17 



Hebrides. Thus Prof. Turner tells me that one was stranded in 

 1848 near Kingask, Fife, and another was brought into Stornoway 

 in 1871, specimens of the baleen of both of which animals are in 

 his possession. Again, one was stranded at Wick in 1869, and 

 another towed into Peterhead in 1871, portions of the skeletons 

 of both of which are in the Museum of the University of Aberdeen, 

 and have been described by Dr. Struthers {Jour. Anat. and 

 Phys., vi., pp. 107, 125). But in most cases the descriptions have 

 not been sufficiently exact to enable zoologists to determine 

 whether they belonged to this or the next species. In future it is 

 to be hoped that the number of the ribs and vertebrae of such 

 visitors will be noted, and specimens of their baleen (or whale-bone) 

 retained, even when it is not practicable to preserve the whole skull. 



24. Balaenoptera sibbaldi (Gray). 



SibbalcVs Rorqual. 



Ore. (See last species.) 



This very large Rorqual has repeatedly occurred on the eastern 

 coasts of Scotland. The specimen stranded near Abercorn in 1692, 

 and described by Sir Robert Sibbald, was probably of this species. 

 One about 80 ft. long was found dead in October 1831 near North 

 Berwick, and its skeleton, prepared by Dr. Robert Knox and Mr. 

 Frederick Knox, is now in the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. 

 In November 1869 a gravid female of 78 ft. in length was stranded 

 in the Firth of Forth, near Longniddry, and was carefully described 

 in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (xxvi., pp. 

 197-251, pis. v.-viii.), by Prof. Turner, who also states that one 

 about 90 ft. long came ashore with its sucker at Hamna Voe, Shet- 

 land, in October of the same year. The Longniddry skeleton is 

 now in the Anatomical Museum of the University of Edinburgh. 

 Prof. Turner has also obtained the skeleton of a specimen stranded 

 at Wick in 1871, and the ear-bones and nasals of one stranded at 

 Aberdour, Fife, in 1858. 



25. Balaenoptera rostrata (Fobricius). 



Lesser Rorqual. 



This comparatively small species is a not unfrequent visitor to 

 the northern and eastern coasts, more rarely to the western. One 

 was taken near Largo in 1832 ; and in the Anatomical Museum of 

 the University of Edinburgh is preserved the skeleton of a young 



)■ auna of Scot.— Mammalia 2, B 



