328 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 52 



The pectorals were held out from the body, but quite close to it, 

 with the posterior margin tilted upward. They were moved but 

 little, and apparently only for steering and not as an aid in swimming. 

 To turn the head down, the whale seemed to thrust the thorax up- 

 ward violently, rather than to effect the movement by a stroke of 

 the flukes. This peculiar movement was repeated many times and 

 always in the same connection, so that it would appear to be char- 

 acteristic rather than exceptional. 



This whale was at times especially active, rolling and churning up 

 the water, and on such occasions the expiration was accompanied by 

 a louder "puff" than usual. It appeared to swim on its side under 

 water a great deal of the time. Occasionally it made convulsive 

 movements, as if shuddering, and moved its pectorals rather rapidly. 



On one occasion I timed the movements of this whale, as regards 

 remaining at the surface and below the surface, respectively. The 

 results were as follows for 265^ consecutive minutes, the time under 

 water being denoted by black-faced type and the time at the surface 

 by light-faced type: i, i, 2, i, 2, iV^, 2, i, 1%, 614, Yz, 2, y^, 2, (a 

 trifle), I, I, i^. 



The body of this whale was received at the National Museum on 

 August 18, 1908, and the following measurements were taken : 



Measurements of specimen B ; female, Atlantic City, N. J., Aug. 18, 

 ipoS: Total length from tip of snout to notch of flukes in a straight 

 line, 8 ft. 2^ in. (98^/2 in.) ; the same along the curves of the body, 

 8 ft. II in. (107 in.) ; greatest girth of body, 523/^ in. ; girth of head 

 at eyes, 35 ; girth of neck, 38^ ; length from tip of snout to highest 

 point of dorsal ridge (straight), 48; to blowhole, 8>4 ; to eye, 9; to 

 ear, 14; to anterior base of pectoral, 22; to posterior base of pectoral, 

 27; to navel, 47; to anus, 71 ; length of pectoral along center, I2j4 ; 

 length of pectoral from anterior base, 14 ; from posterior base, 10^ ; 

 greatest breadth of pectoral, 7^ ; breadth between axillre, 17; trans- 

 verse breadth of flukes, 233/^ ; greatest antero-posterior breadth of 

 flukes, I2y^; depth of notch of flukes, 3; vertical depth of caudal 

 peduncle, 7; length of eye, ^ ; breadth of blowhole, i^ ; length of 

 dorsal ridge, or fin, 103/2 ; length of genital slit and anus, 93/2 ; length 

 of mammary slit, 13/2 ; distance between anterior ends of mammary 

 slits, 23^ ; distance between posterior ends of mammary slits, 2^4 '> 

 distance from mammary slit to anus, 2 ; distance from notch of 

 flukes to posterior end of pelvic bone when in the natural position, 31. 



For purposes of comparison, I append measurements of a male 

 observed at Provincetown, Mass., Aug. 16, 1893: Total length from 

 tip of snout to notch of flukes, 13 ft. i in. (157 in.) ; length from 



