NOTES ON A KILLER WHALE (GENUS ORCTNUS) FROM 

 THE COAST OF MAINE. 



By Frederick W. True, 



Head Curator, Department of Biology. 



The number of species of killer whales which inhabit the North 

 Atlantic is uncertain. Lilljeborg, Eschricht, Van Beneden, Graj", 

 Liitken, and other cetologists have endeavored to solve the question, 

 but have been unable to do so, owing chiefly, it would appear, to lack 

 of sufficient material. Eschricht thought it possible to distinguish 

 three species in European waters, and Reinhardt appears to have con- 

 curred in that view. Gra}^ considered that two European species could 

 be distinguished by the skulls. Van Beneden remarked in 1889: 



We not. only believe that it is necessary to refer all these killers of the European 

 seas to one and the same species, bnt we believe it possible to add also the killers of 

 the Pacific and those of our antipodes. « 



Liitken in 1887 summed up his study of the genus as follows: 



As regards the northern waters, I can only recognize two [species], and one of 

 these, which bears the name of eschrichiii, still has need to be studied with new mate- 

 rial, b 



It has been known from a very early date that killers frequent the 

 Atlantic coast of North America, but very little attention has been 

 paid to them by American zoologists, owing no doubt in part to the 

 scarcity of opportunities to examine specimens. At all events, nothing 

 of importance regarding these cetaceans is to be found in American 

 zoological literature. I omitted them from my Revision of the Del- 

 phmidiv, as, on account of insufficient material, I feared to increase 

 rather than to lessen the uncertainty regarding the real number of 

 existing species. 



In view of the present condition of the subject, it has seemed to me 



«P. J. Van Beneden, Hist. nat. des C6tao(^s des mere d'Europe, 1889, p. 43. 



&C. F. Liitken, Krit. Studier over nogle Tandhvaler af Sla?gterne Tursiops, Orca 

 og LagenorhynchnK. Videns. Selsk. Skr., 6. Ea'kke, nat. og math. Afd., 4, art. 6, 

 1887, p. 394." 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXVII— No. 1357. 



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