7. STBBALDIUS. 179 



" The Loyden Museum during the present year (1864) has received 

 the skeleton of a Fin-Whale taken on the north-west coast of the island 

 of Java. The hands, from the carpus downwards, the pelvic bones, and 

 some of the terminal caudal vertebrae are wanting, also the lacrj-mals 

 and malars from the skull ; in other respects the skeleton is complete. 

 Not being yet articulated, the separate bones could be examined 

 with great facility. Both epiphyses are anchylosed to the bodies of 

 the iirst three cervical vertebrae ; the anterior epiphyses only are 

 united on the fourth and fifth. From this, as far as the ninth caudal, 

 inclusive, they are detached ; on the tenth caudal the hinder, and 

 on the succeeding ones both epiphyses are firmly united. On the 

 humerus the upper epiphysis is partly, and the lower one completely, 

 united to the shaft, all traces of the original separation of the latter 

 having disappeared. The upper epiphyses of the radius and ulna 

 are in the same condition ; but those at the lower end are separate. 

 The transverse processes of the cervical vertebra) show, from the 

 condition of their terminal surfaces, that they are not quite complete. 

 The upper edge of the scapula appears completely ossified in the 

 middle, but must have been cartilaginous towards the two extremities. 

 These conditions taken together show that the animal was in the 

 adolescent stage, and had probably attained very nearly its full size. 



" The skull is 9' 8" long in a straight line ; the vertebrse, placed 

 close together and without their epiphyses, measured 30" ; so that, 

 allowing for the epiphyses, intervertebral spaces, and the end of the 

 tail, the animal could not have been less than 45 feet long. 



" The number of vertebra) present is 54 ; and 3, or probably 4 of 

 the caudal are wanting, raising the total number to 57 or 58. Of 

 these, 7 are cervical, 14 dorsal, and about 13 or 14 lumbar ; but, 

 the articular surfaces for the anterior chevron bones not being well 

 marked, I could not be certain where the tail should be considered 

 to begin. There are foiu'teen pairs of ribs, 



" The skuU presents the general characters of the genus Sihhaldius. 

 The only important difference that I could find between it and the 

 specimen from the coast of Holland is in the form of the orbital 

 process of the frontal bone, which is narrower at its outer end, 

 approaching more to the form characteristic of Physalus, although by 

 no means so narrow as in this. The nasals (fig. 13, e, p. Ill) are long 

 and narrow, nearly flat on their upper surface, and slightly shelving 

 downwards from the middle Hne. Their anterior border is rather 

 less produced near the middle line than at the sides — the reverse in 

 this respect to the Zuyder Zee specimen. The tympanic bones are 

 4"-6 long, 3"-5 in greatest breadth, and 2"-5 thick. Their form is 

 seen in the annexed woodcut (fig. 47). The lower jaw has a very 

 slight curve and a low coronoid process, the highest part of which is 

 20" from the hinder end of the bone. It is triangtdar in form, 

 rounded at the apex, with a base about 4" in breadth, and rising 

 about 2\" in height. The principal dimensions of the skull in 

 inches are given in the following Table, compared with those of 

 the skulls of the two other specimens of the genus mentioned in this 

 notice. 



N 2 



