Description of a " White Fish,'' or " White Wlialcr 605 



general surface. The tail (Fig. 3) is strongly compressed 

 laterally near the flukes, having a sharp edge above and 

 below ; its vertical diameter at its union with the flakes 

 is 7J inches, and its transverse 3 inches. The ridges form- 

 ed by the upper and under edges extend on to the flukes, 

 to within about li inches of the median fissure. This last 

 is a continuation of the notch on the hinder border of 

 the flukes. 



The anal opening (Fig. 6, a) is 34 inches from the end 

 of the tail, and in front of it are two small parallel fissures, 

 b, each one inch in length and five eighths of an inch apart. 

 These each have within them a papilla, and are undoubt- 

 edly male mammary glands. Scoresby has represented 

 these fissures in his figure of a male, but does not mention 

 them in the description. (See his " Arctic Regions," Vol. 

 II. pi. XIV.) The genital opening, c, is about six inches in 

 length, and is situated about 11 inches in front of the anus. 



Cervical vertebrce. Cuvier has already called attention 

 to the most important points in the osteology of the head. 

 The only other parts of the skeleton which seem to require 

 especial notice here, are the cervical vertebrae. These are 

 relatively longer than is usual among cetaceans ; in this 

 specimen they, together with the intervertebral substance, 

 are seven inches in length, are wholly separate, and move 

 freely on each other. The atlas and axis are quite mas- 

 sive; the former (Fig. 4) has a thickness of 1.6 inch, on 

 the middle line in front, has no foramen for the vertebral 

 artery, and the transverse processes end in two prominent 

 tubercles (a and b) on each side ; besides the two artic- 

 ular surfaces above and below, there is a fifth, c, for the 

 articulation of the odontoid process with this bone ; the 

 axis (Fig. 5) has no foramen for the vertebral artery ; the 

 body of this bone measures two inches in thickness in 

 front ; between the two upper articular surfaces is a high 

 pyramidal eminence, having a nearly circular articular sur- 



