280 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NOKTH ATLANTIC. 



throws doubt ou their authenticity, since they plainly belong to Baketiojptera and 

 not to Megai^tera. However, the error is pi-obably a clerical one. 



The two pieces are thin and have the surface roughened by longitudinal and 

 transverse raised lines. One piece (No. 13981) has a length of 23 in., and a breadth 

 at the base of about 8.5 in. The second piece (No. 13982) is 28 in. long, with a 

 breadth of 9.5 in. at the base. The former has two liijht-colored, translucent 

 longitudinal bands, about ^ in. wide, near the outer margin. 



As no other material, representing this species, which passed through Scam- 

 mon's hands, is now accessible, I have endeavored to find out what the " Common 

 Finback " of the Pacific coast really is from other sources. The material at com- 

 mand is meagre and consists only of (1) a skeleton formerly owned by Cope and 

 now in the museum of the Wistar Institute, Philadelphia (see pi. 6, fig. 4 ; pi. 28, 

 figs. 5, 6) ; (2) measurements of a specimen captured off San Clemente Id., Cal., in 

 1895, and exhil)ited in Celoron, New York, in 1896.' 



The Wistar Institute skeleton is that of an adult animal, which, according to 

 a record ou a piece of paper found in the box which contained the skeleton, was 68 

 ft. long. The mounted skeleton is 62 ft. 10 in. long. It is a very fine and practi- 

 cally pei'fect specimen. The whalebone is slate-colored, streaked longitudinally 

 with whitish, and the right anterior 6 or 8 inches all white. This is characteristic 

 oi B. physalus. The vertebral forinida is as follows: C. 7 ; D. 15 ; L. 15, Ca. 23 

 -|- =: 60 +. The last caudal is about the size of an apple. There are fifteen 

 chevron bones. Tlie following measurements were taken with the aid of Dr. Green- 

 man, to whom my best thanks are due: 



SKELETON (MOUNTED I FROM WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA IN THE WISTAR INSTITUTE, PHILADELPHIA. 



(BELONGED TO COPE.) 



Total length of skeleton, mounted 62 ft. lo in. 



Length of skull, straight, without premaxilhv 15 " 61 " 



Breadth " " greatest 7 " 9 " 



Length of rostrum, without premaxillae. 10 " 61 " 



Breadth " " at middle 3 " Si " 



Length of mandible, straight 15 " 4 " 



" curved 1 6 " 5 " 



Breadth of orbit, least i of " 



" " " greatest 20 " 



Breadth of scapula 4 " 2 " 



Height " " 2" 7" 



Length of radius 2 " 9! " 



" ulna, least 2 " 6J " 



" " " greatest 2 "11^" 



Breadth of axis — 



Depth of mandible at middle i " 1 1 " 



Length of acromion of scapula, greatest 14 " 



" " coronoid 6|- " 



' For these measurements I am indebted to Prof. H. L. Osborn, St. Paul, Minn. 



