144 



THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



The most frequent foi'inula for mature individuals, or those above sixty feet, 

 appears to be— II., 4 ; III., 6 ; IV., 5 ; V., 3. The Albany (New Yoi-k) and Storno- 

 way (Scotland) specimens have this formula. The Gloucestei- (Massachusetts) 

 specimen is the same on the right side, except that the fifth finger has one less 

 phahiux. There is, therefore, no ground for the specific separation of American 

 and European specimens on the basis of the segmentation of the digits. 



PROPORTIONS OF THE SKELETON. 



The number of European skeletons of B. pliysalus of which thei'e are detailed 

 measurements on record is not so lai'ge as one might expect, considering the numer- 

 ous instances in which specimens have sti'anded on that side of the Atlantic. Com- 

 panyo's Monographie Illustree is not acces,sible to me, but I have consulted the data 

 furnished by Flowei-, Murie, Sars, Van Beneden, Struthers, Malm, and others. Such 

 of the measurements of diffeient specimens as are compai-able are reduced to per- 

 centages of the length of the skull, and brought together in the following table, 

 with similar measurements of some American specimens, including the type of B. 

 tectirostris (Cope) : 



BAL^NOPTERA PHYSALUS (L.). EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN. SKELETON. 



' Straight. 



- 7 inches are added for last 3 caudals, 



' 5j in. added for premaxillse. 



*2d lumbar. 



'Vert. No. 38. 



I'hich are probably missing. 



' This is tbe 38th vert. 



' This is the 3Sth vert. 



'Vert. No. 36. 



« Broken. 



'"21 inches added for olecranon. 



the 36th = 19.0 %. 

 ; the 36th = 18.4 %. 



