THE 



CANADIAN NATURALIST 



AND 



^uavtevly Ijouvual of ^citm^t. 



ON PORTIONS OF THE SKELETON OF A WHALE 

 FROM GRAVEL ON THE LINE OF THE CANADA 

 PACIFIC RAILWAY. NEAR SMITH'S FALLS, ON- 

 TARIO. 



By J. W. Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S. 



Bones of large whales are of not infrequent occurrence on the 

 less elevated terraces of the Pleistocene period on the Lower St. 

 Lawrence. I have seen them at several places in the neighbor- 

 hood of Metis, on the lowest sea terrace, now elevated only a few 

 feet above the level of the sea, and they are reported to have been 

 found on the second terrace at an elevation of 60 to 70 feet. Mr. 

 Richardson, late of the Geological Survey, informs me that he 

 has seen them in several other places on the lower terraces. It 

 has also been reported that bones of a whale were found on Mt. 

 Camille in rear of Metis at a considerable elevation ; but Mr. 

 Richardson, who visited the locality, failed to verify the state- 

 ment. The bones found on the lower, and therefore modern 

 terraces are usually in a good state of preservation and have a 

 very recent appearance. The above statements relate to remains 

 of the larger whalebone whales. 



Remains of the Beluga or small white whale were found by 

 the late Dr. Zadok Thompson, author of the "Natural History 

 of Vermont," in the marine clay in the township of Charlotte, 

 Vermont, at an elevation of 150 feet above the sea. They were 

 associated with shells of Saxicava and Leda. The species was 

 supposed to be distinct from the B. Catodon^ Gray, and was 

 named by Thompson B. Vermontana. I have found detached 

 bones of Beluga in the Post-pliocene clays of Riviere du Loup, 

 and considerable portions of a skeleton were found in the 

 Vol. X. y2 Ko. 7. 



