182 Proceedings of the Ro^yal Society of Edinburgh, 



lined with whalebone, as very surprising. The whole surface of the 

 ])alatal plates of the superior maxillary bones, each extending to 14 

 feet in length, was covered with a mass of what appeared to be well 

 teased baked hair, of a clear and shining black. This was the whale- 

 bone arranged in the most regular manner, and composed of many 

 thousand plates ; the number as seen in profile, and which are the 

 largest plates, amounted to upwards of 650. It weighed nearly two 

 tons while soft. The whole skeleton weighed nearly thirty-two tons, 

 and was removed to Edinburgh with much difficulty. The weight 

 of the brain, calculated by Sir William Hamilton's method, from the 

 capacity of the cranium, must have been about fifty-four lb. 



The larynx is quite simple, and totally unlike that of the Dolphin 

 and Porpoise. The nostrils are filled by two enormous cartilaginous 

 masses acted on by muscles occupying the centre of the superior 

 maxillary bones. When the animal breathes, they are withdrawn 

 sideways to admit the passage of air. This extraordinary structure 

 the author considers as unique, and that it had not fallen previously 

 under the notice of any scientific observer. 



2. Dr Knox verbally communicated some new observations 

 on the structure of the Foot of the Horse. He demon- 

 strated the navicular bone of the horse''s foot not to be a 

 sesamoid bone, nor a peculiar structure formed expressly 

 for the horse, but the Epiphysis of the Os pedis or coffin- 

 bone. This was proved satisfactorily by a direct appeal 

 to structure. Besides anticipating results of practical con- 

 sequences from this discovery, the author is led to observe, 

 that an organ may be displaced and employed to perform 

 different functions in different animals,— -that the epiphyses 

 of bones are intended by nature to form separate bones in 

 a vast variety of animals, — and that they may often lead 

 to the discovery of the type of the skeleton in fossil re- 

 mains of extinct animals. 



3. The reading of a paper was commenced, entitled, Experi- 

 . mental Researches regarding certain Vibrations which take 



place between Metallic Masses having different Tempera- 

 tures. By James D. Forbes, Esq. Professor of Natural 

 Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. 



