5. PHYSALTJS. 163 



sionally stranded. The skeleton of one cast ashore some twenty- 

 years ago at Mount Lavinia is still in the museum at Colombo." — 

 Kelaart, Prod. Faunce ZeyJonicce, 1852. 



" Whales are frequently captured within sight of Colombo." — 

 Tennent's Ceylon. 



" Whales are very common on the coast of Alipi, South Malabar. 

 American ships, and occasionally Swedish ones, call at Cochin for 

 stores during their cruises for them, but no English whalers ever 

 come here that I have heard of. One [whale], said to be 100 feet 

 long, was sti-anded on the coast. I saw some of the vertebrae and 

 ribs about three years ago. Last year another, 90 feet long, got 

 among the reefs in Quilon, and was murdered by some hundreds of 

 natives with guns, spears, axes, &c., and was cut up and eaten, 

 salted and dried as well as fresh. The Eoman Catholic fishermen 

 of the coast pronounced it ' fii'st chop beef.' 



" The Maldives and Seychelles are said to be the headquarters of 

 the whalers who seek for these whales. I am soriy I never noticed 

 the jaw-bones sufficiently, for I saw them on the beach." — Hev. H. 

 Baker, of Ali])i, S. Malabar, quoted by Blyth. 



5. Physalus ? Iwasi. The Jajpan Finner. 



Black ; side white-spotted ; belly white. 



Balsenoptera arctica, Schlegel, Faun. Japmi. 26. 

 Physalus ? Iwasi, Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 42. 

 Balsena sulcata antarctica, Schleyel, Abh. 43 ; Faun. Japon. Mamm. 

 t. .30. 



. Inhab. Japan. 



A species of this genus is known in Japan under the name of Iiuasi 

 Kuzira. It is very rare. One was cast ashore in 1760 at Kii, which 

 was about 25 feet long ; black, belly whitish, sides white -spotted. 

 They distinguish it from the other whales by the head being smaller, 

 narrower, and more pointed, and the pectoral shorter. It was driven 

 ashore by the SaJcanata (Grampus). No remains of this species were 

 brought home by M. Siebold. Temminck (Fauna Japonica) regards 

 it as identical with the Northern species. It is very desirable that 

 the bones of the Japan and Northern specimens should be accurately 

 compared. It may be observed that several animals, the Mole and 

 the Badger for example, were formerly said to be like the European 

 species, but I'ecent research has shown that they are distinct, and 

 they are now so considered in the ' Fauna Japonica.' 



The following species are described by Lacepede from Chinese 

 dra'^dngs (see Mem.Mus.iv. 473): — Bakenoptera _pmictidata, B.niyra, 

 B. ccerulescens, and B. maculata. 



" Razorbacks occur in the Strait of Formosa. Some Americans 

 fitted out lorchas for their capture, and erected boiling-houses at 

 Swatow, but they said they yielded too little oil to compensate for 

 the trouble and risk incurred in their capture, as they are dangerous 

 creatures to meddle with. They have very large flat heads and 

 smooth backs. Seldom a year passes but one is stranded some- 



M 2 



