238 



THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



The proportion for the Tay River whale is from Struthei's's figure (89, fig. 6). 

 His measurements give only 32.7 ^. The cause of this discrepancy is not obvious. 

 All the other specimens show a close agreement. 



The correspondence in the bones of the forearm between the types of M. 

 osphyia and M. belUcosa are seen on comparing plate 34, fig. 4, and plate 36, fig. 3. 



The proportion of the length of the radius and ulna to the length of the skull 

 in various American and European specimens is shown in the following table : 



MEGAPTERA NODOSA (BONNATERRE). EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN. RADIUS AND ULNA. 



Locality. 



Vogelsand, Germany . . . 

 Tay River, Scotland. . . . 

 Provincetown, Mass. . . . 



Cape Cod, Mass 



Coast of Maine' 



West Indies' 



Greenland (Lund Mus.) 



Length of 

 Skull. 



inches. 

 148.2 

 125.0 

 91.0 

 113. o 

 1350 

 '14-5 

 121. 2 



Length of Radius. 



With 

 Epiphyses. 



per cent. 



23-7' 



28.8 



29.7 



28.8 



25.6 



Without 

 Epiphyses. 



per cent. 



26.0 

 28.8 

 26.1 



24-3 

 25.8 

 25.2 



Length of Ulna. 



With 

 Epiphyses. 



per cent. 



24.0 



2S-5 

 24.4 



21.9 



Without 

 Epiphyses. 



per cent. 



22.0 

 24.7 

 22.7 

 21. I 

 21.0 

 21.4 



PHALANGES. 



The number of ossified ^^halanges (exclusive of metacarpals) in the Eui'opean 

 Humpback has been given by Struthers (87, 38), and of the Greenland Humpback 

 by Eschricht (57), Van Beneden (8, 134), and others, as follows : 



MEGAPTERA NODOSA (BONNATERRE). EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN. PHALANGES. 



' From Rudolphi's figure — Type of M. longimana. 



' Type of M. osphyia. ' Type of M. bellicosa. 



* In d'Alton's Die Skelete der Cetaceen, 1827, pi. 3, fig. e, the hand of a Humpback whale, which 

 from the text appears to be the type of B. longimana, is represented with the following phalangeal 

 formula: 2, 7, 6, 2. 



'According to my own notes on this skeleton, there are 6 phalanges in the 4th digit. 



° In a foetus 45" long. Eschricht's figure of a foetus 35" long, from Greenland, appears to show 

 the following ossified phalanges: 2, 8, 8, 3 ( J7, 79). Eschricht also gives the formula for the 

 adult as 3, 9, 9, 3, but does not state from what specimen or specimens this was derived ( J7, 141). 

 It appears to include the metacarpals. 



