6)
is founded on part of the lower jaw of a Dolphin with truncated
teeth, like Tursio trxmcatus.
Tursio obscurus (page 264), add : —
d. Front of the jaws and the pectoral fin. South Pacific. Type of
Mr. Waterhouse's D. Fitzroyii. From the Zoological Society's
Museum. Teeth ff, just five in an inch.
e. Skull, rather imperfect behind. The type of DelpMnus ohscurus
of Mr. Waterhouse, in Catalogue of Zoological Society's Museum,
no. 530. From the Zoological Society.
ADDITIONS ANU CORRECTIONS. 40l
Tursio Abusalam (page 2C1), ticld to synonyms: —
Delphimis hamatns," Hemp. ^- U/ireiib.," Wie(jmann,inSchreh.S(mgfth.
18. t. 369 (skuU) ; Schleyel, Ahhandl. i. 29.
D. Abusalam, War/ner, Schreh. Suppl. \ai. 324.
After TURSIO, (at page 2G7) add :—
4*. SOTALIA.
Beak depressed, rather longer than the brain-cavity. Palate Hat.
Lower jaw rather broad behind ; symphyses short. Teeth slender,
conical. Pectoral fin oblicjuely trunciited. Forearm-bones free ;
hand shorter than the arm. Carjial bones five, small, surrounded
by cartilage. Phalanges of the index finger six, of the middle
finger five, and the foui'th finger one. "— -
1. Sotalia Guianensis.
Delphinus Guianensis, Van Henedc/i.
Tursio Guianensis, Catal. 257.
Inhab. British Guiana. Mus. Stuttgart.
The skuU differs greatly from that of D. viicrops, with which it
has been compared, in the length of the beak and the shortness of
the symjihj'sis.
" Co dauphin prescntc dans la conformation do son squclette
divcrses particularitcs qui lui donncnt un certain interct. La co-
lonne vcrtebrale est tres-massive principalement a. -la region caudale ;
la nageoire pcctorale est fort-etendue en largcur. La teto a un
aspect a part, surtout par la conformation du maxUlairo inferieur,"
" Vertebrai 55 : thoracic 12, lumbar 14, caudal 22, cervical 7. The
first two cervical are united, the five others are free and have long
bodies, making a long neck, as in the Platanista:, which have a
similar-shaped pectoral. The caudal vertebrae form two distinct
series, the first thirteen have large bodies, and are much higher
than broad ; the first nine have the upper spinous apophyses well
developed ; and the first seven have transverse processes ; the twelve
chevron bones are very strong ; the last nine caudal vertebra) are
much depressed, and twice as broad as high, llibs 12 . 12 : the first
rather the broadest, the first four only have a double articular sur-
face, the first five are articulated directly to the sternum. The
.sternum is formed of three distinct bones, the front being the largest.
The pectoral fin is only rather longer than broad, and is not so long
as the arm-bones united ; the bladebone is much extended in form,
and has the acromion and coracoid weU developed. The two bones
of the forearm are rather longer than the humeiois. The radius is
very broad. Carpal bones five, in two rows, the three upper being
the largest ; metacarpals five. There is no phalange for the thumb,
only one for the little finger, six for the index, and four for the ring
finger.
" The skull is rounded on aU sides, the falx is ossified, the face is
slender, the nasal canal open, the vomer is shown above between the
2 D
402 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
two intermaxillaries. The jaws have 28 . 28 teeth, of which two are
in the intermaxillary bones. The teeth are conical, acute, rather far
apart. The tympanic bone is two-lobed, as in Ddphinus. The petrous
bones are without apophysis. The lower jaw is very high behind and
curved, giving it the appearance of a Ziphiics." — Van Beneden.
Page 276, add:—
10. Lagenorhjrnchus fusifonnis.
Delphinus (Lagenorhynchus) fusiformis, Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. ined.
Inhab. India.
a. SkuU. Presented by Walter Elliot, Esq., of Wolfslee.
PSEUDORCA (page 290).
Dr. Wagner (Supp. Schreber's Siiugeth. vii. 305) has given the
name of Delphinus carhonarius to " the Blackfish of the South-Sea
whalers," described and figured in Bennett's ' Narrative of a Whaling
Voyage,' ii. 233. fig., copied Wagner, tab. 352. f. 1.
PHOC^NA (page 301).
At the end of remarks on the genus, add : —
Several porpoises caught on the coast of England have been lately
examined, and they all have spines or tubercles on the upper edge
of the dorsal fin. The specimens without these ajjines or tubercles
are desiderata, and one is almost led to the belief that they do not
exist ; but it is difiiciilt to prove a negative, and one can hardly
beheve, if they are always present, that so many zoologists should
have overlooked them. The stuifed specimen in the Museum shows
them very indistinctly, if at all ; but then, stuffed specimens are so
mauled and rubbed with pumice and other material, that they may
have been rubbed off; and they are so covered with varnish that they
may have been hidden. So the existence of a porpoise vsdthout spines
must be left for future research. The differences discovered by various
anatomists seem to show that there must be more than one species
included under the name of P. communis, which are very like ex-
ternally, but this is probably the case with several Dolphins, Bottle-
noses, and Porpoises.
Printed by Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London.
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