Prof. Eschricht on the Gangetic Dolphin. 285 



portions with the skeleton of the self-same individual (Pl.V. fig. 2) : 

 a skeleton prepared and preserved with such extreme care, that 

 not only do the several bones still continue their natural con- 

 nexion, but the external skin remains adhering to the extremity 

 of the tail and the ends of the fingers, proving to demonstration, 

 not only that not one single caudal vertebra, or joint of the fin- 

 gers, is defective, but even the four wavy prominences of the pos- 

 terior margin of the breast-fins, corresponding to the four larger 

 finger ends, may still be easily recognized. Only on one point 

 I confess, that I entertain some doubt as to the exactness of the 

 drawing ; namely the position of the eye and ear, which, to judge 

 from the skeleton, appear rather too high above the angle of the 

 mouth ; it being manifest that the eye must come exactly under 

 the processus orbitalis of the frontal bone, which in the profile 

 representation of the skeleton (PI. V. fig. 2) is seen by no means 

 so high up. Experience proves that mistakes of this kind are 

 very easily made, when minute parts of large convex objects are 

 to be represented. In order to express such minute parts, the 

 painter draws nearer the object, and the requisite perspective 

 proportions are easily lost. Therefore, although convinced of 

 the existence of the mistake just mentioned, which was so easy 

 of correction, I have deemed it my duty not to deviate in respect 

 to it, but to give a faithful counterpart of the original drawing. 

 If we now compare this drawing of M. Thornam's taken from the 

 recent animal, with the earlier ones, cited above, and keep in view 

 the reasons assigned for its correctness, the less favourable report 

 I have given of even the more recent representations must be 

 assented to. Among the older ones, Lebeck's figure, however 

 rude, gives this animal the prevailing straight cylindrical form 

 of all whales, tapering before and behind, without curvature in 

 the back (as in Roxburgh's and F. Cuvier's), much less in the 

 neck and tail parts (as in Gray's) ; the skin stretched tightly over 

 the whole body without depression over the neck (as in Gray's) ; 

 the breast-fins quite stiff and the fingers immoveable among 

 themselves (therefore not capable of being folded together like a 

 fan, which the drawings of Roxburgh, Cuvier, and Gray seem to 

 indicate). M. Reinhardt has caused a separate outline to be taken 

 from above (PI. V. fig. 4). He says the blow-hole is a perfectly 

 straight longitudinal slit, without the faint double curve of an S, 

 attributed to it by Lebeck and Roxburgh ; and is represented by 

 him alone as quite shut (fig. 3), which it is self-evident it must be, 

 except during the moment of respiration. 



Of the greatest importance is the perfect confirmation, by M. 

 Reinhardt's own observation and skeleton, of Roxburgh's original 

 assertion, concerning the extreme smallness of the eyes of the 

 Gangetic dolphin : *' Eyes exceedingly minute, being only a line 



