120 The Irish Naturalist. 



away before the shells could be removed from their position. 

 The long, narrow, straight flippers, with scarcely a curve per- 

 ceptible, were notched or scalloped along the edges, as was 

 also the posterior margin of the flukes. The head was broad 

 and flat; the upper jaw very flat, and depressed between the 

 lower jaw bones, which rose above it w^hen the mouth was 

 closed. On the upper jaw were three rows of tubercles; one of 

 seven, in the centre, running from end of snout to blow-holes, 

 from six to seven and a-half inches apart in the row, and vary- 

 ing from half to an inch in height ; one of eleven on each side, 

 just above the lips, reaching almost to the eyes ; and in two places 

 in each side row, for a space of six or seven inches, the line of 

 tubercles was double ; also a row of six or seven, each side of 

 the lower jaw, just below the lips. The baleen, as well as I 

 could judge, without measuring, appeared to be from twelve to 

 fifteen inches in length, was black in colour, and fringed at 

 the ends w4th coarse, greyish-brown hairs. The small dorsal 

 fin, placed very far back, was between six and seven inches in 

 height. The dimensions, carefully taken with a string, are as 

 follows: — 



Length from fork of tail to dorsal fin, 

 From dorsal fin to end of snout, 

 Total length over round of back, 

 From end of snout to blow-holes, 

 Breadth of flukes, 

 Length of flippers from humerus. 



Although so common on the coasts of Norway and Iceland, 

 this whale appears to be of rare occurrence in British waters, 

 this being the first of the species knowm to have visited the 

 Irish coast; while Flower and Lydekker, in their " Mammals," 

 published in 1891, mention only three examples as having 

 visited the British coasts, one at Newcastle in 1839; a second 

 at Dee in 1S63; and a third at the mouth of the Tay in 1883-4, 

 thus showing the extreme rarity of its occurrence on our 

 shores; though, of course, it is not improbable that some 

 specimens may have been unrecognized, or mistaken for other 

 species when thrown ashore. However, the unusually long 

 white narrow flippers, thick, robust body, and flat depressed 

 tabercle-covered head, should ahvays identify this whale and 

 distinguish it from others. 



The skeleton has been secured for the Dublin Museum. 



