68 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



young female that came under my notice was over 9.5 feet 

 long, while the mother was nearly 1 6 feet. There was no 

 evidence that the mother had had another calf, as the 

 mammae were shrunk, and the uterus was empty. It is thus 

 possible that this young female was born near Nairn in 

 September 1896, and stranded near Nairn in September 

 1899. I may remark that all three had tails shaped like the 

 one figured by Sir Wm. Turner (" Journ. Anat. Phys.," 1885). 

 I think it unnecessary to give detailed measurements now. 



If the larger whales are often mistaken, the one for the 

 other, no wonder that Porpoises and Dolphins are often 

 neglected along our coasts. Globicephalus inelas and PJioccena 

 communis are the only two species of Delphinidse that are 

 plentiful. Tursiops tursio, DelpJiinus delpJiis, and Lageno- 

 rliynclius albirostris are scarce, and may at times pass un- 

 noticed. 



LAGENORHYNCHUS ACUTUS (White-sided Dolphin). 

 Has been recorded from a skull. This is a very rare animal 

 in Scotland, as I will show when I speak of another species 

 which must have been mistaken for it at times. 



I know of no specimens of Orca or Grampus having been 

 stranded or captured in the Moray Firth. 



DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS (White W r hale). Has been 

 seen at long intervals. Some years ago, one was seen for 

 several days off the coast of Banffshire. It was repeatedly 

 shot at, but was not secured. One was caught at Little 

 Ferry, Sutherland, in 1879. 



No mention is made of Prodelphinus in Mr. Lydekker's 

 book on British mammals, although it is not a very rare 

 genus on the coasts of Britain. Skulls of Prodelphinus are 

 often to be seen in the large museums of Scotland. The 

 Hunterian Museum in Glasgow has at least two skulls, 

 supposed to be from west of Scotland, belonging to in- 

 dividuals of this genus. I think there are two in the 

 Anatomical Museum in Edinburgh. There is a complete 

 skeleton in the museum of University College, Dundee, which 

 was prepared from a local specimen. There is also another 

 skull in the same museum. I have a rather badly preserved 



