THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NOUTH ATLANTIC. 79 



Genus BAL^NA Linuasus. 



1. Bal/ENa cisarctica Cope. 1865. 



" The Black Whale of the Whalers of our Coast." 



Original description: Proceedings, Academy of Natui'al Sciences, Phila., 1865, 

 No. 3, Jiily-Aug., pp. 168-169. Read Aug. 8, 1865. 



Type-local ittj and date: Opfiosite Philadelphia, on the coast of New Jei'sey, 

 1862.1 



Type-specimen : Nearly complete skeleton of a half-grown individual, presented 

 to the Philadelphia Academy by George Davidson. The whale had previously 

 been exhibited for some time. 



Cope estimated that the length of the skeleton if complete would be 37 feet. It 

 lacks the right nasal bone, the malars, the sternum, the carpal and pelvic bones, and all 

 the chevrons. The ends of the maxillae are broken off, and probably the premaxillse 

 lack about two inches of their original length anteriorly. The ribs and phalanges 

 are not accurately mounted. Cope's description of the type is quite accurate, but 

 contains one error, namely, the assertion that the sixteenth vertebra from the last 

 pair of ribs is the first which has a perforated diapophysis. It is in fact the seven- 

 teenth from the last pair of ribs, or the thirty-eighth vertebi'a in the series. Cope 

 states that the total length of the skull axially is 101 inches. I am unable to make 

 it more than 96J^ inches, but about 2 inches should be added foi' the breakage of the 

 tip of the premaxillfe, making 98| inches in all. If Cope's measurement is correct, 

 the skull must thei'efore have slii'unk about 1\ inches. This is quite possible, 

 owing to the drying of the l)oiies and the bending down of the I'ostrum.* Cope's 

 measurement of the breadth of the scapula is 29 inches. I make it 30 inches. 

 The type-skeleton is figured on pi. 43. The following measurements of it were 

 made by myself in May, 1900: 



Skull: ^'•'''" 



Total length (straight) 96-5 ' 



Greatest breadth (at orbits) 65.75 



Length of rostrum, least, straight • • • • 760 



Breadth " at middle, curved i7-75^ 



Length of nasals 



Breadth of the two nasals distally 7-5 



Breadth of orbit from point to ])oint, least o--5 



■ A note (by Cope?) in the Amer. Naturalist, 12, 1878, p. 750, refers to the type as captured 

 " near Philadelphia." 



' In the table of measurements I have not used Cope's measurement, because the skull has 

 doubtless shrunk in other directions as well. 



' One or two inches should, perhaps, be added. 



' Internal border; the external border is loi in. 



' Only the left nasal is preserved. This is 3! in. broad opposite distal end of inner border. 



Twice 3f = 75. 



