118 BALiENOPTEiaOiE. 



The atlas vertebra witli an oblong body, and with a large and short 

 broad lateral process from the upper part of each side. The upper 

 and lower lateral processes of the second cervical vertebra very thick, 

 short, blunt, and separated at the ends ; of the other cervical ver- 

 tebra) slender, more elongate, separate. Neiu'al arch of the cervical 

 vertebrte strong, high, with a large subcircular cavity for the spinal 

 marrow. The bodies of the cervical vertebra? oblong, roundish, or 

 subquadi'angular, rather wider than high. The scapiila short and 

 broad, without any, or a veiy small, coracoid process. The ann- 

 bonc long ; w^i'ist with a broad flat spur ; the fingers four, elongate, 

 very iineciual in length, the third longest, the second rather shorter, 

 the fourth much shorter, and the first shortest ; the longest is formed 

 of eight joints (see Eschr. Dan. Trans. 1845, t. 2. f. D, & t. 3. f. 4). 

 The front ribs thick, oblong, compressed, without any swelling or 

 compressed dilated jjart near the condyle. 



The baleen is short, broad, triangular, much longer than broad at 

 the base, rapidly attenuated, edged with a series of bristle-like fibres, 

 which become much thicker and more rigid near and at the tip. 

 Rather twisted, especially when dry. The tympanic bones are like 

 those of the Balanioj^terce, oblong, but shorter and more ventiicose. 



The foetal specimens exhibit niTmerous rudimentary teeth in both 

 jaws. These are figured by Eschricht (Danish Trans, iv. t. 4. f. a, b) 

 from specimens 35 and 45 inches long (copied Zool. Erebus & Terror, 

 t. 30. f. 2-14). 



" Orbital process of frontal much narrowed externally. . Scapula 

 high and narrow ; acromion and coracoid process absent or rudi- 

 mentary. Metacarpus and phalanges greatly elongated. Vertebrse 53. 

 Uibs 14. Coronoid process of lower jaw low, obtuse. Nasal bones 

 narrow, pointed at both ends, rising to a sharp ridge in the middle 

 line, and deeply hollowed at the sides:'— Fhtver, P. Z. S. 1864, 391. 



In the foetal state the forearm -bones are very miich longer than 

 the humeriis. The third finger is the longest, but not much longer 

 than the second ; the fourth, and then the first, are shortest. The 

 spur at the wrist is falcate. The first finger has 3, the second 8, the 

 tliird 8, and the fourth 3 phalanges, (See Eschricht, Wallthierc, 

 t. 3. f. 4.) 



In the ' Catalogue of Cetacea,' p. 24, by a slip of the pen, the fii'st 

 rib is incorrectly said to be forked at the end near the vertebra. 



The cervical vertebra? are liable to be more Oi less anchylosed 

 together. In two specimens, one of M. longhnana, in the Museum, 

 all the cervical vertebra? are free. In the young specimen in the 

 Derby Museum at Liverpool, which is probably M. lonf/imnna, the 

 second and third cervical vertebra? are very thin, and anchylosed both 

 by the body and the neural arch. In the specimen of M. Foeslcop in 

 I'aris, according to Cuvier, the second and third ccr\acals are united 

 by the upper part of their body ; and in a specimen, apparently of 

 the same species, from the Cape, in the British Museum the second 

 and third cervical vertebrae are only anchjdosed by one side of the 

 neural arch, and free everywhere else. The breast-bone is irregular 

 rhombic; in one specimen of M. loiigwuina from Greenland it is 



