THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 91 



7. Bal^enoptera davidsoni Scamnion. 1872. 



Original description : Proceedings, California Academy of Sciences, 4, No. 20, 

 Jan., 1873, pp. 269-270. Printed in advance, Oct. 4, 1872. 



Type-locality: Admiralty Inlet, Washington, Oct., 1870. Female, 27 feet long, 

 with fcetus, 5 ft. long. 



Type-specimen: Skull No. 12177, U. S. National Museum. (See pi. 23, fig. 1 ; 

 pi. 25, fig. 1 ; pi. 26, fig. 1.) 



The original description is as follows : 



"Above, dull black; body, pectoral and caudal fins white below, with a white 

 band aci-oss the upper surface of the pectorals near their bases. Gular folds, 

 seventy in number; the interspaces having a pinkish cast, though the more prom- 

 inent portions are of a milky white. Head pointed ; dorsal fin small, falcate, placed 

 two-thirds the length of the body from the end of the beak. Pectorals small, 

 narrow, placed one-third of the animal's length from the anterior extremity. Geni- 

 talia opening below and slightly behind the anterior edge of the dorsal fin. Baleen 

 2)ure white; lamin;e on each side, two hundred and seventy in number; the longest 

 not exceeding ten inches. Total length of animal twenty-seven feet; pectorals foui- 

 feet long, thirteen inches wide; spiracles three feet eight inches l^ehind the end of 

 the beak ; pectorals, ditto, eight feet six inches; anterior edge of dorsal, ditto, fifteen 

 feet six inches; posterior edge, ditto, eighteen feet. Height of dorsal, ten inches; 

 bi'eadth of flukes, from point to ])oint, seven feet six inches; width of lobes of the 

 same, twenty-five inches. From the fork of the caudal fin to the anus, eight feet 

 four inches ; ditto to opening of vagina, nine and a half feet. Anterior end of 

 snout to corner of mouth, four feet eight inches. 



" Distribution from Mexico to Bering Strait ; on the west coast of America. 



"The specimen from which this desci'iption was taken was obtained in Ad- 

 miralty Inlet, Washington Territory, October, 1 870. It was a female, and con- 

 tained a fcetus five feet long; thus correcting the error of the whalers, who com- 

 monly regard this small species as the young of the 'finback ' of the coast. The 

 skull has been deposited in the National Museum at Washington." {81, 269-270.) 



Genus MEGAPTERA. 



8. Megaptera osphyia Cope. 1865. 



" Hunchbacked Whale of our [Atlantic] Coast." 



Original description : Proceedings, Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila., 1865, 

 p. 180. Offered for publication Sept. 19, 1865 ; published in 1865. 



Type-locality : Forty miles from Petit Manan lighthouse, Maine. 



Type-specimen: Skeleton from individual 50 ft. long, found dead at sea and 

 towed to shore by Capt. Taylor. Skeleton mounted and preserved in museum at 

 Niagara Falls, New York. 



This species was based on a skeleton of a Humpback found dead at sea,' 

 40 miles from Petit Manan lighthouse, Maine, in July, 1844. It was mounted and 



' A printed label now (1900) on the skeleton reads: "Captured by Capt. J. Bickford, of the 



ship Fulton." 



