xii RANGE OF HYPEROODON 371 



were mistaken by that observer for teeth. It is curious that the 

 name is really appropriate in spite of this mistake, though of 

 course it would be so to all the Ziphioids. In more than one 

 feature this genus comes nearest of all the Ziphiinae to Physeter. 

 Its enormous maxillary crests are paralleled in that Whale ; but 

 in Jfyperoodon their great thickness contrasts with the thinness 

 of those of the Cachalot. The correspondence in the attachment 

 of a rib to its vertebra by both heads is noteworthy. It is 

 remarkable that in this particular Hyperoodon is more like 

 Physeter than the supposed nearest ally of the latter Kogia, 



Of this genus two species are known. The best known is the 

 common northern H. rostratum (with many aliases) ; the second 

 species from the southern hemisphere, If. planifrons, is only 

 known from a single water- and pebble-worn skull. Its identifica- 

 tion, however, depends upon the known accuracy of the late Sir 

 William Flower. 



The northern species (Jfyperoodon rostratuni) has often been 

 recorded upon our own coasts ; the first record of the stranding of 

 this Whale was in the year 1717. In that year an example was 

 found at Maldon, in Essex. Like the Beluga, Hyperoodon rostratum 

 gets lighter in colour with advancing years. The young are 

 black ; the old animals pale brown with some white about them. 

 The under surface, however, is always greyish white. The length 

 of this Whale reaches to at any rate 30 feet. But John Hunter 

 had a specimen which he believed to be 40 feet in length. 

 The specimen, however, consisted only of a skull, so that error 

 might have crept in. It has already been mentioned that the old 

 males have enormous maxillary crests. According to M. Bouvier, 

 who has lately made an exhaustive examination of the anatomy 

 of this Whale, 1 the females occasionally exhibit the same crests, 

 which are thus presumably of the nature of spurs sometimes seen 

 in old females among the Gallinaceous birds. The number of 

 grooves upon the throat is in dispute in this Whale as in Ziphius. 

 One pair is the usual allowance ; but Kiikenthal found four in 

 some embryos studied by him. Attention has already been called 

 to the voice of Ziphioid Whales. Hyperoodon neither " lows " nor 

 " bellows," but " sobs " ! Hyperoodon rostratum is a gregarious 

 Whale, going about in herds, or " gams " as they should techni- 

 cally be termed, of four to ten or even fifteen. This Whale 



1 Ann. Sci. Nat. (7), xiii. 1892, p. 259. 



