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Se a : mirecbebe Pe Ts fa | : rasp ee | 3 Se. : : 3 ag oe uf * ae i = pert oe ane ens for rse OLE: 2 pha met irae eee eee eet aated se aaa oe goers cpgo eae Gel ti fete iri rees tae Heavier saad no bene ier grate ff re CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Cornell Universi TNT Cornell University The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024782975 THE MARINE MAMMALS OF. “LE NortTH-wESTERN Coast or Nortu AMERICA, DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED: TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE AMERICAN WHALE -FISHERY. Bey. CHARLES M. SCAMMON, CAPTAIN U. S. REVENUE MARINE. SAN FRANCISCO: POLS “Be CAR MANY AND COMPANY, NEW YORK: G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS. T20-7oA. Entered according to Act of Congress, tn the year eighteen hundred and seventy-two, By CHARLES M. SCAMMON, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. JOHN H. CARMANY & CO., PRINTERS, 409 Washington Street, San Francisco. THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF LOUIS AGASSIZ. AS A HUMBLE TRIBUTE FROM THE AUTHOR. PREFACE INTRODUCTION CuHapter§ I. He II. ee III. ue IV. a Vv. oo VI. SO NTT: «VIII. os IX. INTRODUCTION Cuarter I. 3: II. gE TII. us IV. (a3 Vv. (a3 VI. ec VII. CONTENTS. Tue CaLiIrorniA GRAY WHALE... . Tue Finpack WHALE THe SHARP-HEADED FINNER WHALE THe BownHeEap, or Great PoLtar WHALE Tue Ricgut WHALE of THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST...............0 02. 020 Ture SULPHURBOTTOM WHALE Tue Sperm WHALE Tue DoLpHins..... Section TI. ce I. Ee: IB Teka S i eo) scence spate se suc cabsesne iar adage ae ara eRe at pete hex Orea.Or TRAM Rs aiiset ada o tho ee SRA ae peel SO a der ater The Whitefish, or White Whale........... The Bay Porpoise..............+.. The Striped or Common Porpoise. .. Baird’ sD Olphinie 6 Ase ac searorcasieien sy Sate oe sures Phe Richt. Whale: Porpoise23 che G26 alec a" om aca mo aeons MENG “Cowl shis ies aordhe bet ns ads 5 ahaha Maen AMR Shh Sane AEN The Whiteheaded or Mottled Grampus........... Beet The Bottlenosed :Grampusss.-ce5 chews bataie Saabs r ‘Lhes Panama Grampusznc2. 0c cash ans ate An ates dag anes pee The Puget: Sound: Grampuss: c..0d pe cedes ve guas Seon es ae oe The San Diego Bay Grampus................0........00... The Squareheaded Grampus.......-........0..60200 00000005. The Brownsided Dolphin of Santa Barbara Channel......... The Narwhal FREE LIBAN DIND) (SAT cn cetat ye ache ah soe Ah ath et hia la unclae aincnes vd cob Peet aed ten EUR HAL e a eet ean GEE oe ne ire ace Tae LEOPARD SEAL................. URES SWAN ODE Re tere 5 copie aeestnoni ny cenit cdr ceebeus nes Ca ee USE WEA TER US cscs cscs Sess ai oneness Org Se nae ee gs ae eee Ate ect cere od (7) ioe) CHAPTER ce CONTENTS. PART III.—THE AMERICAN WHALE- FISHERY. I. II. OnIGIN AND ANCIENT MopE oF WHALE-FISHING................ THE AMERICAN WHALE-FISHERY..............0.0. 000. eee c eee Suips, Outrirs, AND Manner or TAKING THE WHALE.......... AMERICAN WHALING COMMERCE............0..0.. 000000 e neces CALIFORNIA (SHORE= WHALING»... sey. sey oh bee ee ee ed ea eS Lire AND CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN WHALEMEN........... ERGO ONC AVITATIN Ged Rinse De nechils Oe dim aged hes el nia acy tal etn Sy tt ere APPENDIX. CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA OF THE NortH Paciric Ocean. By W. H. Datt......... DESCRIPTION OF A SKELETON OF THE RIGHT WHALE............ GLOSSARY OF WORDS AND PHRASES USED BY WHALEMEN.................0.0 00.00. c eevee List oF STORES AND OUTFITS GTS Tek LOIN, Pirate I. Frowtisprsce.— Whaling Scene in the California Lagoons. ae II. The California Gray Whale, and the Finback Whale........... between pages He III. Embryos of a California Gray Whale.................0. 0000 cee facing page ee TV... Indian Wiraline Dniplementsin sion save Gaede eee vate eee eatuesee facing page ee V. California Grays among the Ice.. 1.1.2.2... 0.0 c cee eee facing page ns VI. Esquimaux Whaling Canoe and Whaling Implements............. facing page Outlines of a Northern Finback. 0.2.0.0. 00. 00. cece eee nace e VII. Humpback and Sharpheaded Finner Whales......0 ........... between pages «© VIII. Humpbacks Lobtailing, Bolting, Breaching, and Finning...... .. facing page Outlines: ofa. Humpback Wal@.o x9 ..ssiscspaiadaons Awoeenias @ Sa LE Rgvevaal wale wens Aleutian Islanders’ Whale Harpoon............. 0.000.002.2050 005 Perch ware ets Outlines of a Humpback, from above..... 00.0... os IX. Appearance of a Female Humpback Suckling her Young.......... facing page ss X, Eye and Parasites of Baleen Whales.............. 000000000 cee eee facing page Outhne of Roys' “ Bunchback” wens swage weakens avaeen Uae heen eee #f XI. The Bowhead or Great Polar Whale...............0......004. between pages Full-grown Baleen of Seven Species of Whales.................000000 020 ee es XII. Right Whale of the North-western Coast...................... between pages « SIIL. Sulphurbettom. Wihailé...2.c.cssa.i ected eeaterns seis ag eeeg gists between pages HO ORIN: Sperm: Whales: coarc 6a set wagenacn arya eed Age setae ane between pages es XV. Sperm Whale in Search of Food....... 0.00... 0c ee facing page t XMMI,. The Blackfish. cau. va ac iks Raber Spit ote a aatathaahans uaa! a Siatt ahhh ayes hed Mitt facing page > ENIDS Opcaignors Killers giecct sca ican SiS Saoigs ia ate ede eee anatinrat oS is be ave dle facing page * XVIII. White Whale, or Whitefish of the Whalers....................0... facing page XIX. Baird’s Dolphin, Common Porpoise, and Right Whale Porpoise....facing page Approximate Outlines of Cowfish, White-headed or Mottled Grampus, Bottle- nosed Grampus, and Panama Grampus......0........00.. 0000 cece eens XX. Sea Elephant, and Sea Lion....... 0... ee eee facing page Club and Lance used in the capture of the Sea Elephant.................... Male Sea Lion Sleeping, and Male Sea Lion Waking....................0005 Appearance of a Male Sea Lion when Roaring, and Female Sea Lions, of St. Paul's: Uslandeccncacews hha ws os eee es Pe Oa ee eee eabelanene ae XXI. Banded Seal, and Fur Seal........ 0... es facing page Full-aged Male Fur Seal, St. Paul’s Island...............0..0.0...00.. 00.0.0... Head of Female Fur Seal, from below, two-thirds natural size............... Head of Female Fur Seal, side view, two-thirds natural size................ Side view of Female Fur Seal, view of Female Fur Seal from below, and attitides,of Wir Séalsaiccics careers eae eyes ga 84 Se seed seed va oN Sarid ada aed Seal Spear of the Makah Indians, Nee-ah Bay, W. T., 1866, and Spear Head, full ‘size, swith. line attached. 4064. ose 0444 deccewe gee ee ciccance Saeewn ow ware Moving attitude of a Leopard Seal, on shore........... 2.0.0.0 cece eee MARINE MAMMALS.—2. C9 24-25 20 28 32 37 37 40-41 44. 47 47 48 48 56 56 52-53 55 68-69 72-73 76-717 80 84 88 96 100 102 117 118 126 127 140 143 145 147 10 Prate XXII. « XXY. ‘ XXVI. «¢ XXVII. * XXIII. ce XNXTY. ILLUSTRATIONS. Leopard Seal, and Sea Otter.......0 0. ccc ce eee eens iacing page Aleutian Islanders’ Sea Otter Canoe, or Baidarka, with Hunters engaged in the chase; Aleutian Islanders’ Sea Otter Spear; and Spear Head, full size. Was S ES) oats. Shs. dee Sen choclate nS a ace eb vin eres 0 cuticle toon cA Pade dase eae er ae AL Wihtaling Scene: Of 168.45 oo3¢o%s Gadule day me oe Se ae es Saat facing page Implements belonging to a Whale-boat........... 0.0... 0 eee eee facing page Pierce’s Harpoon Bomb-lance Gun; Bomb-lance; and Diagram showing in- side,of Bomb-lances::cess ss oun ise ene aes eee RE ESS LEIA Mone MAS tei aid. “Wroaitls acs sand. sia eres aleetd orien Mewes ea ne ee ee eRe a hia yar ace nana sh Bee Diagram showing the manner of Cutting-in the Bowhead and Right Whale... Blubber-hook, and, Fin=chain s 4 icc ccc cacace eae a Cena e Seek Ad ea tei ede wd as Implements used in Cutting-in a Whale............ 0... eee ee eee Head-strap; Toggle; and Throat-chain Toggle............. 0. eee eee Cutting-tackle toggled to the Blanket-piece ........... 0.0.0.0 02 cece eee Outline of a Sperm Whale, showing the manner of Cutting-in............... Mineine Kite: ches erage anys eee renee Pee yell ake Meee es a ewe eee eis Blubber-fork; Stirring-pole; Skimmer; Bailer; and Fire-pike............... A. Norther. Whalitio: Seéneay ics. c0's nes Hains owl a ma ben Mere ie ae entaals facing page Whale-boat with Greener’s Gun Mounted..................0000 02.2, Whaling Station at Carmel Bay........ 0... ccc eee ee eee ees facing page Skeleton of a Baleena mysticetus... 0.0.0... ce te eee eee PREP AGH, Berna on the coast of California in 1852, when the ‘gold-fever” raged, the force of circumstances compelled me to take command of a brig, bound on a seal- ing, sea-elephant, and whaling voyage, or abandon sea-life, at least temporarily. The objects of our pursuit were found in great numbers, and the opportunities for studying their habits were so good, that I became greatly interested in col- lecting facts bearing upon the natural history of these animals. Reference to the few books devoted to the subject soon convinced me that I was at work in a department in which but little definite knowledge existed. This was true even of the whales, the best known of this class; and I was soon led to believe that, by diligent observation, I should be able to add materially to the scanty stock of infor- mation existing in regard to the marine mammals of the Pacific Coast. I was the more encouraged to pursue these investigations, because, among the great number of intelligent men in command of whaling-ships, there was no one who had contrib- uted anything of importance to the natural history of the Cetaceans; while it was obvious that the opportunities offered for the study of their habits, to those prac- tically engaged in the business of whaling, were greater than could possibly be enjoyed by persons not thus employed. The chief object in this work is to give as correct figures of the different species of marine mammals, found on the Pacifie Coast of North America, as could be obtained from a careful study of them from life, and numerous measurements after death, made whenever practicable. It is also my aim to give as full an account of the habits of these animals as practicable, together with such facts in reference to their geographical distribution as have come to my knowledge. It is hardly necessary to say, that any person taking up the study of marine mammals, and especially the Cetaceans, enters a difficult field of research, since the Cu J 12 PREFACE. opportunities for observing the habits of these animals under favorable conditions are but rare and brief. My own experience has proved that close observation for months, and even years, may be required before a single new fact in regard to their habits can be obtained. This has been particularly the case with the dol- phins, while many of the characteristic actions of whales are so secretly performed that years of ordinary observation may be insufficient for their discovery. There is little difficulty in making satisfactory drawings of such smaller species of marine mammals as can be taken upon the deck of a vessel, but it is extremely difficult to delineate accurately the forms of the larger Cctaceans. When one of these animals is first captured, but a small part of its colossal form can be seen, as, usually, only a small portion of the middle section of the body is above the water; and when the process of decomposition has caused the animal to rise, so that the whole form is visible, it is swollen and quite distorted in shape. Again: these animals change their appearance in the most remarkable manner with every change of position, so that it is only from repeated measurements and sketches, and as the result of many comparisons, that I have been able to produce satisfac- tory illustrations of these monsters of the deep. I take occasion here to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. Rey, of the firm of Britton & Rey, lithographers, who laid aside his own business, as far as possible, in order that he might give his personal attention to the execution of nearly all the plates representing whales and seals. The remaining work of that description was put into the hands of Mr. Steinegger, the junior partner of the firm; his excellent sea and landscape backgrounds speak for themselves. Plain and simple language has been used in description. Where whaling terms have been employed, their definitions are indicated by reference marks, or may be found in the glossary contained in the Appendix. I desire to tender my sincere thanks to many personal friends and others, not only for literary, but also for financial aid; for, without the generous contributions of gentlemen of the Pacific Coast, and San Francisco especially, this work could not have made its appearance in its present form. To Professor J. D. Whitney, State Geologist of California, I wish particularly to acknowledge my indebtedness for his encouragement and untiring assistance in preparing this volume for the press. My thanks are also due to Professor 8. F. PREFACE. 15 Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution; Professor George Davidson, of the United States Coast Survey; Doctor W. O. Ayres, of San Francisco; Doctor Theodore Gill, of Washington; Mr. J. A. Allen, of Cambridge; Mr. R. E. C. Stearns, of San Fran- cisco; Mr. Albert Bierstadt, of Irvington, N. Y.; Mr. W. H. Dall, of the Smith- “sonian Institution ; and to Doctor George Hewston, of San Francisco, for special assistance. Also, to Mr. F. C. Sanford, of Nantucket, Mass.; Messrs. Williams and Chapel, of the firm of Williams, Havens & Co., New London, Conn.; and Dennis Wood, Esq., of New Bedford, for valuable statistics relative to the whale-fishery. It is with pleasure that I also mention the assistance I have received from officers of the United States Revenue Marine, in making scientific collections for the study of whales and seals, and in furnishing specimens for the National Museum at Washington. I would particularly mention Lieutenants George W. Bailey, W. C. Coulson, G. EK. McConnell, and Engineers J. A. Doyle and H. Hassel. The account of the American Whale-fishery has been compiled from the most reliable sources within reach, and from the experience of many whalemen with whom I was associated for several years, while in active service on the principal whaling-grounds then frequented. I have also attempted to give a chronological account of the rise, progress, and decline of our great national maritime enterprise, the whale-fishery; and to make the picture complete, a few pages have been devoted to a description of the every-day life of a whaleman, his characteristic traits, and the incidents that make up the routine of a whaling- voyage. The ‘Catalogue of the Cetacea” appended to this work has been drawn up with great care by Mr. W. H. Dall, who has taken pains to do the work as thor- oughly as circumstances would permit; and as I have assisted him with my per- sonal knowledge of those species which are of rare occurrence on this coast, and placed in his hands all my notes and collections, I trust that his paper will be found of great assistance to the professional naturalist. As Mr. Dall remarks, however, ‘‘Completeness is not claimed for this list. In fact, it can hardly be attained for a considerable period, when the difficulties and expense connected with these researches are appreciated.” Only two species of Cetaceans have been added to the list of those mentioned as not being represented by “material sufficient to indicate their zodlogical position ;” and these were not known to Mr. Dall at the time he was preparing his lst. 14 PREFACE. The volume now presented to the public has been put together from materials which have accumulated during many years. At sea, when not occupied with official duties, amid calms and storms, I have devoted myself to its preparation ; and it is hoped that the public may find in these results of prolonged labor some- thing of the profit and pleasure with which the author has been rewarded while occupied in their collection and elaboration. CuarLes M. Scammon. San Francisco, May, 1874. Pein CF TT a Tek Pant L=CETACEA INTRODUCTION. THe order of Cetacea, as established by naturalists, includes all species of mammalia which have been created for inhabiting the water only; and although their forms bear a strong resemblance to those of the ordinary piscatory tribe, still they are animals having warm blood, breathing by means of lungs, and frequently coming to the surface of the water to respire. In nearly all Cetaceans, the nostrils —termed spiracles or spout-holes—are situated on the top of the head. Through these the thick vaporous breath is ejected into the atmosphere to various altitudes, according to the nature of the animal in this particular respect; and through the same orifices a fresh supply of air is received into its breathing system. Although the Cetaceans are strictly regarded as mammals, they have no true feet; their pec- torals being in the form of heavy, bony, and sinewy fins, while the posterior extremity of the body terminates in a broad cartilaginous limb of semi-lunar shape, frequently termed the caudal fin or tail, but known among whalemen as the “flukes,” the lobes of which extend horizontally. The different species of Cetaceans are numerous; hence they have been divided into groups, the most prominent of which are the Whalebone Whales, the Cachalots or Sperm Whales, and the Dolphins. The group of Balenide, or Whalebone Whales, embraces all those which are destitute of teeth when adult, and whose palate is lined on each side with rows of horny plates, called whalebone or baleen, which are fringed on their inner edges. This part of the animal’s organization is pecul- iarly adapted to the nature of its food, which consists of zodphytes, mollusks, crus- taceans, and small fish. The group of Sperm Whales comprises those with inordi- nately massive heads, whose upper jaw has only rudimentary teeth, or none at all; whose lower jaw is narrow, rounded toward its anterior extremity, elongated and filling the furrow in the upper one, and furnished on each side with a row of heavy conical teeth, with which to procure and devour the enormous cuttle-fish MaBINE MamMats. —3. 18 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. or squid upon which they prey. The group of Dolphins is made up of those com- prised in the Linnean genus Delphinus, and others, whose heads preserve the usual proportion to the body, and whose upper and lower jaws are set with sharp and usually conical teeth. They are the most active and rapacious of the whole order of Cetaceans. All Cetaceans produce their young in nearly the same manner as other mam- mals. The male is commonly called a bull; the female a cow. The attitude of the two sexes when having intercourse with each other has been differently repre- sented by numerous observers. Some maintain that the male covers the female; while others are positive of their lying on their sides breast to breast, or assuming a perpendicular position. From personal observation, however, we are justified in stating that all are correct. In fact, it may readily be seen that, with their united efforts, it is easy for the animals to sustain any desired position in their native element, during the period of coition. The time of gestation is not known; but from our observations we believe it is never less than nine months, and that in some species it extends to one year. The offspring of the female is called her calf; she nourishes it with rich milk drawn from two teats which lie on each side of her abdomen. All Cetaceans are destitute of the hair or fur which protects the surface of other marine mammals, and instead thereof the dermis is covered by a smooth and transparent scarf-skin. Under the dermis is the thick layer of fat, or ‘‘blubber,” which infolds the whole creature, whose flesh is dark and sinewy, resembling coarse beef. The natural term of life in Cetaceans can only be approximately determined ; it is probably from thirty to a hundred years. The new-born young are clothed in fatless blubber with a thick dermis, and over all is a delicate cuticle. The calf, or ‘‘cub,” follows the dam for several months—perhaps a year with some species— and during that time draws its chief sustenance from the mother. As her charge matures, its blubber thickens and becomes fat, the dermis becomes thinner but more compact, and the cuticle strengthens and presents a lively glossiness. Among the Balenide, the baleen with its fringes grows rapidly, and hardens as it matures. As old age comes on, the fringes to these horny plates become de- cayed and broken, and in some instances the baleen falls out. The thick blubber, once filled with oil, becomes thin and watery, and, for want of proper sustenance, the animal yields to the course of Nature and dies. Among the Physeteridw, the teeth of the young are sharp and perfect when first developed; but they become more or less broken and worn with age: as years advance, they either fall out or are reduced to a level with the gums, and, like the Balenide, being deprived of the INTRODUCTION. 19 natural means of obtaining food, the animals become emaciated, and at last expire. The same may be said of the Delphinide or Dolphins. All the Cetaceans propel themselves through the water by the action of their pectorals and caudal fin, and the individual motions of the various species are simi- lar. Usually a small portion of the animal is seen rippling along as it makes its respiration, then, after a few moments, settling below the surface, it again appears in the same manner. When descending to the depths below, it rises a little, as in figure 1; then pitching headlong, “rounds out,” as in figure 2; then “turning 2 flukes,” as in figure 3, disappears. Thus these animals wander through the track- less waters in their migrations; or, when roving about at leisure on their feeding or breeding grounds, they are sometimes seen in various attitudes, which will be mentioned hereafter. CHAPTER. L. THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. RaHAcHIaNECTES GLAucUs, Cope. (Plate ii, fig. 1.) The California Gray is unlike other species of baleen whales in color, being of a mottled gray, very light in some individuals, while others, both male and female, are nearly black. The head and jaws are curved downward from near the spiracles to the ‘“‘nib-end,” or extremity of the snout, and the lateral form tapers to a ponderous beak. Under the throat are two longitudinal folds, which are about fifteen inches apart and six feet in length. The eye, the ball of which is at least four inches in diameter, is situated about five inches above and six inches behind the angle of the mouth. The ear, which appears externally like a mere slit in the skin, two and one-half inches in length, is about eighteen inches behind the eye, and a little above it. The length of the female is from forty to forty-four fect,* the fully grown varying but little in size; its greatest circumference, twenty-eight to thirty feet; its flukes, thirty inches in depth, and ten to twelve feet broad. It has no dorsal fin. Its pectorals are about six and one-half feet in length, and three feet in width, tapering from near the middle toward the ends, which are quite pointed. Usually the limbs of the animal vary but little in proportion to its size. The following measurements give the correct proportions of several males taken in the Bay of Monterey, California, since 1865: SEX, MALE. Ft. In AGO OCIA ae Ltcnct «asinine seescerape thcue erate eterna ckure ross aeede SUAS Agia ronan wiskotti wae 42 00 Circumference: at point of pectoral s.25 c4ue.capiaivia dustin eohu sos eneee arte ove 21 00 Menethvot pectoralss.s2 jissels nee sao ere scence gs oteistaustre woe Bre Gtscesaretec see > 6 06 Waidthyol pectoral ss.) ciaiaswmantes csr as Caves. a, ang ae caida ue eta an ea Nae 210 Nib ends bo“ pectoral sisi. ma drseresaices ae ratceue aa ave cae non een eke oe PO 11 00 Pectorals: 40:sb0p: (Ol Dick kc sen Sie ihe s oie wesc ool tanner aan ida enced 4 06 Nib= end to“cormerol mouths. 2 sche oasis eit esatecit als act pate es eae 7 00 * Forty-four feet, however, would be regard- taken that were much larger, and yielding sixty ed as large, although some individuals have been or seventy barrels of oil. “HICGHLNOdS BNIMOHS QVaH 410 ANITLINO € 314 “HTVEHM AVUD VINHOATTVO VW 40 THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. al Ft. In. Corner: of mouth to top of head . .....6s cccesdanies cise wie ea sented eetaeees 2 06 Nibsend Lo. 66 ic :drvis case Maratea hich ia wahney Shana rend neste ance are nie ere sae 7 06 Spout=holes to nib=endsccis sc. devew ee stare ta Ge ee she Ev Aue peed aaleeS 6 00 Length of opening of spout-holes 0.0... 0... cee eee tee eeee 08 heneths-of flukes or tailie aicyeu ecg ciaalonsl oieeread te nie ae bale pie deena ees 10 00 Breadthvor flukes or taileatan uswy nuwes tol vp sae ea oe blew ae eka career eer 3 05 Thickness: of each lobe of flukes <2. 0c.ceirs secig ee asc eae cee eee 09 From fork of flukes*to ‘vent sccwiw iva in ce ne ieateecss oo pain yen Ser ee es 12 00 Prom fork of flukes to genital ‘slit; .2%. wom seeks case ee mode wee ene ees 16 08 Tength: of longest: baleenwsscn. cs. cidar nse ueein PA aGees Jou s «Ga Waco eas 18 Wadth-of lone estsbaleen-.1Je\i52 knee en yarn tee aie ioe ae eee bbe enn aden ae AS atol. 09 (Number of layers of baleen on each side of the mouth, 182.) Mongest fibres: toring Of baleen... work skncka sina sua ed soe ent 05 Average thickness: of -blubber.s. ace au did se dee le ee eae ae ees 07 Depth of ‘smallat junetion-of MUkes 5 cA wade ass tei Oe ee cae nent ane 18 Length of the fissure between the eyelids............ 0... cece eee ee eee eee S 04 Four other individuals, ranging from thirty-five to forty feet, were measured, the result of which showed corresponding proportions, or nearly so. The animal has a succession of ridges, crosswise along the back, from opposite the vent to the flukes. The coating of fat, or blubber, which possesses great solid- ity and is exceedingly sinewy and tough, varies from six to ten inches in thickness, and is of a reddish cast. The average yield of oil is twenty barrels. The baleen, of which the longest portion is fourteen to sixteen inches, is of a light brown or nearly white, the grain very coarse, and the hair or fringe on the bone is much heavier and not so even as that of the Right Whale or Humpback. The male may average thirty-five feet in length, but varies more in size than the female, and the Both sexes are infested with parasitical crustaceans (Cyamus Scammoni), and a species of usual quantity of oil it produces may be reckoned at twenty-five barrels. barnacle (Cryptolepas rhachianecti), which collect chiefly upon the head and fins.* furnished with a branchia at each side. * Following is W. H. Dall’s description of the Cyamus Scammoni, and of the Cryplolepas rhachianecti (Proceedings Cal. Acad. Sci., Nov. 9th, 1872). Illustrations, figs. 1, 5, plate x. Genus Cyamus, Lam. Lam. Syst. An. s. Vert., p. 166. p. 80. Cyamus, Bate & Westwood, ii, Larunda and Panope. Leach. Cyamus Scammoni, n. sp. § Body moder- ately depressed, of an egg-ovate form; segments slightly separated. Third and fourth segments This, near its base, divides into two cylindrical fila- ments, spirally coiled from right to left. At the base of each branchia are two slender acces- sory filaments, not coiled, quite short, and situ- ated, one before and the other behind the base of the main branchia. Second pair of hands, kidney-shaped, with the carpal art.culation half- way between the distal and proximal ends, and having two pointed tubercles on the inferior edge, before the carpal joint. Third and fourth segments somewhat punctate above; all the oth- 22 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. The California Gray Whale is only found in north latitudes, and its migrations have never been known to extend lower than 20° north. It frequents the coast of California from November to May. During these months the cows enter the lagoons on the lower coast to bring forth their young,* ers smooth; the sixth and seventh slightly ser- rate on the upper anterior edge, and without ventral spines. Color, yellowish white. Lon. 0.70, lat. 0.39 in., of largest specimen. @ Similar to the & in all respects, excepting in being a little more slender, and in wanting the accessory appendages to the branchie; the ovigerous sacs are four in number, overlapping each other. Habitat, on the California Gray Whale ( Rha- chianectes glaucus of Cope), upon the Coast of California; very numerous. I may remark here that these species are all so distinct from those figured by Milne-Edwards, Gosse, and Bate & Westwood, that a comparative. description has seemed unnecessary; also, that the species ob- tained on different species of Cetaceans have so far been found invariably distinct. The infer- ence is, of course, that each Cetacean has its peculiar parasites—a supposition which agrees with our knowledge of the facts in many groups of terrestrial animals. Cryptolepas rhachianecti, Dall, n. s. Valves subequal, rostrum radiate, not alate. Lateral valves anteriorly alate, posteriorly radiate; ca- rina alate, not radiate. Hach valve internally transversely deeply grooved, and furnished ex- ternally with six radiating lamine, vertically sharply grooved; the adjacent terminal lamin of each two valves coalescing to form one lami- na of extra thickness; all the laminz bifurcated and thickened toward the outer edges, with two or more short spurs on each side, irregularly placed between the shell-wall and the bifurca- tion. Superior terminations of the valves (blunt- ly pointed?) usually abraded, transversely striate. Scuta subquadrate, adjacent anteriorly, and very slightly beaked in the middle of the occludent margin; terga subquadrate, small, separated from the scuta by intervening membrane; both very small in proportion to the orifice. Membranes very thin and delicate, raised into small lamelle between the opercular valves. All the calcareous matter pulverulent, and showing a strong tend- ency to split up into lamine. Antero-posterior while the males remain outside diameter of large specimen, 1.62 inch; ditto of orifice, 0.63 inch; transverse diameter of orifice, 0.58 inch; lon. scuta, 0.17 inch; lat. ditto, 0.08 inch; lon. terga, 0.07 inch; lat. ditto, 0.07 inch. Color of membranes, when living, sulphur yel- low; hood, extremely protrusile. This species is found sessile on the California Gray Whale (Rhachianectes glaucus, Cope). I have observed them on specimens of that species hauled up on the beach at Monterey for cutting off the blubber, in the bay-whaling of that locality. The superior surface of the lateral lamine, being covered by the black skin of the whale, is not visible; and the animal, removed from its native element— protruding its bright yellow hood in every direction, to a surprising distance, as if gasping for breath—presented a truly singular appearance. * The question is often raised, as to whether the cetaceous animals have more than one young one at a birth? but it seems evident to us that they never have more than two, for Nature has made no provision whereby more than that num- ber could draw sustenance at the same time from the parent animal; and even where provision is made for two among the marine mammalia, par- ticularly in the case of the seal tribe, it is rare- It is true that instances have occurred where two, ly if ever that the female produces twins. three, or more cubs have been seen with one California Gray Whale; but this has only hap- pened in the lagoons where there had been great slaughter among the cows, leaving their young ones motherless, so that these stragele about, sometimes following other whales, some- times clustering by themselves a half-dozen to- gether. We know of one instance where a whale which had a calf perhaps a month old was killed close to a ship. When the mother was taken to the ship to be cut in, the young one followed, and remained playing about for two weeks; but THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. ao along the sea-shore. The time of gestation is about one year.* Occasionally a male is seen in the lagoons with the cows at the last of the season, and soon after both male and female, with their young, will be seen working their way northward, following the shore so near that they often pass through the kelp near the beach. It is seldom they are seen far out at sea. This habit of resorting to shoal bays is one in which they differ strikingly from other whales. In summer they congre- gate in the Arctic Ocean and Okhotsk Sea. It has been said that this species of whale has been found on the coast of China and about the shores of the island of Formosa, but the report needs confirmation. In October and November the California Grays appear off the coast of Oregon and Upper California, on their way back to their tropical haunts, making a quick, low spout at long intervals; showing themselves but very little until they reach the smooth lagoons of the lower coast, where, if not disturbed, they gather in large numbers,t passing and repassing into and out of the estuaries, or slowly raising their colossal forms midway above the surface, falling over on their sides as if by whether it lived to come to maturity is a matter of conjecture. * This statement is maintained upon the fol- We embryos being taken from females between the latitudes of 31° and 37° north, on the California coast, when the animals were returning from lowing observations : have known of five their warm winter haunts to their cool summer resorts, and in every instance they were exceed- inely fat, which is quite opposite to the cows which have produced and nurtured a calf while in the lagoons; hence we conclude that the an- imals propagate only once in two years. ft It has been estimated, approximately, by observing men among the shore-whaling parties, that a thousand whales passed southward dai- ly, from the 15th of December to the 1st of February, for several successive seasons after shore-whaling was established, which occurred in 1851. gaged in the business for over twenty years, Captain Packard, who has been en- thinks this a low estimate. Accepting this num- ber without allowing for those which passed off shore out of sight from the land, or for those which passed before the 15th of December and after the Ist of February, the aggregate would be increased to 47,000. states, that at the present time the average num- Captain Packard also ber seen from the stations passing daily would not exceed forty. From our own observation upon the coast, we are inclined to believe that the numbers resorting annually to the coast of California, from 1853 to 1856, did not exceed 40,000—probably not over 30,000; and at the present time there are many which pass off shore at so great a distance as to be invisible from the lookout stations: there are probably between 100 and 200 whales going southward daily, from the beginning to the end of the ‘‘down season” (from December 15th to February 1st). This estimate of the annual herd visiting the coast is probably not large, as there is no allowance made for those that migrate earlier and later in the season. From what data we have been able to obtain, the whole number of California Gray Whales which have been capt- ured or destroyed since the bay-whaling com- menced, in 1846, would not exceed 10,800, and the number which now periodically visit the coast does not exceed 8,000 or 10,000. 24 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. accident, and dashing the water into foam and spray about them. At times, in calm weather, they are seen lying on the water quite motionless, keeping one posi- tion for an hour or more. At such times the sea-gulls and cormorants frequently alight upon the huge beasts. The first season in Scammon’s Lagoon, coast of Lower California, the boats were lowered several times for them, we thinking that the animals when in that position were dead or sleeping, but before the boats arrived within even shooting distance they were on the move again. About the shoals at the mouth of one of the lagoons, in 1860, we saw large numbers of the monsters. It was at the low stage of the tide, and the shoal places were plainly marked by the constantly foaming breakers. To our surprise we saw many of the whales going through the surf where the depth of water was barely sufficient to float them. We could discern in many places, by the white sand that came to the surface, that they must be near or touching the bottom. One in particular, lay for a half-hour in the breakers, playing, as seals often do in a heavy surf; turning from side to side with half- extended fins, and moved appar- ently by the heavy ground-swell which was breaking ; g; at times making a playful spring with its bending flukes, throwing its body clear of the water, coming down with a heavy splash, then making two or three spouts, and again settling under water ; perhaps the next moment its head would appear, and with the heavy swell the animal would roll over in a listless manner, to all appearance enjoying the sport intensely. We passed close to this sportive animal, and had only thirteen feet of water. The habits of the Gray have brought upon it many significant names, among which the most prominent are, “ Hard - head,” ‘ Mussel - digger,” ‘‘ Devil - fish,” “Gray - back,” and “Rip-sack.” The first- mentioned misnomer arose from the fact of the animals having a great propensity to root the boats when coming in contact with them, in the same manner that hogs upset their empty troughs. More- over, they are known to descend to soft bottoms in search of food, or for other purposes ; and, when returning to the surface, they have been seen with head and lips besmeared with the dark ooze from the depths below;* hence the name of *To our personal knowledge, but little or no of the estuaries. Whether this was taken into food has been found in the animal’s stomach. the stomach as food some naturalists doubt, giv- We have examined several taken in the lagoons, ing as a reason that the whale, passing through and in them we found what the whalers called the water mixed with this vegetable matter, on ‘“‘sedge” or ‘‘sea-moss” (a sort of sea-cabbage), opening its mouth would of necessity receive which at certain seasons darkens the waters in more or less of it, which would be swallowed, extensive patches both in and about the mouths there being no other way in which it could be THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. 25 “Mussel - digger.” ‘‘Devil- fish” is significant of the danger incurred in the pursuit of the animal. ‘‘Gray-back” is indicative of its color, and ‘‘Rip-sack” originated with the manner of flensing. As the season approaches for the whales to bring forth their young, which is from December to March, they formerly collected at the most remote extremities of the lagoons, and huddled together so thickly that it was difficult for a boat to cross the waters without coming in contact with them. Repeated instances have been known of their getting aground and lying for several hours in but two or three feet of water, without apparent injury from resting heavily on the sandy bottom, until the rising tide floated them. In the Bay of Monterey they have been seen rolling, with apparent delight, in the breakers along the beach. In February, 1856, we found two whales aground in Magdalena Bay. Each had a calf playing about, there being sufficient depth for the young ones, while the mothers were lying hard on the bottom. When attacked, the smaller of the two set” the dispatching the animal at a single dart. The other, old whales lay motionless, and the boat approached near enough to “ hand-lance into her “life,” when approached, would raise her head and flukes above the water, supporting her- self on a small portion of the belly, turning easily, and heading toward the boat, which made it very difficult to capture her. It appears to be their habit to get into the shallowest inland waters when their cubs are young. For this reason the whaling-ships anchor at a considerable distance from where the crews go to hunt the animals, and several vessels are often in the same lagoon. The first streak of dawn is the signal for lowering the boats, all pulling for the head- waters, where the whales are expected to be found. As soon as one is seen, the officer who first discovers it sets a “ waif” (a small flag) in his boat, and gives chase. Boats belonging to other vessels do not interfere, but go in search of other whales. When pursuing, great care is taken to keep behind, and a short distance from the animal, until it is driven to the extremity of the lagoon, or into shoal water; then the men in the nearest boats spring to their oars in the exciting race, and the animal, swimming so near the bottom, has its progress impeded, thereby giving its pursuers a decided advantage: although occasionally it will sud- denly change its course, or “dodge,” which frequently prolongs the chase for hours, disposed of. The quantity found in any one we are convinced that mussels have been found individual would not exceed a barrelful. in the maws of the California Grays; but as From the testimony of several whaling-men yet, from our own observations, we have not whom we regard as interested and careful ob- been able to establish the fact of what their servers, together with our own investigations, principal sustenance consists. MazineE MAMMALS. — 4. 26 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. the boats cutting through the water at their utmost speed. At other times, when the cub is young and weak, the movements of the mother are sympathetically It is rare that the dam will When within “darting distance” (sixteen suited to the necessities of her dependent offspring. forsake her young one, when molested. or eighteen feet), the boat-steerer darts the harpoons, and if the whale is struck As soon as the boat is fast, the officer goes into the head,* and watches a favorable it dashes about, lashing the water into foam, oftentimes staving the boats. opportunity to shoot a bomb-lance. Should this enter a vital part and explode, it kills instantly, but it is not often this good luck occurs; more frequently two or three bombs are shot, which paralyze the animal to some extent, when the boat is hauled near enough to use the hand-lance. After repeated thrusts, the whale becomes sluggish in its motions; then, going “close to,’ the hand-lance is set into its ‘life,’ which completes the capture. The animal rolls over on its side, with fins extended, and dies without a struggle. Sometimes it will circle around within a small compass, or take a zigzag course, heaving its head and flukes above the water, and will either roll over, ‘‘fin out,’ or die under water and sink to the bottom. Thus far we have spoken principally of the females, as they are femnd.in, the lagoons. Mention has been made, however, of that general habit, common to both male and female, of keeping near the shore in making the passage between their northern and southern feeding-grounds. This fact becoming known, and the bomb- guny coming into use, the mode of capture along the outer coast was changed. The whaling parties first stationed themselves in their boats at the most favorable points, where the thickest beds of kelp were found, and there lay in wait watching for a good chance to shoot the whales as they passed. This was called ‘kelp whaling.” The first year or two that this pursuit was practiced, many of the animals * Whalemen call the forward part of a whale- boat the head, differing from merchantmen, who term it the bow; still, the oar next to the for- ward one in a whale-boat is named the bow- oar. And, likewise, when the boat is hauled close up to the whale by heaving the line out of the ‘“‘bow-chocks,” and taking it to one side against a cleat which is placed a few feet aft of the extreme bow, it is called ‘‘bowing- on.” ¢ The bomb-gun is made of iron, stock and all. It is three feet long, the barrel of which is twenty-three inches in length; diameter of bore, one and one-eighth of an inch; weight, twenty-four pounds. It shoots a bomb-lance twenty-one and a half inches long, and of a size to fit the bore. It is pointed at the end, with sharpened edges, in order to cut its way through the fibrous fat and flesh, and is guided by three elastic feathers, which are attached along the fuse tube, folding around it when in the barrel. The gun is fired from the shoulder, in the same way as a musket. For illustration, see plate xxiii. THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. 27 passed through or along the edge of the kelp, where the gunners chose their own distance for a shot. This method, however, soon excited the suspicions of these sagacious creatures. At first, the ordinary whale-boat was used, but the keen- eyed ‘‘Devil-fish” soon found what would be the consequence of getting too near the long, dark-looking object, as it lay nearly motionless, only rising and falling with one man to scull and another with the rolling swell. A very small boat to shoot—was then used, instead of the whale-boat. This proved successful for a time, but, after a few successive seasons, the animals passed farther seaward, and at the present time the boats usually anchor outside the kelp. The mottled fish being scen approaching far enough off for the experienced gunner to judge nearly where the animal will ‘break water,” the boat is sculled to that place, to await the ba “rising.” If the whale ‘‘shows a good chance,” it is frequently killed instantly, and sinks to the bottom, or receives its death-wound by the bursting of the bomb- lance. Consequently, the stationary position or slow movement of the animal enables the whaler to get a harpoon into it before sinking. To the harpoon a lne is attached, with a buoy, which indicates the place where the dead creature lies, should it go to the bottom. Then, in the course of twenty-four hours, or in less time, it rises to the surface, and is towed to the shore, the blubber taken off and tried out in pots set for that purpose upon the beach. Another mode of capture is by ships cruising off the land and sending their boats inshore toward the line of kelp; and, as the whales work to the southward, the boats, being provided with extra large sails, the whalemen take advantage of the strong northerly winds, and, running before the breeze, sail near enough to be able to dart the hand-harpoon into the fish. ‘Getting fast” in this way, it is killed in deep water, and, if inclined to sink, it can be held up by the boats till the ship comes up, when a large “fluke-rope” is made fast, or the “fin-chain” is secured to one fin, the ‘‘cutting-tackle” hooked, and the whale “cut in” immedi- ately. This mode is called ‘‘sailing them down.” Still another way of catching them is with ‘“Greener’s Harpoon Gun,” which is similar to a small swivel-gun. It is of one and a half inch bore, three feet long in the barrel, and, when stocked, weighs seventy-five pounds. The harpoon, four feet and a half long, is projected with considerable accuracy to any distance under eighty-four yards. The gun is mounted on the bow of the boat. A variety of manceuvres are practiced when using the weapon: at times the boat lying at anchor, and, again, drifting about for a chance-shot. When the animal is judged to be ten fathoms off, the gun is pointed eighteen inches below the back; if fifteen fathoms, eight or ten inches below; if eighteen or twenty fathoms distant, the gun is sighted at the top of its back. 28 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. Still another strategic plan has been practiced with successful results, called ‘whaling along the breakers.” Mention has been already made of the habit which these whales have of playing about the breakers at the mouths of the lagoons. This, the watchful eye of the whaler was quick to see, could be turned to his advantage. After years of pursuit by waylaying them around the beds of kelp, the wary animals learned to shun these fatal regions, making a wide deviation in their course to enjoy their sports among the rollers at the lagoons’ mouths, as they passed them either way. But the civilized whaler anchors his boats as near the roaring surf as safety will permit, and the unwary ‘‘Mussel-digger” that comes in reach of the deadly harpoon, or bomb-lance, is sure to pay the penalty with its life. If it come within darting distance, it is harpooned; and, as the stricken animal makes for the open sea, it is soon in deep water, where the pursuer makes his capture with comparative ease; or if passing within range of the bomb-gun, one of the explosive missiles is planted in its side, which so paralyzes the whale that the fresh boat’s-crew, who have been resting at anchor, taking to their oars, soon overtake and dispatch it. The casualties from coast and kelp whaling are nothing to be compared with the accidents that have been experienced by those engaged in taking the females in the lagoons. Hardly a day passes but there is upsetting or staving of boats, the crews receiving bruises, cuts, and, in many instances, having limbs broken; and repeated accidents have happened in which men have been instantly killed, or received mortal injury. The reasons of the increased dangers are these: the quick and deviating movements of the animal, its unusual sagacity, and the fact of the sandy bottom being continually stirred by the strong currents, making it difficult to see an object at any considerable depth. When a whale is “struck” at sea, there is generally but httle difficulty in keeping clear. When first irritated by the har- poon, it attempts to escape by “running,” or descending to the depths below, taking out more or less line, the direction of which, and the movements of the boat, indicate the animal’s whereabouts. But in a lagoon, the object of pursuit is in narrow passages, where frequently there is a swift tide, and the turbid water pre- vents the whaler from seeing far beneath the boat. Should the chase be made with the current, the fugitive sometimes stops suddenly, and the speed of the boat, together with the influence of the running water, shoots it upon the worried animal when it is dashing its flukes in every direction. The whales that are chased have with them their young cubs, and the mother, in her efforts to avoid the pursuit of herself and offspring, may momentarily lose sight of her little one. Instantly she oe, Wah ee “HONWO L'dIVIS 01 CHHIVILV F3N¥T 9 4SVLS 01 GHHOVTAWY NOOAMWHG AGO H‘NOOAIVH TO MAIN TOGTE TINVI JO MaIA TOCT CMV TOS'2 CIHOVLLV ANTI HLIM. (WH NOOTHVH | ‘SLNAWITIWT ONITVHM CNY SONV9 ONITVHM SNVIGNI LSAM HLYON JP DP UAUMMEIO YW} HS Fa 8 UO YET f ( UG CM Hi rN AD 181g THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. 29 will stop and ‘‘sweep”’ around in search, and if the boat~comes in contact with her, it is quite sure to be staved. Another danger is, that in darting the lance at the mother, the young one, in its gambols, will get in the way of the weapon, and receive the wound, instead of the intended victim. In such instances, the parent animal, in her frenzy, will chase the boats, and, overtaking them, will overturn them with her head, or dash them in pieces with a stroke of her ponderous flukes. Sometimes the calf is fastened to instead of the cow. In such instances the mother may have been an old frequenter of the ground, and been before chased, and perhaps have suffered from a previous attack, so that she is far more difficult to capture, staving the boats and escaping after receiving repeated wounds. One instance occurred in Magdalena Lagoon, in 1857, where, after several boats had been staved, they being near the beach, the men in those remaining afloat managed to pick up their swimming comrades, and, in the meantime, to run the line to the shore, hauling the calf into as shallow water as would float the dam, she keeping near her troubled young one, giving the gunner a good chance for a shot with his bomb-gun from the beach. A similar instance occurred in Scammon’s Lagoon, in 1859. The testimony of many whaling-masters furnishes abundant proof that these whales are possessed of unusual sagacity. Numerous contests with them have proved that, after the loss of their cherished offspring, the enraged animals have given chase to the boats, which only found security by escaping to shoal water or to shore. After evading the civilized whaler and his instruments of destruction, and per- haps while they are suffering from wounds received in their southern haunts, these migratory animals begin their northern journey. The mother, with her young grown to half the size of maturity, but wanting in strength, makes the best of her way along the shores, avoiding the rough sea by passing between or near the rocks and islets that stud the points and capes. But scarcely have the poor creatures quitted their southern homes before they are surprised by the Indians about the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver and Queen Charlotte’s Islands. Like enemies in ambush, these glide in canoes from island, bluff, or bay, rushing upon their prey with whoop and yell, launching their instruments of torture, and like hounds worry- ing the last life-blood from their vitals. The capture having been effected, trains of canoes tow the prize to shore in triumph. The whalemen among the Indians of the North-west Coast are those who delight in the height of adventure, and who are ambitious of acquiring the greatest reputation among their fellows. Those among them who could boast of killing a whale, formerly had the most exalted mark of 30 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. honor conferred upon them by a cut across the nose; but this custom is no longer observed. The Indian whaling-canoe is thirty-five feet in length. Hight men make the crew, each wielding a paddle five and a half feet long. The whaling-gear consists of harpoons, lines, lances, and seal-skin buoys, all of their own workmanship. The cutting material of both lance and spear was formerly the thick part of a mussel- ? shell, or of the ‘“‘abelone ;” the line made from cedar withes, twisted into a three- strand rope. The buoys are fancifully painted, but those belonging to each boat have a distinguishing mark. The lance-pole, or harpoon-staff, made of the heavy wood of the yew-tree, is eighteen feet long, weighing as many pounds, and with the lance attached is truly a formidable weapon. Their whaling-grounds are limited, as the Indians rarely venture seaward far out of sight of the smoke from their cabins by day, or beyond view of their bon- fires at night. The number of canoes engaged in one of these expeditions is from two to five, the crews being taken from among the chosen men of the tribe, who, with silent stroke, can paddle the symmetrical canim close to the rippling water beside the animal; the bowman then, with sure aim, thrusts the harpoon into it, and heaves the line and buoys clear of the canoe. The worried creature may dive deeply, but very little time elapses before the inflated seal-skins are visible again. The instant these are seen, a buoy is elevated on a pole from the nearest canoe, by way of signal; then all dash, with shout and grunt, toward the object of pur- suit. Now the chase attains the highest pitch of excitement, for each boat being provided with implements alike, in order to entitle it to a full share of the prize its crew must lodge their harpoon in the animal, with buoys attached; so that, after the first attack is made, the strife that ensues to be next to throw the spear creates a scene of brawl and agility peculiar to these savage adventurers. At length the victim, becoming weakened by loss of blood, yields to a system of torture characteristic of its eager pursuers, and eventually, spouting its last blood from a lacerated heart, it writhes in convulsions and expires. Then the whole fleet of canoes assists in towing it to the shore, where a division is made, and all the inhabitants of the village greedily feed upon the fat and flesh till their appetites are satisfied. After the feast, what oil may be extracted from the remains is put into skins or bladders, and is an article of traffic with neighboring tribes or the white traders who occasionally visit them. These “whales of passage,” when arrived in the Arctic Ocean and Okhotsk Sea, are seen emerging between the scattered floes, and even forcing themselves through the field of ice, rising midway above the surface, and blowing in the same THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. 31 attitude in which they are frequently seen in the southern lagoons; at such times the combined sound of their respirations can be heard, in a calm day, for miles across the ice and water. But in those far northern regions, the animals are rarely pursued by the whale-ship’s boats: hence they rest in some degree of security; yet even there, the watchful Esquimaux steal upon them, and to their primitive weapons and rude processes the whale at last succumbs, and supplies food and substance for its captors. The Esquimaux whaling-boat, although to all appearance simple in its con- struction, will be found, after careful investigation, to be admirably adapted to the purpose, as well as for all other uses necessity demands. It is not only used to accomplish the more important undertaking, but in it they hunt the walrus, shoot game, and make their long summer-voyages about the coast, up the deep bays and long rivers, where they traffic with the interior tribes. When prepared for whaling, the boat is cleared of all passengers and useless incumbrances, nothing being allowed but the whaling-gear. Hight picked men make the crew.* Their boats are twenty-five to thirty feet long, and are flat on the bottom, with flaring sides and tapering ends. The framework is of wood, lashed together with the fibres of baleen and thongs of walrus-hide, the latter article being the covering, or plank- ing, to the boat. The implements are one or more harpoons, made of ivory, with a point of slate-stone or iron; a boat-mast, that serves the triple purpose of spreading the sail and furnishing the staff for the harpoon and lance; a large knife, and eight paddles. The knife lashed to the mast constitutes the lance. The boat being in readiness, the chase begins. As soon as the whale is seen and its course ascertained, all get behind it: not a word is spoken, nor will they take notice of a passing ship or boat, when once excited in the chase. All is silent and motionless until the spout is seen, when they instantly paddle toward it. The spouting over, every paddle is raised; again the spout is seen or heard through the fog, and again they spring to their paddles. In this manner the animal is approached near enough to throw the harpoon, when all shout at the top of their voices. This is said to have the effect of checking the animal’s way through the water, thus giving an opportunity to plant the spear in its body, with line and buoys attached. The chase continues in this wise until a number of weapons are firmly fixed, causing the animal much effort to get under water, and still more to remain down; so it soon rises again, and is attacked with renewed vigor. It is the *It is said by Captain Norton, who com- several years ago, that the women engage in the manded the ship Citizen, wrecked in the Arctic chase. bo MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. oo established custom with these simple natives, that the man who first effectually throws his harpoon, takes command of the whole party: accordingly, as soon as the animal becomes much exhausted, his baidarra is paddled near, and with surprising quickness he cuts a hole in its side sufficiently large to admit the knife and mast to which it is attached; then follows a course of cutting and piercing till death ensues, after which the treasure is towed to the beach in front of their huts, where it is divided, each member of the party receiving two ‘‘slabs of bone,” and a like proportion of the blubber and entrails; the owners of the canoes claiming what remains. The choice pieces for a dainty repast, with them, are the flukes, lips, and fins. The oil is a great article of trade with the interior tribes of ‘‘reindeer-men:” it is sold in skins of fifteen gallons each, a skin of oil being the price of a reindeer. The entrails are made into a kind of souse, by pickling them in a liquid extracted from a root that imparts an acrid taste: this preparation is a savory dish, as well as a preventive of the scurvy. The lean flesh supplies food for their dogs, the whole troop of the village gathering abot the carcass, fighting, feasting, and howl- ing, as only sledge-dogs can. Many of the marked habits of the California Gray are widely different from those of any other species of balena. It makes regular migrations from the hot southern latitudes to beyond the Arctic Circle; and in its passages between the extremes of climate it follows the general trend of an irregular coast so near that it is exposed to attack from the savage tribes inhabiting the sea-shores, who pass much of their time in the canoe, and consider the capture of this singular wanderer a feat worthy of the highest distinction. As it approaches the waters of the torrid zone, it presents an opportunity to the civilized whalemen—at sea, along the shore, and in the lagoons—to practice their different modes of strategy, thus hastening the time of its entire annihilation. This species of whale manifests the greatest affection for its young, and seeks the sheltered estuaries lying under a tropical sun, as if to warm its offspring into activity and promote comfort, until grown to the size Nature demands for its first northern visit. When the parent animals are attacked, they show a power of resistance and tenacity of life that distinguish them from all other Cetaceans. Many an expert whaleman has suffered in his encounters with them, and many a one has paid the penalty with his life. Once captured, however, this whale yields the coveted reward to its enemies, furnishing sustenance for the Hsquimaux whaler, from such parts as are of little value to others. The oil extracted from its fatty covering is exchanged with remote tribes for their fur- clad animals, of which the flesh affords the venders a feast of the choicest food, Plate V. ur Auth Britton + Aer 8, el CAMPO. S TAL, ris CALIFORNIA GRAYS AMONG THE lc a THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE. 33 and the skins form an indispensable article of clothing. The North-west Indians realize the same comparative benefit from the captured animals as do the Hsqui- maux, and look forward to its periodical passage through their circumscribed fishing- grounds as a season of exploits and profit. The civilized whaler seeks the hunted animal farther seaward, as from year to year it learns to shun the fatal shore. None of the species are so constantly and variously pursued as the one we have endeavored to describe; and the large bays and lagoons, where these animals once congregated, brought forth and nurtured their young, are already nearly deserted. The mammoth bones of the California Gray lie bleaching on the shores of those silvery waters, and are scattered along the broken coasts, from Siberia to the Gulf of California; and ere long it may be questioned whether this mammal will not be numbered among the extinct species of the Pacific. MARINE MAMMALS.—5. CYLAPTER: i, THE FINBACK WHALE. BaLEnorrera VELIFERA, Cope. (Plate u, fig. 2.) Another species of the whale tribe is known as the Finback, or Finner, whose geographical distribution is as extended as that of the Sulphurbottom, and which ranks next to it in point of swiftness. One picked up by Captain Poole, of the bark Sarah Warren, of San Francisco, affords us the following memoranda: Length, sixty-five feet; thickness of blubber, seven to nine inches; yield of oil, seventy-five barrels; color of blubber, a clear white. Top of head quite as flat and straight as that of the Humpback. Baleen, the longest, two feet four inches; greatest width, thirteen inches; its color, a light lead, streaked with black, and its surface presents a ridgy appearance crosswise ; length of fringe to bone, two to four inches, and in size this may be compared to a cambric needle. A Balenoptera, which came on shore near the outer heads of the Golden Gate, gave us the opportunity of obtaining the following rough measurements : Ft. In. Dsen ti sieraco ceca vie eis a uals ens vt fe i deena stag ate Botte nae ca terete Sat ceell aa 60 00 Hromenibsend=to: pectoralsiaciananun so sen oulnnan epee kota eed hans nee ae 15 00 Prom -nib=end. 10. cormen-of. Mm OWtlins Neue M sachs teers perenne eee ecient 12 00 ROM DUD SEN OO y. Cis sisson 8 eats tx ectiaee aictetuas oet ei er a sS eee ag ena vada cea, 12 06 From notch.ot-caudal into. Senital siti sn. arn natdaeaiee shh a oe ee bee 21 00 Hrom notch: or-canudal sinrto vent... 2 iio cae a acne pone Sneak ee eee eta 19 06 Hix pansion Of-caucal sfines 2. + csent count narcen ata ee asi mca abe amet TAO te 14 00 Its side fins and flukes are in like proportion to the body as in the California Gray. Its throat and breast are marked with deep creases, or folds, similar to the Humpback. Color of back and sides, black or blackish-brown (in some individ- uals a curved band of lighter shade marks its upper sides, between the spiracles and pectorals) ; belly, a milky white. Its back fin is placed nearer to the caudal than the hump on the Humpback, and in shape approaches to a right-angled [34] Dn | THE FINBACK WHALL. (She) triangle, but rounded on the forward edge, curved on the opposite one; the longest side joins the back in some examples, and in others the anterior edge is the longest. The gular folds spread on each side to the pectorals, and extended half the length of the body. The habitual movements of the Finback in several points are peculiar. When it respires, the vaporous breath passes quickly through its spiracles, and when a fresh supply of air is drawn into the breathing system, a sharp and somewhat musical sound may be heard at a considerable distance, which is quite distinguish- able from that of other whales of the same genus. (We have observed the interval between the respirations of a large Vinback to be about seven seconds.) It fre- quently gambols about vessels at sea, in mid-ocean as well as close in with the coast, darting under them, or shooting swiftly through the water on either side; at one moment upon the surface, belching forth its quick, ringing spout, and the next instant submerging itself bencath the waves, as if enjoying a spirited race with the ship dashing along under a press of sail. In beginning the descent, it assumes a variety of positions: sometimes rolling over nearly on its side, at other times rounding, or perhaps heaving, its flukes out, and assuming nearly a perpendicular attitude. Frequently it remains on the surface, making a regular course and several uniform ‘‘blows.” Occasionally they congregate in schools of fifteen to twenty, or less. In this situation we have usually observed them going quickly through the water, several spouting at the same instant. Their uncertain movements, however —often showing themselves twice or thrice, then disappearing—and their swiftness, make them very difficult to capture. The results of several attempts to catch them were as follows: from the ship one was shot with a bomb-gun, which did its work so effectually, that although the boat was in readiness for instant lowering, before it got within darting distance the animal, in its dying contortions, ran foul of the ship, giving her a shock that was very sensibly felt by all on board, and lkewise a momentary heel of about two streaks. We had a good view of the under-side of the whale as it made several successive rolls before disappearing, and our obser- vations agreed with those noted on board the Sarak Warren in relation to color and the creases on throat and breast. The under-side of the fins was white also. At another time the whale died about ten fathoms under water, and after carefully hauling it up in sight, the “iron drawed, and away the dead animal went to the depths beneath.” Frequently we have “lowered” for single ones that were playing about the ship, but by the time the boats were in the water nothing more would be seen of them, or, if seen, they would be a long way off, and then disappear. An instance occurred in Monterey Bay, in 1865, of five being captured under 36 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. the following circumstances: A ‘‘pod” of whales was seen in the offing, by the whalemen, from their shore station, who immediately embarked in their boats and gave chase. On coming up to them they were found to be Finbacks. One was harpooned, and, although it received a mortal wound, they all ‘run together” as before. One of the gunners, being an expert, managed to shoot the whole five, and they were all ultimately secured, yielding to the captors a merited prize. We have noticed large numbers of these whales along the coast during the summer months, and they seem to be more together at that particular season; but, as the opportunities for observing their habits have been much greater at that time of the year, we may have been led into error upon this particular point. Their food is of the same nature as that of the other rorquals, and the quantity of codfish which has been found in them is truly enormous. On the northern coast, the Finbacks, in many instances, have a much larger fin than those in warmer lati- tudes, and we are fully satisfied that these are a distinct species, confined to the northern waters. We have had but little opportunity to observe the Finbacks that frequently rove about the Gulf of Georgia and Fuca Strait. Several have been seen, however, in May and June, on the coasts of California and Oregon, and in Fuca Strait in June and July of the year 1864; these observations satisfy us that the dorsal fin of this—the northern species referred to—is strikingly larger than in the more southern Finbacks. Appended are the outlines of one individual of several seen in Queen Charlotte Sound, in February, 1865, which is a fair representation of them all. Those we have noticed about Fuca Strait seem to have the back fin modified in size between the extremely small one found on the coast of Lower California and the one here represented. “DONVT'9 ‘SAVIS OL GAHOVIIV NOOGUVH'S NOOdYVH JO MIA AUIS + ‘NOOdUVH 40 MAIA 3904 °e'AONA' 2° SONWI'L “SLNAWATdAT ONIIVHM. GNV'TONVO ONITVHM XNVWINdgsd 4 hay YUONIIg' YI] ‘Jap uowueo Wd LY TA 8teld t™~ om FINBACK WHALE. THE PuTLINES OF A NorTHERN PINBACK, CHAPTER. HI, THE WUMPBACK WHALE. MEGAPTERA VERSABILIS, Cope. (Plate vii, fig. 1.) The Humpback is one of the species of rorquals that roam through every ocean, generally preferring to feed and perform its uncouth gambols near extensive coasts, or about the shores of islands, in all latitudes between the equator and the frozen oceans, both north and south. It is irregular in its movements, seldom going a straight course for any considerable distance; at one time moving about in large numbers, scattered over the sea as far as the eye can discern from the mast-head ; at other times singly, seeming as much at home as if it were surrounded by hun- dreds of its kind; performing at will the varied actions of ‘breaching,’ ‘‘rolling,” “finning,”’ “lobtailing,’ or “scooping;” or, on a calm, sunny day, perhaps lying motionless on the molten-looking surface, as though life were extinct. Its shape, compared with the symmetrical forms of the Finback, California Gray, and Sulphurbottom, is decidedly ugly, as it has a short, thick body, and frequently a diminutive “small,” with inordinately large pectorals and flukes. a ' i > : : os 7 . ' 7 7 oil ou 7 - 7h a CATALOGUE OF THE CETACKA OF THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN, WITH OSTEOLOGIOAL NOTES, AND DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW FORMS; WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE FORMS DESCRIBED AND FIGURED IN THE FOREGOING MONOGRAPH OF PACIFIC CETACEA, BY CAPTAIN C. M. SCAMMON, U.S. R. M. boxe “Va. Gi. 2A Gila SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. THE object in the following Catalogue—hesides bringing together condensed descriptions of the species of Cetaceans reported from the Pacific, and such of unknown habitat as might have come from that ocean, with references to such figures and fuller descriptions as may be readily consulted by the student—has been especially to determine, as exactly as possible, the genera and species described by the author in the preceding pages of this work, in order that his figures and contributions to our knowledge of the habits and natural history of those animals may have their fullest value for the scientific student of the group in question. I have adopted in full the general groups eliminated by Professor Theodore Gill, of the Smithsonian Institution, in the Catalogue of the Families of Mammals published by the Institution; a course warranted not less by the scientific standing of: the author in question, than by the paucity of works of reference on this coast, and the confusion which has hitherto existed among the best naturalists in regard MARINE MAMMALS.—36, ( 281] 989, APPENDIX. to the classification of the Cetacea. For convenience in reference I have also, for the most part, adopted the minor divisions used by Dr. J. E. Gray in his Supple- mentary Catalogue of Seals and Whales in the British Museum, 1871; though many of them appear to have a more subordinate value than that ascribed to them by that eminent naturalist. In quoting his works, for greater brevity, I have simply referred to them by their dates, namely: the Sritish Museum Catalogues of 1850 and 1866; the Synopsis of Whales and Dolphins, 1868 (containing, with others, the plates of the Zoology of the Erebus and Terror, partially published in 1846); and the Sup- plementary Catalogue of 1871. I have to thank Captain C. M. Scammon for placing all the material and infor- mation in his possession at my disposal, for examination; also, Professor S. F. Baird and Doctor Theodore Gill, of the Smithsonian Institution, for assistance ren- dered in many ways, without which I should hardly have been able to complete this Catalogue. I have also incorporated extremely brief notices of the material from which each species has been described, and the museum in which the specimens are pre- served; “S. I.” referring to the National Museum, in charge of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. I have also endeavored to refer to all the remains of Cetacea preserved in the collections on the west coast. Completeness is not claimed for this list; in fact, it can hardly hope to be attained for a considerable period, when the difficulties and expense connected with these researches are appreciated. Still, it is to be hoped that, in bringing together this material, something has been accomplished in rendering the path easier for subsequent students. The references to plates opposite the specific name adopted, are to the plates and figures in the preceding portion of this volume. CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. 98: Order CETE. Suborder Denticete. Superfamily DELPHINOIDEA. Family De.pninip». Subfamily Detparwapreri x. Genus Delphinapterus, Lac. Delphinapterus, Lacépede, Lilljeborg, Gill, 95. Beluga, Gray, 1871, p. 94. Auctorum. Delphinapterus catodon. PI. xviii, fig. 1. Beluga, of Scammon, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1869, p. 57. Beluga catodon, Gray, 1866, p. 307, fig. 61; 1871, p. 94. Physeter catodon, Linn., 8. N. 107. Delphinus leucas, Gmelin, S. N. 1232. Delphinaplerus beluga, Lacépede, Cét. 243, 1804. Arctic Seas, Bering Sea, Ochotsk, Japan? Pure white. Twelve to sixteen feet long. Skulls in B. M. Three skulls from Norton Sound, Dall, Coll. S. I. Doctor Gray, having examined skulls collected by Captain Kellett, R. N., from Bering Strait, unites the beluga of the western seas with that of the north of Europe. The teeth in specimens (80 or 90 in number) examined by me, in Norton Sound, Bering Sea, varied from é to {}; often being unequal in number on opposite sides. Genus Monodon, Linn. Monodon monoceros. Monodon monoceros, Linn. Faun. Suec. 2, 16; S. N. i, 105. Narwhal. Arctic Seas. Specimens are sometimes brought overland, across eastern Siberia, by the natives, and sold to traders in the Ochotsk Sea Subfamily Dezpuryiy.z, Gill, p. 95. Genus Delphinus, Gray. Delphinus, Gray, 1871, p. 67. Delphinus Bairdii. Pl]. xix, fig. 1. D. Bairdii, Dal. Prel. Descr. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. v, Jan. 1873. Back, posterior sides, fins and flukes, black. Anterior sides gray, with two narrow lateral white stripes. A white, lanceolate, belly- patch. Full descriptions of the colors and measurements 284 APPENDIX. of two female specimens taken by Captain Scammon, off Point Arguello, California, will be found in his monograph. Length, six feet and seven to nine inches. Dorsal falcate, immediately over the navel. Front of head prominently bulbous or convex beyond the even curve of the back of the head; a slight convexity below, behind the vent. Beak slender, elongated. The following are the dimensions of the cranium, in inches and decimals: Length of skull in: straight dines. 6.0 sic. keds Hoa oA ea Re eRe wae 18 .76 Internal lenethof brawn. Cavity) nccsiets eas ee uae os elles is eee ele Se 4 .40 Length of beak anterior to maxillary notches .............. 0.00... cece ee eee 11 .90 Length from tip of beak to anterior margin of superior nares................. 13 .40 Length from tip of beak to posterior notch of palate in the median line...... 13 .90 Length from tip of beak to posterior tooth............ 6 cece eee eee eee 10 .50 Hlerehit; Of Sli at) Vertex is chee. cue ce ies avian: sewes ua ees conaveitise sn dogs apnea ceusvite aver stars lat anehisavers 6 .00 Greatest breadth at zygomatic process of squamosals.................. 0020020, 6 .95 Breadth at-supra-orbital. TIdG6 cs asses ak sce itcs aes ce pao ea eulealegie ea nns eemies 6 .10 Breadth between maxillary notches ............ 0... cece ee eee e ee ence eee ec eeees 3 .40 Breadth~aticmiddle: Of beak 2s. c tesco joonsetrecscetedand fat avehaneunds Masten ekisrevetacosse palate nea 2 .00 Breadth of the two premaxillaries at middle of beak.........-.............04. 0 .90 Wadthof cond ylesia sian. craien Aras genes eis oes dee dd Go ee eae eee ee 3.70 Closest approximation of condyles below the foramen...................+.-000- 0 .90 Height; of foramen magnum soya vive See nee ia ie eo e etnias arene 1 .40 Wadth.:of foramen: mae nwt oe ai sda fess sais Gal ens loses vieis-a\ oi die sie vigaaee alee eee 1 .60 Entire length of ramus of lower jaw. .......... 0.2 e cece cece cc eee cee ee eenees 15 .90 Tip to posterior edge of last tooth ...... 2... 0. ccc cece nett ene eees 9 .80 Hength: of spy mphysisivach ices cae issishedin tare eats Bal evlcwn a one Be anaenenaiers Sweet a oA 2.10 Height of ramus at coronoid process ........... 60. e ee eees 2.75 Width between outsides of articular surfaces............0 0.0000 cece cece eee 6 .10 Width between posterior teeth ........ 6... cece cc eee ee ee ce eeeenaaens 2.10 Length from tip to anterior notch of dental foramen.....................000- 11 .40 Length of largest teeth, sharply conical.............. 0.0.0.0 cece cece eee eee ees 0 .56 Greatest: diameter of SAME. <2. 665 cece ata ee eee ea Gh eee ee eee Hes whee laws 0.18 Length from tip of beak to superior transverse ridge behind the frontals....... 15 .60 Teeth in the specimen before me, }3 by $3. The anterior six on each side above are barely indicated, and do not project above the gums; the next four on each side, though projecting, are very small. Below, 47 teeth on each side are plainly visible, and there is room for four or five more between the most anterior tooth and the end of the symphysis. The teeth are very sharply conical, rather wider transversely than in the direction of the ramus, and slightly incurved at the tips. The number in the other specimen is reported to have been 54 on each side. The frincipal features of the cranium, as compared with the other species of the genus Del- phinus as restricted by Gray (1871), are the great length of the beak as compared with the brain- case, and the remarkably deep channels in the maxillary bones on each side of the palatal ridge, which actually overlaps on each side to the extent of 0.2 of an inch. Six and a half inches behind the end of the beak, a groove commences in the median line of the palate, which widens anteriorly, exposing the premaxillaries near the end of the beak. Behind the point mentioned, the palate rapidly rises as a narrow ridge (from 0.7 of an inch to one inch in width), evenly rounded on the edges and slightly convex in the middle, contracting a little in width after passing the posterior end of the tooth line; its edges overlapping the lateral channels, and its inferior face extending at its junction with the palatines to the distance of 1.2 inch below the superior arch of the maxillaries. A groove extends posteriorly between the palatines and pterygoids, ter- minating in a slight notch between the latter, which notch is a little posterior to the posterior termination of the narial septum. The pterygoid and tympanic bones are wanting in this specimen, CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. 2 with the exception of those portions of the former which form the deeply - notched lateral walls of the posterior nares, and which are continuous with the very broad lateral expansions of the basi- occipital. The occipital condyles are nearly an inch apart at their closest approximation below; the foramen magnum is large, rounded below, and angular, rather than notched, above. There Be a sharp vertical lamina on the inner side of the supra-occipital, extending forward in the median line, nearly an inch from the inner surface of the supra-occipital, and terminating below about half an inch above the foramen in a small triangular tentorium, from which slight laterally extending ridges indicate the boundary of the cerebellar fossa. : The superior aspect of the cranium presents no very distinctive features. Compared with Clymenia microps, Gray, as figured in the Zodlogy of the Erebus and Terror, pl. 25 (also, in Synopsis of Whales and Dolphins, 4to., Gray, 1868, pl. 25), the following differences are noted: The pre- maxille are narrower, more elevated above the maxille; the nasal triangle extends half an inch beyond the posterior end of the tooth line instead of falling about as far behind it, and is much more acute in front in D. Bairdit. The posterior angle of the supra-orbital process in D. Bairdii is much less prominent, when viewed from above, than in microps, and the extension of the max- illaries over the jugals is less elevated, being evenly rounded off at the sides and in front. The supra-occipital is pressed in above the condyles, and the superior portion of it is more roundly convex than in microps. The proportion of the beak to the brain-case is greater than in Clymenia stenorhynchus, Gray, and the beak is wider, both at the notches and anteriorly. The laterally channeled palate would in any case distinguish it from the species of Clymenia and Steno, to which it bears a superficial resemblance. In the anterior third of the beak, the premaxille evenly slope off toward the maxillze in the same plane, and are separated by the mesethmoid cartilage. Behind this, however, the premaxille are solidly united, and much more elevated above the maxille, forming a ridge with nearly parallel and vertical sides, rounded off above, and attaining a maximum height above the maxille of 0.48 of an inch. The nasal triangle is evenly excavated, divided by an open suture terminating in a notch above the narial septum. The mesethmoid plate is provided with a submedian ridge, and terminates above in three points. The nasals are knob-lke and rounded transverse, forming the vertex of the skull. CrrvicaL VERTEBR®.— These are codssified into three groups, as hereafter mentioned; but it is probable that individuals vary in this respect to some extent. The first mass has a total diameter, from point to point of the transverse processes, of 5.35 inches; and from the middle lower anterior edge of the atlas to the bifurcation of the spinous process of 3.65 inches. The neural arch is 1.10 inch high and 1.53 inch wide; the extreme width across the condylar facets is 3.3 inches. The centrum of the third cervical is 1.3 inch wide by 1.0 inch high. The neural arch (incomplete at the top), 0.92 inch high by 1.0 inch wide; the extreme width from point to point of the vertebra is 1.65 inch. The fifth cervical has a total width between the points of the lower transverse processes of 1.57 inch. The height of the centrum is 1.1 inch; of the neural arch, 0.8 inch; the width of the centrum is 1.15 inch; of the neural arch, 0.89 inch. The length of that part of the vertebral column composed of third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh cervicals is 1.2 inch, and that part composed of the atlas and axis, 1.0 inch more. The neural spine of the seventh cervical is 0.8 inch long, and the width from point to point of the transverse processes, 3.65 inches; of the second thoracic, the spine is 1.6 inch, and the width 3.55 inches. The first mass consists of the atlas and axis solidly codssified both by their spines and bodies, so that the only vestige of separation is an ovate and somewhat oblique opening between the pedicels of the arches. The inferior portion of the atlas is much produced forward, giving an oblique appearance to the whole bone, which is of an approximately triangular shape. Its arch is transversely ovate, with a broad triangular space between the condylar facets. The first spinal nerve enters by a shallow groove over the latter. The transverse processes appertaining to the atlas are rather long and obliquely flattened above and below, with a slight knob, indicating a superior transverse process, just above them. ‘These two processes are separated by a narrow groove from two nodular projections which indicate the corresponding parts in the axis. A slight ridge exists on the inferior surface of the centrum. The neural spine is very broad, stout, and 286 APPENDIX. moderately long; it tapers from before backward, and has a stout, blunt, bifid, posterior termina- tion. The anterior face is broadly triangular, the base of the triangle (forming the superior portion of the neural arch) being straight. The spine is concave below and grooved throughout its extent ; the triangular portion of it overshadowing the arches of the third and fourth vertebre. The pedicels of the axis are very slender. The centra of the third and fourth vertebre are codssified, but not the arches. The summit of the arch in the third is incomplete in this specimen, and the pedicels in this and the succeeding cervicals are slender and compressed. In the third and fourth, the superior transverse processes are only slightly indicated, and the inferior are absent; the centra are slightly pointed below and flattened above, though generally rotundate. The fifth and sixth cervicals are ankylosed by their centra and inferior transverse processes, and the sixth by its centrum to the seventh cervical, forming the third mass previously mentioned. In the fifth and sixth, short inferior transverse processes are developed, though the superior ones are insignificant. The centra are more squarely shaped than in the preceding. There are no spinous processes, but the superior portion of the arches is rather pointed. The planes of the zygapophyses are nearly horizontal, and the arches are not codssified. The pedicels of the seventh cervical are much broader, and long recurved superior transverse and spinous processes are deyel- oped, though the inferior transverse processes are barely indicated. Two rounded knobs, which are nearer the summit of the centrum than the processes of the preceding cervicals, serve as points of articulation for the head of the first rib. In the first thoracic, this tubercle appears to be missing, though it re-appears on the second. Both the first and second thoracic have strong, stout, superior transverse processes, with large and prominent facets for the tubercular articulations of the ribs. The vertebre rapidly increase in size and the spinous processes in length, and the centra assume a more rounded outline. Two specimens of this species were obtained October 29th, 1872, by Captain C. M. Scammon. The entire skeleton of one specimen, and the skull and cervical vertebre of the other, above described, were preserved. The former is now in the Mus. §. I. Of the species included under the genus Delphinus, as restricted by Gray (Supl. Cat. 1871, pp. 68-9), D. lungirostris is entirely black, of different proportions, with the posterior part of the palate keeled instead of grooved, and the triangle extending only to the tooth line instead of beyond it. (Reported from Japan.) D. major has the grooves on each side of the palate, ‘‘very wide and rather shallow, scarcely extend- ing behind the hinder half of the beak.” (Habitat unknown.) WD. Forsteri is differently colored and proportioned. (Norfolk Island.) D. obliquidens, Gill, belongs to another genus. The remain- der are all Atlantic species. Of other species of unknown or Pacific habitats, which have been described from drawings, or of which the skull is unknown, and to some of which this species might be suspected to belong, D. Nove Zelandie is differently colored (though the distribution of the color is somewhat similar), and has a short beak; the pectorals are white and the flukes slate color; D. obscurus, Gray, to which Peale’s Phocena australis and D’Orbigny’s D. bivittatus have been referred by Cassin and Gray, belongs to an entirely different group. None of Peale’s other species resemble this one at all, and after long and careful consideration, I am forced to the conclusion that the species is undescribed; and it is with great pleasure that I have followed the request of Captain Scammon, and dedicated it to Professor §. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, to whose never - tiring courtesy and unfailing liberality nearly every American naturalist is more or less indebted. Delphinus longirostris. D. longirostris, Gray, 1866, p. 241; 1868, p. 5; 1871, p. 68. Schlegel, F. Jap., pl. 24. Japan? Highty-one inches long. Black, with large high dorsal. Skull, 22 inches; beak, 133 inches; teeth, 2%. Stuffed specimen, Cape of Good Hope; B. M. Skull, Malabar; Mus. Paris. Drawing, Japan; Schlegel. CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. i) oO aI Delphinus major. D. major, Gray, 1866, p. 397; 1868, p. 5; 1871, p. 68. Habitat ? Skull, 21 inches; beak, 12} inches; width at notch, 44 inches. Teeth, 4%, five in an inch. Palate grooves very wide and rather shallow. Skull only, B. M. Genus Clymenia, Gray. Clymenia, Gray, 1868, p. 6; 1871, p. 69. Clymene, Gray, 1866, p. 249. Type D. clymene, Gray, 1866, p. 249. Clymenia alope. C. alope, Gray, 1866, p. 252; 1868, p. 6, pl. 32; 1871, p. 70. Cape Horn. Cranium, 16 inches; beak, 10} inches; width at notch, 33 inches. Teeth, 48. Skull only, Mus. Warwick. Clymenia stenorhynchus. Delphinus stenorhynchus, Gray, 1866, pp. 240, 396. C. stenorhynchus, Gray, 1868, p. 6; 1871, p. 69. Habitat ? Cranium, 18 inches; beak, 12 inches; width at notch, 3 inches. Teeth, £3. Like C. microps, but larger, with proportionally longer beak. Skull only, B. M. Clymenia dorides. Tursio dorcides, Gray, 1866, p. 400. C. dorides, Gray, 1868, p. 6; 1871, p. 71. Habitat ? Skull thick and heavy; beak once and one-third the length of the brain-case; twice and one- third the width at the notch. Palate flat. Teeth, 43, slender, five in an inch. Skull only, B. M. Clymenia obscura. Delphinus Fitzroyi, Waterhouse. D. bivittatus, D’Orbigny. Phocena australis, Peale, Zool. U. S. Ex. Exp., pl. 6, fig. 2, 1848. Tursio obscurus, Gray, 1866, pp. 264, 400. C. obscura, Gray, 1868, p. 6, pl. 16; 1871, p. 71, fig. 3. Cape of Good Hope, South Pacific. Black, with oblique diverging streaks at the sides; beneath, whitish. Length, 15 feet. Skull, 14 inches. Teeth, 34 to 34. Full material, B. M. Clymenia zsthenops. Delphinus cesthenops, Cope, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1865, p. 201. C. cesthenops, Gray, 1871, p. 72. Habitat ? Cranium, 15 inches; beak, 9 inches; width at notch, 3.3 inches. Teeth, 38, to 38. Skull only, Mus. Peabody Academy of Science, Salem, Mass. 288 APPENDIX. Clymenia crotaphisca. Delphinus crotaphiscus, Cope, 1. c., 1865, p. 203. C. crotaphiscus, Gray, 1871, p. 72. Habitat ? Cranium, 16 inches; beak, 10 inches, flat; width at notch, 33 inches. Teeth, 4%. Temporal fossa small; a keel in front of superior nares. Skull only, Mus. Peabody Academy. Clymenia longidens. Delphinus longidens, Cope, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1866, p. 295. Habitat ? Teeth, 22. Skull, 15.25 inches. Beak, to maxillary notches, 8.25 inches. Breadth at notch, 3.55 inches. Skull only, 8. I. Professor Cope, in criticising Doctor Gray’s arrangement, suggests that Steno, Delphinus, Lageno- rhynchus, and Tursio can form but one genus if further characters can not be brought forward. While this criticism might be somewhat justified by the confused arrangement of the Catalogue of 1866, yet it would seem as if that of 1871 to some extent remedied the difficulty, and that the groups there indicated are natural ones, and recognizable, though perhaps some of them are of less value than supposed by Doctor Gray. In this new light Professor Cope’s view would hardly seem tenable. Clymenia plagiodon. Delphinus (Tursio) plagiodon, Cope, 1. ¢., p. 296. Habitat ? Skull, 17 inches. Beak to notch, 9.8 inches. Width at notch, 3.55 inches. Greatest width of skull, 7.25 inches. Teeth, 34. Triangle advancing a little before the last tooth. Resembles Gray’s figure of @. doris. Skull only, S. I. Genus Tursiops, Gervais. Tursiops, Gervais, Mammif., p. 323. Tursio, Gray, 1866, p. 254. Type D. tursio, Linn. Tursiops Gillii. Outline, p. 102. T. Gillii, Dall, Prel. Descr. Proc. Cal. Acad. v, January, 1873. Cowfish, Scammon, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1869, p. 45. Monterey, California. Dull black, lighter on the belly. Dorsal low, falcate. Teeth, 23 to 24? A lower jaw of the present species, which is the only portion of the animal yet collected by Captain Scammon, has twenty-two teeth on each side. The rami are solid and strong, especially their anterior halves. The symphysis is short, extending backward as far as the fifth tooth. The gonys is more produced downward than in any of the species figured by Gray, and is evenly rounded upward in front. The ramus has the least height about the middle of the tooth line, which rises before and behind. The anterior six teeth are smaller than the others, and much more incurved, The teeth are solid and conical, with the tips attenuated and sharply pointed, which accounts for the ease with which they may become truncated. The outer margins of the alveoli are remarkably rough, being produced in arborescent points resembling the septa of some ammon- ites. The gonys is somewhat keeled. The condyles are broad, of a rounded triangular shape, CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. 289 with the inner edges obliquely inclined to the vertical plane of the ramus. The measurements, in inches and decimals, are as follow: Length from end of beak to condyles............. 0. ccc e cece teen teens 16 .80 Length from end of beak to end of coronoid process...............0..0 eee ee 15 .80 Length from end of beak to end of tooth line.................00. 00.0000 eee 9 .30 Length from end of beak to inner notch of dental foramen................... 11 .00 henethook: Sym physi ccd sree auecan yates es eis seeder vaccum erate tonne in eles 2 .00 Width between outer edges of condyles...... 0... 0. cece ce cece cee cee ees 9.75 Width between inner corners of condyles .......... 0.0... eee 6 .50 Width between two posterior teeth ...... 0... cece ccc ccc eet eens 3 .50 Width between teeth at posterior end of symphysis......................0005 1 .40 ‘Width: between. anterior teéthcis ac sense ly ae ners ote itn dy wae el we dae we 0.75 Height of ramus: at coronold process... cic eee geek veins sesso be een wee eee 4 .40 Height of ramus at posterior tooth ......... 0... eee eee eens 2.25 Height of ramus at twelfth pair of teeth .................00002.000 002 ee. 1 .50 Height of ramus at middle of symphysis............... 0.0 c cece eee ee eee 1.70 Thickness of ramus at twelfth pair of teeth.............0.... 0... eee 0 .85 Height of largest tooth above alveolus........... 00.6. ce eee eee eee 0 .80 Height of smallest tooth above alveolus............ 0.0.0 cece eee eee 0 .42 Transverse diameter of larger teeth... .c.c0s cee eee ceed oe ee eee ee eee 0 .88 Diameter in the plane of the ramus. . o..0. 0 us cece ca cee eee eee tn ee tee een 0 33 The angle at which the rami meet behind the symphysis is quite acute. The anterior end of the symphysis from above appears bluntly rounded, and has a narrow median groove. This species does not appear to have been described, and though the material at hand is unfortunately very slender, I have applied to it the name of Tursiops Gillii. The specimen was obtained at Monterey, California, in 1871. The hardly-worn appearance of the teeth suggests that it was a young animal, though the bones are thoroughly solidified. The only other species which may be found in the books, from the Pacific or its vicinity, is the TZ. catalania, Gray, N. W. Australia, and it is described as being lead -colored. Genus Cephalorhynchus, F. Cuvier. Cephalorhynchus, F. Cuvier, Cétac., p. 158. Eutropia, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1862, p. 145; 1866, p. 262; Leth pe (a: Cephalorhynchus Eutropia. Delphinus Eutropia, Gray, P. Z. S. 1849, p. 1. Eutropia Dickiei, Gray, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 215; 1868, p. 7, pl. 34; 1871, p. 75. Tursio Eutropia, Gray, 1866, p. 262. Coast of Chile, South Pacific Ocean. Skull, 15 inches; beak, 8 inches; width at notch, 3.5 inches. Sides of skull bent down behind the notch. ‘Teeth, 24, five or six in an inch. Skull only, Coll. Dickie. Some one of the species described from drawings, and of which the skull is unknown, may be identical with this. MARINE MAMMALS.—37. 290 APPENDIX. Genus Lagenorhynchus, Gray. Lagenorhynchus, Gray, Zot). E. and T., 1846, p. 34; 1850, p. 97. Section Hiectra, Gray. Electra, Gray, 1866, p. 268; 1871, p. 76. Lagenorhynchus electra. L. electra, Gray (1846), 1866, p. 268. Electra obtusa, Gray, 1868, p. 7, pl. 13; 1871, p. 76. Habitat ? Skull, 17.5 inches; beak, 9.75 inches; width at notch, 5.5 inches. Teeth, 24, four in an inch. Skull only, B. M. Lagenorhynchus asia. L. asia, Gray, 1866, p. 269. Electra asia, Gray, 1868, p. 7, pl. 14; 1871, p. 76. Habitat ? Skull, 16.75 inches; beak, 9 inches; width at notch, 4.75 inches. Teeth, 24. Skull only, B. M. Lagenorhynchus clanculus. L. clanculus, Gray, 1866, p. 271. Electra clancula, Gray, 1868, p. 7, pl. 35; 1871, p. 77. South Pacific, New Zealand. Skull, 14.5 inches; beak, 7.25 inches; width at notch, 4.75 inches. Teeth, 33. Skeleton and skulls, B. M. Lagenorhynchus thicolea. L. thicolea, Gray, 1866, p. 271. Electra thicolea, Gray, 1868, p. 7, pl. 36; 1871, p. 77. West coast of North America. Skull, 14.5 inches; beak, 8.33 inches; width at notch, 3.9 inches. Teeth, 42? Skull only, B. M. Compare Clymenia crolaphisca, Cope. ‘This is very likely to be one of the species described from drawings by Peale. Section Leucopleurus, Gray. Leucopleurus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 216; 1868, p. 7; 1871, p. 78. Lagenorhynchus obliquidens. Plate xix, fig. 2. L. obliquidens, Gill, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1865, p. 177. Delphinus obliquidens, Cope, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1869, p. 21; Gray, 1871, p. 69. Striped or Common Porpoise of Scammon. California. Not the ‘‘Bottle-nosed Grampus” of Scammon, as supposed by Cope, loc. cit. I have been able to identify this species by means of photographs of Professor Gill’s typical specimen, which were kindly sent me by Professor Baird. It differs, however, in some particulars from those I have examined. The skull is a little larger and longer, the pterygoids are ieee pointed, the temporal fossa smaller, and the edges of the triangle are higher and more extended CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. . 9 co pam laterally, than in the specimens which I have seen. The teeth are more numerous (34), and the occipital condyles less rounded and prominent, but larger. It is quite possible that this skull may be that of a male. Those which I have examined were both of females. I consider the differences as at most no more than sexual, and probably only individual peculiarities; and I have no doubt whatever of the identity of Captain Scammon’s species with that described by Professor Gill. It is evidently the most abundant species on the coast of California, and varies considerably in size with age. It is very close to L. leucopleurus of the Atlantic. The following are the measurements of two crania, in inches and decimals: No.1 No, 2. Length of skull in a straight line.................0 000... cee eee 16 .00 15 .50 Internal length of brain cavity. .....00.0000 00. e ee ees 5 .00 5 .00 Length of beak before the maxillary notches.....................05. 8 .00 8 .20 Tip of beak to anterior margin of superior nares.................... 10 .25 10 .00 Tip of beak to posterior notch of palate..................0.00.00 00. 9.75 2 Tip of beak to posterior tooth ...........0 000: ccc cece ens teeeeeseees 7 40 7.75 Height/ot- ‘skull: at vertex ncn. dvsices cased va hoa es ere ed oa 6.75 5 .50 Greatest breadth at zygomatic process of squamosals................. 8 .20 7 .50 Breadth. at supra-orbital ridge... 2... 06.6.6 cc ce dsas eee cenvnevecaeas 7 .20 6 .30 Breadth between maxillary notches..............0 0... cece cence ee eees 4 .60 4 .00 Breadth: atemiddlecof bealias peace Mads x scekenenve seca vienna 3 .40 2.80 eWildthieof Com dyes rete tea sere cece oh eV eyo cnamestarat thomsen theta ea me tia res 4 .00 3 .25 Closest approximation of condyles below the foramen magnum........ 0 .12 0.18 Heisht:of-foranien ma enum inns. tcres ee aares conn woseais av ae ees 1 .35 1 .30 Width of foramen: maenum soos ates wasn Soe ernie casa He SRR 1.35 1 .50 Entire length of ramus of lower jaw................00 00 ccc e cee eee 13 .00 12 .00? Tip to posterior edge of last tooth in lower jaw.................... 7.50 6.75 eneth Of sym pHysiss os vacsg evan otog i miaaiyaw ayers autee omen: 1.30 1 .00 Height of ramus at coronoid process..................00 00 cece eee eee 3 .00 2 .60 Height of ramus at four inches from tip of anterior end............ 1 .00 0 .95 Width between outsides of articular surfaces............ 0... ..00 0005 7.25 6 .40 Width between posterior teeth.... 2.0.0.0... cece cece cece eens 3.50 3 .50 Length from tip of beak to superior transverse ridge behind frontals.. 13 .00 12 .00 Length from tip of ramus to anterior notch of inferior dental foramen, 9 .00 7.75 Greatest: width: of -préemaxwWlaries 6.6 cece areas ea dajeo adie Jeyardee Son 3.75 3 Width of premaxillaries at middle of beak................. 0.000002. 2.10 1 .60 The surface of the beak in No. 1 is moderately and quite regularly arched from side to side, no grooves separating the maxille and premaxille. The nasal triangle is nearly plane, but elevated, and its surface rough; behind, it gradually ascends; before, it is gradually incurved, and is con- tinued as a narrow internal margin to the premaxille, to the anterior fourth of the beak; its greatest width is less than half the width of the cranium. The mesethmoid groove is wide, and scarcely contracted in the middle. The supra-occipital projects forward, nearly or quite touching the nasals. The temporal fosse project far backward. The teeth are 22 in number, elongated and boldly curved, about four in an inch. The occiput is deeply impressed above the condyles. The mesethmoid plate is sharply pointed above, and divided into three lobes behind the narial openings, by perpendicular sutures, which are evident for an inch and a half vertically. The mesethmoid is evident for nearly an inch between the premaxille in front of the superior nares. The pterygoids are obtusely keeled below, but not at the sides, and deeply roundly notched laterally. The palate is flat, constricted slightly at the palatines, and somewhat concave in the anterior half of the jaw. The periotics are wanting. A very peculiar feature of the cranium is the enormous development of the tentorium. The septum above it projects into the brain-case nearly two inches. From the base of this septum, half an 292 APPENDIX. inch above the foramen magnum, the broad arch of the tentorium, as long in its axial diameter as the septum, extends on each side a little farther than the upper exterior angles of the condyles, thence giving out a triangular wing on each side, which, attenuating as it descends, reaches the floor of the brain cavity in advance of the opening between the alisphenoid and ex-occipital, and is ankylosed with the former. The cerebellar fossa is thus almost completely inclosed, communi- cating with the cerebral fossa only by an opening in the front of the arch but little larger than the foramen magnum, and by the narrow openings between the outer edges of the wings of the tentorium, bounded below by the alisphenoid, and laterally by the ex-occipital wall. The septum ceases abruptly in front, below the frontal and supra-occipital suture. A ridge from the front of the tentorial wings is codssified with the orbito-sphenoid, above the sphenoidal fissure; the latter in this species being posterior to and distinct from the foramen rotundum, which opens into the cerebral cavity. In No. 2, the dimensions were constantly smaller, the skull belonging to a younger, though fully adult individual. The teeth were 3%,, the tip of the lower jaws being mutilated. The ten- torlum presented the same features as in No. 1, and the skull offered no special peculiarities not common to the other. The scapula and cervical vertebree of a third specimen, of which the entire skeleton was preserved, offered the following peculiarities: The external face of the scapula is flattened, slightly excavated in the middle, and with a slight ridge behind. The prescapular fossa is inconspicuous, but has a width of three-quarters of an inch on the outer face of the scapula, above the acromion. The latter is # shaped, notched above behind, with a projecting process below in front. The upper anterior corner is connected with the anterior angle of the prescapular fossa by a strong ligament; the anterior termination of the acromion is incurved, and externally convex. The cora- coid is triangular, with the distal edge thickened, anteriorly excavated, and knobbed at the corners. The external surface is concave. The glenoid cavity is sub-rotundate; the post-scapular edge is evenly rounded in a sigmoid curve. Beyond the upper posterior corner a triangular mass of cartilage extends beyond the bone, an inch in its greatest width. The inner face of the scapula is flattened, with three or four narrow low ridges radiating from the glenoid border. The inner surface of the coracoid is convex, and of the acromion concave. The measurements are as follow, in inches and decimals: Greatest lenoth Oi iscap ula sues teataeciacsde eee vara aomiya toys aa came ovens vas aed oe 9 .50 Greatest length of acromions. ve.ssscnege bis see Shabu acd ae eie ale ee buee whid ate eee 3 .00 Greatest: length Of ‘coracoid, 240 oa vie vere venereal we te wteetten clave 2.25 Greatest diameter of glenoid: Cavity co. ose. ocean eG ena es eebck ceeadeieewa dese 1 .30 Glenoid cavity to anterior angle... 00.606. cence eee eee eee vee sueaeuerececaan 6 .25 Glenoid cavity to superior border ............ 0.0. cece cece c eee eee 6 .00 Gilenoid. cavity ‘to posterior angle:....-c..0405:de0 cea suami ans ee etide eae oee enue is 6 .00 Glenoid cavity to anterior angle of acromion............ 0.0.0.0... ccc cece cece. 4 .50 Glenoid cavity to anterior angle of coracoid..............00000 00 cece eee eee 3 .00 Glenoid cavity to posterior angle of coracoid.................. 0. ccc cece ee eee. 2 .00 The cervical vertebrz offer some differences from those of Delphinus Bairdii. The atlas and axis are solidly codssified by both body and spines; the others are all free, though whether in aged individuals this condition continues, is a matter of doubt. It is probable, from the generally abnormal condition of the cervical vertebre in the Cetacea, that comparatively wide variations in the amount of ankylosis may obtain in different individuals of the same species, and also in the same individual at different ages. The bones in this individual are larger and stronger than in D. Bairdii, but the spinal canal is proportionately smaller. The canal of the first Spinal nerve, which in D. Bairdii is a shallow groove behind the upper edge of the condylar facets, is here (by a slender process extending upward and backward from that edge, and coalescing with the anterior base of the spinous process) converted into a foramen. The spine is keeled and convex below, instead of excavated, and flat, with a very narrow median keel, above. The spine is broader, and CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. bo c© wo not distinctly bifurcated. The lower transverse processes in the axis, instead of being obsolete, as in D. Bairdii, are here produced into sharp points. A median triangular area on the lower surface of the centrum (wanting in D. Bairdii) is here very prominent, and continued backward by a strong, deep keel. In the posterior vertebre, all except the third are provided with a more or less evident spinous process, while in D. Bairdii none except the seventh shows any spine. In the present species the cervicals behind the axis are more nearly equal in size than in the former, and the upper and lower transverse processes are more strongly developed. In the third, fourth, and fifth cervicals in the median line, below and in front of the base of the neural spine, projects a small triangular prolongation of the bone, connected with the axis in the third, and with the preceding vertebrae in the fourth and fifth, by a small but unmistakable articular surface or facet. The pedicels of the neural canal are more arched laterally than in D. Bairdii, giving the passage a more flattened appearance than in that species. The following measurements will facilitate a comparison : Coossified atlas and axis, extreme width, 6.0 inches; from the middle of the lower anterior edge to the posterior point of the spine, 4.1 inches. Height of neural arch, 1.0 inch; width, 1.5 inch. Extreme width of condylar facets, 3.6 inches. Third vertebra: width of centrum, 1.58 inch; of neural arch, 1.15 inch; height of centrum, 1.42 inch; of arch, 0.8 inch. Extreme width of vertebra between the points of the transverse processes, 2.25 inches. Length of that part of the vertebral column consisting of the five posterior cervicals, 1.6 inch. Atlas and axis, 1.35 inch more. ‘The neural spine of the seventh cervical is 0.93 inch, and the extreme width between the points of the transverse processes is 3.75 inches. The spinous processes of the fourth, fifth, and sixth cervicals average about 0.3 inch in length. The head of the first rib articulates with the body of the seventh cervical, as in D. Bairdit. The animal is rather thick in proportion to its length; black above, with a strongly falcate dorsal. Below, white, to the edge of the patch passing from the lower lip below the pectorals and terminating a short distance behind the vent. A broad gray smouch on each side above the line of the black color, and interrupted about the middle of the animal on each side; the edges of the gray are ill defined. The posterior edges of the pectorals and dorsal are also grayish. Length of animal, 7 feet and 3 inches; breadth of flukes, 2 feet; tip of snout to anterior edge of dorsal, 3 feet. Full descriptions of the colors and full measurements are given by Captain Scammon in the preceding monograph. A complete skeleton and the additional skull above described were obtained from two female specimens taken at Monterey, November 20th, 1872; besides which, one other skull is in Captain Scammon’s possession, and one in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences. Lagenorhynchus albirostratus? Delphinus albirostratus? Peale, U. 8. Ex. Exp. 1848; pl. 6, fig. 2. D. ceruleo-albus (Mayen) Cassin, 1. ¢., p. 31, pl. vi, fig. 2. Pacific Ocean, latitude 2° south, longitude 174° west. Peale. Blue gray, with small vermicular white spots. End of snout white; dorsal nearest the head. Six feet and seven inches long; teeth, 4%,, No specimens; described from drawing (Peale). This species is referred by Cassin (as I think, erroneously) to D. ceruleo-albus, Mayen, a south Atlantic species; and to D. Chamissonis, Wiegm., by Gray. Captain Marston, of the schooner Maggie Johnstone, on a voyage from Tahiti to San Francisco, obtained a specimen of a porpoise which is not improbubly the species described by Peale. He informed me that the animal was gray, lighter below and darker above; that some of the same “school” had white noses, but in others the snout was light gray. The dorsal is rather small. The specimen was obtained in latitude 13° north. The skull presents intermediate characters between several of Gray’s sections, and agrees with none of the skulls described or figured in the works accessible to me. It is in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences. 294 APPENDIX. The following are its dimensions, in inches and decimals: Length of skull in straight line....... 0... cee ne eee ees 14 .00 Internal length of brain cavity... ccc... ek cee hee cae et ete we eae tee eee 4.25 Length of beak anterior to maxillary notches ...............0 eee eee eee eee 8 .00 Length from tip of beak to anterior margin of superior nares.............+--- 6 .30 Length from tip of beak to posterior notch of palate............. cece eee eee 9 .20 Length from tip of beak to posterior tooth... 2.0.0.0... 06. 6 .75 Height of skull: at: Verte xs... concise) shat asc aleroe siete euaneials eleus eres Sade areca ee Seeieee 5 .40 Greatest breadth at zygomatic process of squamosals............ 0.02... 0 eee ee 6 .50 Bresdth: at: supra-orbital rideeig i542. veediets Gea hee A ee 5 .50 Breadth between maxillary notches ............ 0. cee cc cee eee eens 3.25 Breadth atmiddlevot beaks ocn..n cnvanin seein we ewe ene s Saree ee sa eae 1.75 Width “of ‘cond ylestvnc canis Seu wee Ace and fais Bee ee Rel SE ee ee 3 .20 Closest approximation of condyles below the foramen magnum................ 0 .22 Height: of foramen: Magnums Acacia aie oe A disie des Secs henner e ei ners oe eee eh eS ee 1.40 Wadth-of foramen MmaonUM hs. o4 hoo a ae ee earnies oe oe etn nese aaie ine 1.50 Entire. length of ramus of lower jawecco. occ. on cone pe veeae eo aleels ee biees 11 .90 Tip to posterior edge of last tooth in lower jJaw.............. 0.00.0. e eee eee 7 .00 Mieneth: Of sSymMiphysisve doce: ssc Noonan heels hia pilitata ie a dalek ON aaa GA Bilactceaen 1 .50 Height of ramus at coronoid process........... 0... cece eee eee ee eeee 2 .20 Height of ramus 3.5 inches from tip of anterior end.................. 002200 0 .60 Width between outsides of articular surfaces.......... 0.0.0. 5 .20 Width between posterior teeth... ........ 0. c cece cece eee e eee esteeeens 1.70 Length from tip of beak to superior transverse ridge behind frontals.......... 11 .25 Length from tip to anterior notch of inferior dental foramen.................. 7.70 Greatest’ width: of premaxillariresin.. 2 5cste.c0 co vou eare oA NeW aa eon ees 2 .50 Width of premaxillaries at middle of beak............. 00... 0 .90 Teeth, 38, six in an inch, subcylindrical, conical, recurved at tip, sharply pointed. Coronoid process, slender, inconspicuous; jaws thin and light. Anterior three teeth minute. Premaville separated widely by the mesethmoid cartilage, approximating more nearly at the middle of the beak, hard, rather flat in front. Beak rather flat, evenly shelving at the sides. Nasal triangle passing an inch before the hinder tooth, rough anteriorly, subcarinate in the middle behind, on the left side not reaching the nasals. Maxille sharply turned up before the notch, evenly rounded off behind it. All the bones of the left side a little shorter behind, and the left nasal smaller and in advance of the right. Brain cavity larger on the left side. Septum and tentorium small and inconspicuous. Lateral keels of the pterygoids flattened. Vomer extended back as far as the posterior edge of the zygomatic process of the squamosals. Posterior ridge of the temporal fossa obsolete. Mesethmoid appearing between the maxille for 1} inch in the middle of the beak, and succeeded by the premaxille, to the end of the beak. Palatines separated by a slight groove. Lateral notches of the pterygoids, narrow, small. The portion of the basi-occipital gutter formed by the vomer and pterygoids, narrower than the inferior nares. Palate flattened above, impressed before the palatines, with a tendency toward lateral grooves at the outer edges. Skull evidently of a young animal. Genus? Feresa, Gray. Feresa, Gray, 2. Z. 8. 1870, p. 77; 1871, p. 78. Feresa intermedia. Feresa intermedia, Gray, 1871, p. 78. Orca intermedia, Gray, 1866, p. 283; 1868, p. 8, pl. 8. Habitat ? Skull resembling Orca, but only 14 inches long; beak, 7 inches; width at notch, 44 inches. Teeth, 14. Skull only, B. M. . CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. bo co Or Species incerte sedis. The following species are known only from drawings, or very insufficient materials; most of them (unless we except those of Mr. Peale, whose delineations have proved in at least one case to be remarkably accurate) can hardly hope for identification, and it is very probable that many of them are identical with species described from skulls only. It is of course impossible to determine the genus of any of them; and it would be a relief, if they, together with the species erected on aboriginal pottery and carvings, and drawings of Chinese and Japanese artists (!), could be wiped away from our books altogether. DeELPHINUS ALBIMANUS, Peale, Zool. U. 8. Ex. Exp., ed. i, p. 33, 1848; Cassin, Mamm. ditto, p. 29, pl. vi, fig. 1. Coast of Chile. Head, back, and flukes, black; sides, tawny; belly, white; top of pectorals, white. Length, 6 feet 6 inches. @ Snout to eye, 12 inches. Teeth, 43 > 47° No specimens known. Referred to D. Nove-Zelandie by Cassin, but not by Gray. Devrninus Forsrert, Gray, 1868, p. 6, pl. 24. New Caledonia. Rust colored above; beneath, white; a small white spot on the disk of the dorsal and pectoral fins. Six feet long. Teeth, 44. No specimens known. Described from Forster’s drawing. Per- haps the same as C. microps, Gray. DELPHINUS LATERALIS, Peale, 1. c., p. 35, pl. 8, fig. 1, 1848; Cassin, Mamm. ditto, p. 32, pl. vu, fig. 1. Pacific Ocean, latitude 13° north, longitude 161° west. Dark above, purplish gray below, with a dark lateral line with light spots above and below it. Fins and snout, black. Length, 90 inches. Teeth, $4. No specimens; described from drawings. Referred to Lagenorhynchus, by Cassin. Dexpuinus pecrorauis, Peale, 1. c.; Cassin, p. 28, pl. v, fig. 2. Near the Sandwich Islands. Black above; belly, reddish white; a frontal band of slate color extending behind the eyes; a white spot on each side before the fins. Length, 8 feet 8 inches. Teeth, $3. No specimens. DeLrHinus CHINENSIS, Desmoul., Gray, 1850, p. 182. China Seas. “Shining white ;” no specimens; perhaps a beluga. Detrainus tunatus, Lesson, Voy. Coq., pl. ix, fig. 4. Coast of Chile. “Tunenas” of the Chilenos. No specimens. From sketch of animal swimming! De.puinus nicer, Lacépede, Mém. Mus. iv, p. 475. China ? Black, with white edges to lips and fins. No specimens. From Chinese drawing! DeLpuinus LoriceR, Schreb. Saugeth., pl. 362. Habitat ? Lead colored; middle of sides, chest, and belly, white. No specimens. 296 APPENDIX. Delphinus styx, Gray, has been referred with doubt to Scammon’s ‘‘Common Porpoise,” and the North Pacific habitat thus indicated has been credited to D. slyx by Gray in his last supple- mentary catalogue, but there are no good grounds for considering it a West American species, and the type is known to come from West Africa. Genus Leucorhamphus, Lilljeborg. Leucorhamphus, Lilljeborg, Gill. Delphinapterus, Gray (not Lacépede), Zobl. EH. and T., 1846, p. 85; 1871, p. 72. Leucorhamphus Peronii. Delphinus Peronti, Lacépede, Cét., p. 517, 1804. D. leucorhamphus, Brooks, Cat. Mus., p. 39, 1828. Delphinapterus Peronti, Gray (Lesson), 1866, p. 276; 1868, p. 6, pl. 15; 1871, p. 72, West coast of South America, latitude 50° south (Pickering). Black above, white below; the dividing line passing from the middle of the forehead below the eye, above the pectorals, and stopping at the flukes, which are black. Skull, 18.25 inches; beak, 10 inches. Teeth, 44, six in an inch. Skulls, Mus. Paris, and drawings of animal. Leucorhamphus borealis. Pl. xix, fig. 3. Delphinapterus borealis, Peale, Zool. U. S. Ex. Exp., p. 38, 1848; Gray, 1866, p. 277. Delphinus borealis, Cassin, Mamm. U. 8S. Ex. Exp., p. 30, pl. vii, fig. 2. Right Whale Porpoise, of Scammon. West coast of North America. Form elongate; black, with a lanceolate white spot beneath, extended in a narrow line nearly to the tail. Length, 4 to 6 feet. Teeth (?). Skull, Mus. 8. I. Notes and measurements from life. A specimen of this species was obtained by me off Cape Mendocino, October, 1868. Careful notes, a sketch, and measurements were secured, together with the cranium, now in the National Museum. On comparison with Mr. Peale’s original drawing, they agreed exactly, except that my specimen was considerably larger, measuring about six feet. Unfortunately, these notes are not now accessible. Cassin and Gray refer to it as being probably the young of a species of beluga ; but why they should do so, I can not imagine, as there are no grounds apparent for such a belief. It is unquestionably a dolphin. Genus Orca, Gray. Orea, Gray, Zoél. H. and T., 1846, p. 33; 1866, p. 278. Ophysia, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 76; 1871, p. 98. Orea magellanica. O. magellanica, Burmeister, An. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, xviii, p- 101, pl. 9, fig. 5; Annals Mus. Buenos Ayres, i, p. 3873, pl. 22. Patagonia. Skeleton, Mus. Buenos Ayres. Orea destructor. O. destructor, Cope, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1866, p. 293. Payta, Peru. Teeth, 8. Skull only, S. I. CATALOGUE OF THE CETACEA. 997 Orea rectipinna. Pl. xvii, fig. 1. O. rectipinna, Cope, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1869, p, 25; Scammon, 1. c., p. 56, fig. 15, 16. North Pacific, coast of California, Bering Sea. Black, with high, erect dorsal. Skull? coll. Scammon. Skull, coll. Cal. Acad. Sci. Estab- lished on Scammon’s figures and descriptions. The first skull referred to is supposed to be that of O. rectipinna, but this is not absolutely certain. The most notable peculiarities are the turning up and in of the posterior ends of the maxillaries, by the side of the nasals, and to some extent over the posterior ends of the premaxil- laries. The transverse frontal ridge is very high and thin, the back of the skull behind it quite flat; in the temporal fossa, in the line of union of the squamosals and parietals, and extending some distance each side of the suture, is a ridge, or blunt carina, nearly as long as the fossa, The measurements of the cranium are as follow, in inches and decimals. The individual was doubtless rather aged : Length of iskull ain a ‘straicht. dine 3 pcs. peccealeedun chai Mae ds gaan ead via Uses 39 .00 hence th of brain: cayaty,, internal lycra, ane aapakiaek eeu meee ne Oey Ee eR BBS 11 .00 Length of beak before the maxillary notches.............00....0. 0.00 2c 21 .00 Length from tip of beak to anterior margin of superior nares................. 24 .50 Length from tip of beak to posterior notch of palate...................00 000. 25 .00 Leneth from tip of beak to posterior edge of last tooth...................05.. 17 .00 léneth: from tip: of beak. to: frontal md gés. i. s.eenGusws aaeaulelag ooh aes aks 32 .50 Height: obskullvat Vertex. 2. c.ct nas: tute ccieu nee Hida ae ee ani recta wea nea 16 .50 Greatest breadth (at zygomatic process of squamosals)................--.00084 25 .00 Breadth:of supra=Orbital MOG: ..454.4.s5semnsan aeecied nadie ape cd hae eR age ee 23 .00 Breadth: between maxillary: notched? s.0) oa wie acensmia we oases mealies Mat acee x 11 .50 Breadbhvat-marddlecor beak, 4a is Ais 5 cet Gass scons sreph, ceed seen eee eee oat whee ese eee toes 10 .50 Breadth of the two premaxillz at middle of beak .............. 00 cece eee ee 4 .6O Breadth of the fissure between them... ........60 0. cece erste een beeen ees 0.75 Breadth Of condyles: occa cd le 6 RON Pe ee eis ee EE Ee ee 7.50 Closest approximation of condyles beneath the foramen magnum............-.. 0 .40 Height of foramen magnum (notched above ).......... 0.60.0 ee eee eee terre eee 3 .25 Width of foramen magnum... ........ ccc ee eee een teen nee 2.75 Teeth in upper jaw, 12 or 18 (lost.) Orca ater. Pl. xvii, fig. 2. O. ater, Cope, l. ¢., p. 23; Scammon, 1. c., p. 58, fig. 17. O. atra, Gray, 1871, p. 92. Coast of California and Oregon. Smaller, with a white spot before the pectorals; white below, with a maroon colored, crescentic spot behind the dorsal. Established on Scammon’s descriptions and figures. A jaw, supposed, with some probability, to belong to this species, is in Captain Scammon’s possession. It is of an adult individual, but retains all the teeth, and measures as follows, in inches and decimals: Taeneth Of PaMUS occu Saree sepia eae meee ai Tee ents teased erecta et es 28 .00 Tip to posterior edge of last tooth ...sc0cssecgees sero tes ea enon eine eens b ees 13 .00 Theneth of pymphysiegg eis .v scene stan eh a ce tee teeth a Ra eaten ete ere 6 .25 Height of ramus al coronoid process......5.<2ersnesee ert cte etree erste ert ene 8 .50 Width between outsides of articular surfaces........ 0.65006 e eee rete 21 .00 Width behind posterior teeth.....2..-... 0 sees eee eee ete tet ee pene es 10 .00 Length from tip to anterior notch of dental foramen .......-..+++ +000 sees ree 17 .00? Height of largest teeth above alveoli..........--+sseceree cere essseseeseee anes 1 .30 MARINE MAMMALS.—38. 298 APPENDIX. Greatest diameter of the same (transverse)...... 0.0... eee ees 1 .00 Antero-posterior diameter of same. ........ 6. ec eect ene eee eens 0.70 Hee bt Of awe bc GON YS 258.2