OF BAL^NOPTERA MUSCULUS. 205 



"The body is greatly compressed towards the tail, its vertical diameter two feet in front 

 of the flukes being fully twice the transverse diameter at the same point. The greatest 

 number of plicoe on each side of the median line was about twenty-eight. The color above 

 was nearly uniform, slaty black, rather gradually shading off to white on the sides, with 

 anteriorly several oblique, kregular, alternating bands of whitish and dusky. Below, 

 entirely white, except the furrows formed by the plicfe, which were of the color of tlie 

 dorsal surface. After the animal became distended with gases so as to open the furrows 

 between the plicae, the ventral surface presented the appearance of alternatmg narrow, 

 longitudinal black and white stripes." 



The whalebone, as already intimated, was quite destroyed by the public, hardly a single 

 plate was left intact. No measurements have been made. Towards the end of the jaw it 

 was white, or perhaps it would be better described as of a very light straw color ; proceed- 

 ing backward dark stripes became more and more numerous until ultimately, it was of a 

 uniform dark slate color. 



The Skeleton. 



This is undoubtedly by far the best specimen of any large whale in America. It is but 

 just short of theoretical perfection. The inferior epiphysis of one ulna was lost during 

 preparation, and there are but sixteen chevron bones, of which some are imperfect. There 

 is no evidence whatever that any others were overlooked or lost subsequently, though 

 such an accident is of course possible. The whale had nearly reached the end of the young 

 stage ; the processes are well developed, but all the epiphyses of the fore limb became 

 detached, and all those of the vertebrpe except of the fifth caudal and one or two of those 

 nearest the very end of the tail. 



The Head. 



During the process of preparation the following bones became loosened and were de- 

 tached : the supramaxillaries, the premaxillaries, the nasals, the jugals, and the lachry- 

 mals. Moreover the conjoined petrous and tympanic bones of the right side have been 

 removed ; they have not been returned to the skull, but mounted as a separate specimen 

 of the anatomy of the internal ear. 



As the following table will show, the proportions of the head correspond very fiirly with 

 those given by Mr. Flower, of different heads of the P. antiquorum (Proc. Zoo. Soc, 1864, 

 p. 411) and with those of the RosherviUe whale. (P. Z. S., 1865, p. 216.) 



DIMENSIONS OF HEAD (m INCHES). 



in. 



Length of skull in straigbt line • . 144 



Breadth of condyles in straight Une 11.75 



" " " following curve 13.25 



" " cxoccipitals 44 



" " squamosals (greatest breadth of skull) 67 



Length of supra-occipital (along curve, just avoiding median spine) .... 29 



" " orbital process of frontal (along lower sm-face from palatal) ... 27 



Breadth of " « at base 26 



" " " « at outer end 16 



MEMOIRS BOST. 800. NAT. HIST. VOL. n. 62 



