2. PoEscopiA. 127 



«. Cervical vertebrae. Cape of Good Hope. Purchased. The two 

 are united on one side and free on the other. Anterior with 

 short lower lateral process, sixth and seventh withoiit any lower 

 lateral process. 



" Head depressed, slightly convex above, with a small projection 

 on each side of spiracle ; the apex of the upper jaw acutely rounded ; 

 lower jaw much longer and broader than the upper jaw, and with 

 three or four subglobular elevations on each side near tip. Back 

 slightly arched, with a carinated and slightly elevated hunch towards 

 the tail, highest about its middle, whence it slants off to each 

 extremity ; hinder part of the body carinated above and below. 

 Throat and breast strongly marked with elevated longitudinal rugaa, 

 with deep corresponding furrows between them. Eyes a little above 

 the angle of the mouth ; the opening of the spiracles rather in 

 front of them. LaminiE of whalebone 300 on each side, of a bluish 

 colour, and margined on the inner side with stiff horny bristles. 



" Back and sides black ; beUy dull white, with some irregular 

 black spots. Pectoral fin narrow, both its anterior and posterior 

 edges irregularly notched ; upper surface black, under surface pure 

 white. Hinder edge of tail fin nearly square, with a slight notch at 

 its middle, opposite the back-bone, on each side of which it is slightly 

 convex, towards points a little concave. 



" Length from tip of lower jaw to hinder margin of tail fin 34| feet, 

 from tip of lower jaw to angle of mouth 7-i feet, from tip of upper 

 jaw to angle of mouth 6 feet, from angle of mouth to base of pectoral 

 fin y feet ; -width of pectoral at base 2 feet, near point 1 foot ; width 

 of tail from tip to tip 9 feet. Length of whalebone near angle of 

 mouth 1 foot. 



" Inhab. the seas about the Cape of Good Hojie. The IlianphacJc 

 of the whalefishers. 



" The only specimen of the species which I have had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining had lost the skin of the hinder portion of the 

 back before I saw it, so that I am unable to describe the hunch from 

 my own observation. Those who have been in the habit of seeing 

 and killing this species all agree as to the character of the hunch, 

 and from what I have myself observed at a distance through a tele- 

 scope, I sliould feel inclined to regard their description as correct. 

 They unite in asserting that there is nothing of the appearance of a 

 regular fin ; and all that I could distinguish, from watching the animal 

 when in motion, and partly above the surface of the water, was a 

 sort of semilunar elevation towards the tail and somewhat above the 

 line of the back." — A. >SniiiJi, African Quart. Journ. p. 131. 



Delalande's account was published by Desnioidins, who merely 

 gives the following particulars, except -SN'hat appears to be common to 

 the genus. He says, " it has a boss on the occiput, and its dorsal is 

 nearly over the pectoral;" in the Em-opean and Bermudean figures 

 it is over the end of these fins. 



Cuvier's figures of the adult skuU differ from Eudolphi's figure of 

 M. hncjimana in the intermaxillaries being narrower and contracted 

 in front of the blowers, and then rather widened again aiul linear, 



