136" True — On South American JDelphinuIm^ 



with a mark of interrogation.* After Dr. Perez Canto had sent 

 a description of the species to Dr. Philippi, he published one 

 himself in the Actes de la Societe Scientifique du Chili, 5, p. 22 7 7 

 1896, under the name of Phoccena albiventris. 



"Pftocrena philippii Perez in lit." (1893, p. 9, pi. 3, fig. 2). 



^'Acanthodelphis (Phocaena) philippii Perez Canto" (1896, p. 8, 



pi. 3, fig. 2.) 



The description of this species published by Dr. Philippi in 

 1893 was accompanied by a figure of the exterior (pi. 3, fig. 2), 

 This figure was replaced in 1896 by a rather better one from 

 another individual, showing the tubercles on the dorsal fin, etc. ; 

 Hgures of the skull were also added (1896, pi. 2, fig. 2; pi. 3, 

 figs. 1-5 



From the latter it is obvious that Dr. Perez Canto was cor- 

 rect in referring the species to the genus Phoccena. It seems 

 scarcely advisable to give generic rank to the later name, Acan- 

 thodelphis, which Gray established in 1866 as a subgeneric name 

 for Burmeister's Phoccena spinipinnis, since the characters on 

 which the distinction is based are those of proportions and of 

 the dermal tubercles. In cranial characters spinipinnis does 

 not differ from Phoccena. 



Dr. Philippi's figures of philippii show (as he himself recog- 

 nized) that this species is most closely allied to spinipinnis. 

 He considers that it should be regarded as distinct on account 

 of the shape of the head, the size of the mouth and the shape of 

 the caudal margins; also because of certain differences in the 

 details of the skull. So far as the external characters are con- 

 cerned, the shape of the head is the only one which would seem 

 to me likely to be of importance. The shape of the caudal 

 peduncle in Burmeister's figures is probably due to an artist's 

 misconception. It will be noticed that it is followed in all 

 Burmeister's figures without regard to what genera and species 



*Trouessart, Cat. Mam., 1898-99, p. 1041. 



