122 A BOOK OF WHALES 



GENUS, BALsENA 



Size large, 50-60 feet. No dorsal fin. Head more 

 than one-fourth the length of the body. Orbital pro- 

 cess of frontal not wider than downward process of 

 maxilla. Scapula rather high; 12-15 pairs of ribs, 

 hind limb consisting of a pelvic bone, femur, and tibia. 



The " Right whales," as it is usual to term the 

 Greenland whale and the southern whalebone whale, 

 are so termed on account of the fact that they are 

 the " right " kind of whale for the whaler to attack ; 

 their whalebone is finer and longer than that of 

 others, and the oil is more abundant and of a 

 superior quality. These whales are characterised, in 

 addition to the characters given in the definition 

 which are not found in the allied genus Neobal&na, 

 by the enormous head and the peculiar form of the 

 mouth, which is shown in the accompanying illustra- 

 tion. (Fig. 21.) The skull is mainly distinguishable 

 from that of Neobalcena by the characters of the 

 frontal and maxilla given in the diagnosis ; this 

 character is very plain on an examination. It is an 

 interesting fact to note from Professor Huxley's figure 

 of a foetal southern Right whale, given in his Anatomy 

 of Vertebrates, that in the foetus the frontal in its 

 proportions more approaches that of Neobalccna and 

 the Rorquals. This is so far confirmatory evidence 

 of the view that this genus is the most modified of 

 whalebone whales. On the other hand, it must be 

 remembered that the greater perfection of the hind 



