Fosjiil Cetacea. S61 



ORDER CETACEA. 



Genus Manatus. 



The fossil ribs and vertebrae of a large species of manatus 

 are contained in the cabinet of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philad. Vid. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philad. vol. iv. 

 p. 32, " Notice of Plesiosaurus," &c., by Jl. Harlan, M. D. 



Locality. — Eastern coast of the United States, Atlantic Ter- 

 tiary, Georgia, New Jersey, western shore of Maryland, &c. 



The cabinets of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, and the Lyceum of Nat. Hist, of N. York, contain ribs 

 and vertebrae, &c. of fossil whales, or 



Cetacea proper. 



Such remains are by no means of rare occurrence in the 

 Atlantic tertiary. 



In the estuary of the Mississippi river, numerous remains of 

 recent whales are daily discovered, the bones being observed pro- 

 jecting from the mud. The skull, jaws, and teeth of a very large 

 spermaceti whale were thus obtained by the fishermen some few 

 years since, and carried to New Orleans, where they were palm- 

 ed on the public as the fossil remains of some enormous nonde- 

 script monster. Numerous theories and ingenious speculations 

 arose on the subject, and were gazetted from one end of our 

 country to the other. The bones were purchased at consider- 

 able expense, and exhibited through the United States. The 

 late Dr Godman produced a memoir on the occasion, and an- 

 nounced to the American Philosophical Society " the discovery 

 of the remains of the largest ' saurian fossil' ever heard of," 

 and proposed to designate it by the name " Megistosaurus,"" 

 which stands at the present day registered on the minutes of 

 the Society. The animal was represented as possessing a long 

 horn several feet in length, projecting from the side of its head. 

 The fame of this wonderful monster found its way even into 

 the European newspapers — when lo ! and behold ! on the first 

 examination of these remains by a naturalist, they were imme- 

 diately perceived to form a portion of the skeleton of an im- 

 mense recent spermaceti whale ; the pretended horn being no- 



